Firefly type TV Show network Fox

Although Joss Whedon’s acclaimed show Buffy the Vampire Slayer lasted for seven seasons, his follow-up — a space western called Firefly — was canceled after barely one. Luckily for fans, the series has lived on in other media, first in the 2005 sequel film Serenity and then in various Dark Horse comic series.

“I think that it’s the characters and their relationships first and foremost that keeps people coming back for more, followed pretty closely by the richness of the setting and the backstory,” comic writer and iZombie co-creator Chris Roberson tells EW. “There’s just so much to explore.”

Roberson is now getting his own chance to explore the world of Serenity with a new comic from Dark Horse, Serenity: No Power in the ‘Verse, illustrated by Georges Jeanty. Jeanty illustrated the previous Serenity comic, Leaves on the Wind, and No Power in the ‘Verse picks up about a year and a half after the conclusion of that storyline.

“The characters have been busy in the meantime,” Roberson teases. “They’re just wrapping up a job when they get a call from an old friend who is in desperate need of their help, and things get complicated pretty quickly.”

The title of the series harks back to one of River’s (Summer Glau) most famous quotes from the original series, that “no power in the ‘verse can stop me.” Roberson says that the reference is no accident, and River (now the pilot of Serenity after Wash’s death in the film) will play a big part in the new series.

“River plays a pretty central role in this story, in more ways than one,” Roberson says. “She’s really come into her own as the pilot of Serenity, for one thing, but now that Zoe’s daughter Emma is toddling around on her own by this point, River is always on hand to help look after her as well. But the Alliance is still hunting for River, which is going to continue to put the rest of the crew in the crosshairs.”

Above and below, check out the cover for the first issue of No Power in the ‘Verse (from a total of six) and an interior page featuring River and Zoe playing with little Emma in Serenity‘s recognizable cargo hold. The issue goes on sale Oct. 26.

Image zoom Dark Horse