Firefly

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- One of the problems with transferring a little-watched television show to the big screen is that the multitudes who missed the show may be confused. Another problem, apparently, is that the fans of the show may be confused by the things that happened between when a television network abandoned the characters and a movie studio picked them up.

Joss Whedon will help neophytes and "Firefly" fans get ready for Universal Pictures’ "Serenity" with a three-issue comic book from Dark Horse comics. Whedon and regular comics collaborator Brett Matthews have written the three issues, which will hit hobby shops and newsstands and bookstores (and wherever else comic books are sold) on July 6. The comics will retain for $2.99 and will fill in the gaps between "Firefly" and "Serenity" and will introduce the uninitiated to Whedon’s futuristic Western.

"Serenity" is scheduled for a Friday, Sept. 30 release in the United States.

"Working with Joss is always fun and a privilege, and especially so when it’s ’Serenity,’" says co-writer Brett Matthews in a statement. "I love the characters and the world so much, how distinct and consistent the vision is and always has been. That sometimes to just keep going is enough, that there’s meaning in the struggle even if you don’t know exactly what that meaning is — that speaks to me, and you get it in ’Serenity’ in a way that’s dusty and real and organic, not forced. It just fits. It all just means a hell of a lot to me."

The "Serenity" line features art by Will Conrad and colorist Laura Martin, which is bound to be more meaningful for Dark Horse comics aficionados. Each issue will feature a choice of three covers which will be drawn by some of the biggest names in the industry, including John Cassaday, J.G. Jones, Bryan Hitch, Joe Quesada, Josh Middleton and Jo Chen.

Set 500 years in the future, "Serenity" follows the adventures of the transport ship Serenity and its rag-tag crew. The film’s cast is made up largely of holdovers from the FOX series, and includes Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Morena Baccarin and Adam Baldwin.