Pretty Much Every 'Firefly' and 'Serenity' Webcomic Reference Ever (We Think)
We promised (threatened?) to do this when we launched Serenity Tales: After the jump, a 37-item 85-item linklist featuring every single webcomic we could find (mostly with the help of Whedonesque and OhNoRobot) that somehow references "Firefly" and "Serenity."
And yes, we're sure we missed a few. Drop us a line with any omissions -- via e-mail or the comments thread.
1. The Comic: Firefly Park
The Date: 2003
The Reference: A "South Park"-style sendup that's also quite possibly the first "Firefly"-themed webcomic. (The "Firefly" actors were documented fans.) Unfortunately, author Lux Lucre (a.k.a. Kerry Pearson) died in 2004. His work is the credited inspiration behind Wydraz's "Serenity Park" comics.
2. The Comic: PvP
The Date: March 16, 2004
The Reference: Brent and Jade sit down to watch the "Firefly" DVDs -- kicking off an age-old relationship conundrum.
3. The Comic: Overcompensating
The Date: Aug. 2, 2006
The Reference: Jeffrey Rowland's magicautobiographical characters dress up as the Big Damn Heroes to complain about how hot it is. Read the note underneath for incendiary comments about the "Firefly" theme song.
4. The Comic: Crimson Dark
The Date: Aug. 7, 2006
The Reference: Check out the poster on the wall in the last panel: "Firefly" is either still popular seven centuries hence or Vaegyr and Larissa are serious antique collectors.
5. The Comic: Seremuppety
The Date: February-May, 2006
The Reference: "walkerboh"'s much-linked, much-loved photo-funny starring the Muppets as the Big Damn Heroes.
6. The Comic: Popcorn Picnic
The Date: 2005
The Reference: In a TV interview, George Lucas reveals a lot about his own artistic process as he explains why he thinks "Serenity" is "a travesty."
7. The Comic: Penny Arcade
The Date: Feb. 8, 2006
The Reference: Gabe is more interested in a "Firefly" marathon than Seattle football.
8. The Comic: Dork Tower
The Date: Jan. 24, 2006
The Reference: Matt and Igor try to clarify the "City of Heroes" multimedia platform in front of a familiar poster.
9. The Comic: Johnny Guadalupe: "The Death of Scott."
The Date: unknown
The Reference: A familiar fate meets the man who tells Reavers to "go suck an egg."
10. The Comic: The Hand Puppet Movie Theatre Presents: Serenity
The Date: unknown
The Reference: A handpuppet-annotated, satirical reworking of the "Serenity" script.
11. The Comic: The Nice Guy
The Date: unknown
The Reference: In the strip "#1 Hef in the 'Verse," Frank (who looks uncannily like Jayne Cobb) dreams of hot-tubbing.
12. The Comic: Unshelved
The Date: Oct. 3, 2005
The Reference: Four days after "Serenity"'s theatrical premiere, librarian Dewey has already seen the film ... well, he's already seen it a lot.
13. The Comic: The M.O.R.G.
The Date: Jan. 27, 2006
The Reference: The comic deviates from its usual plotline to threaten readers (and frogs) in an attempt to boost "Serenity"'s box office.
14. The Comic: Kismetropolis
The Date: Sept. 28, 2005
The Reference: The cartoonist engages in a little light cosplay while ordering readers into the cineplex.
15. The Comic: Blue Crash Kit
The Date: Dec. 13, 2005
The Reference: Bad poetry warps the fabric of reality. Kit hopes reading it can bring back "Firefly." UPDATE: BCK writer Rob Hamm adds: "The reference you posted is actually a fan art piece someone sent in that refers to an entire Firefly-esque storyline that begins with Kit getting bored."
16. The Comic: Brickgirl & Oscar
The Date: June 21, 2006
The Reference: The two leads discuss the pros and cons of living in a Joss Whedon universe.
17. The Comic: The Joy of Tech
The Date: September 2005
The Reference: Conversations in the "Serenity" movie line.
18. The Comic: The Nice Guy
The Date: unknown
The Reference: A newbie's questions seriously undermine "Firefly Night." Bonus: Click here to see the "Nice Guy" cast rendered "Firefly"-style.
19. The Comic: Red Sparrow
The Date: Sept. 15, 2005
The Reference: Fun is made of Jayne's name. Less fun is made of Vera's.
20. The Comic: Least I Could Do
The Date: Sept. 15, 2005
The Reference: Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza turn their comic into a "Serenity" ad.
21. The Comic: "Dino Comics remix, ala Firefly"
The Date: Sept. 2, 2005
The Reference: In Stimpson/Nicole's LiveJournal, a wonderful hijacking of Ryan North's "Dinosaur Comics."
22. The Comic: Fevered Rantings
The Date: Unknown
The Reference: A depressing recounting of chatter overheard during a theatrical screening of the "Serenity" trailer.
23. The Comic: UserFriendly
The Date: July 22, 2005
The Reference: A drooling exception is made for Kaylee.
24. The Comic: Venus Envy
The Date: May 28, 2005
The Reference: Cartoonist Erin Lindsey got into one of last year's "Serenity" preview screenings. It became fodder for her "filler comic."
25. The Comic: Unshelved
The Date: May 26, 2005
The Reference: Anticipation of "Serenity" is an aphrodisiac.
26. The Comic: CulturePulp
The Date: May 20, 2005
The Reference: The non-fiction comic strip chronicles the scene at a May 5 "Serenity" preview screening in Portland, OR.
27. The Comic: Angst Technology
The Date: May 16, 2005
The Reference: Excitement over the "Serenity" online trailer; threats leveled at the ignorant.
28. The Comic: PvP
The Date: May 10, 2005
The Reference: The comic strip that inspired the wildly popular "Joss Whedon is My Master Now" t-shirt.
29. The Comic: Penny Arcade
The Date: April 9, 2005
The Reference: Gabe returns from a "Serenity" screening. Tycho fears spoilers. River is made of chocolate.
30. The Comic: Unshelved
The Date: Aug. 24, 2004
The Reference: Mastery of "Firefly" trivia gets a man in a library.
31. The Comic: The Wotch
The Date: unknown
The Reference: The "Buffy"-influenced webcomic puts Wash's dino-dialogue into a child's mouth.
32. The Comic: Icarus
The Date: unknown
The Reference: An as-yet-unfinished "Firefly" fan comic we found when we were setting up "Serenity Tales." Judging from a related discussion thread, it's being crafted by Australian Browncoats.
33. The Comic: NinthFloor
The Date: unknown
The Reference: Making fun of costumed Browncoats in a movie line.
34. The Comic: Starslip Crisis
The Date: November-December 2005; June-July 2006
The Reference: Cartoonist Kristofer Straub has used his video "Slipcast" to voice his disdain for "Firefly"-speak. He does more of the same with his character "Zallion," featured in the "Hardware Pirates" and "Vore and Zillion" storylines.
35. The Comic: Arcane Times
The Date: April 4, 2006
The Reference: Arcane uses a "TiVO of the Gods" to indulge a "Firefly" fantasy.
36. The Comic: Hyjakin' Nathan (Backup here.)
The Date: April-May 2006
The Reference: Nearly 20 comic strips starring a "furry" version of Nathan Fillion versus "The Red Pencil of DOOM." Artist Khei warns that the strip is "rated PG-17 for mild language." Further Whedonesque discussion here.
37. The Comic: Home on the Strange
The Date: October 2006
The Reference: Tom and Karla watch a J-horror marathon dressed as "zombie Wash" and Zoe.
38. The Comic: xkcd
The Date: Sept. 29, 2005 (judging from the title)
The Reference: Randall Munroe applies his distinctive cartooning style to a "Serenity" cast lineup.
39. The Comic: Horsemen
The Date: Sept. 30, 2005
The Reference: Apocalyptic cartoon characters are moved to tears in this "little tribute to Serenity."
40. The Comic: Narbonic (second row)
The Date: April 26, 2005
The Reference: A "Serenity"-themed Internet meme takes on a life of its own.
41. The Comic: Narbonic (second row)
The Date: Aug. 8, 2006
The Reference: Dave may be "Serenity"-spoiled angry. Which is very angry.
42. The Comic: Arcane Times
The Date: May 2, 2005
The Reference: Alan Arcane invokes the Blue Hand Group after he misses his chance for "Serenity" preview-screening tickets.
43. The Strip: Zoidland
The Date: Oct. 8, 2005
The reference: Jane has a familiar post-traumatic reaction to "Serenity."
44. The Strip: Zoidland
The Date: April 8, 2006
The reference: "Firefly" sparks a discussion of what constitutes "realism" in sci-fi.
45. The Comic: Sanity Check
The Date: Sept. 28, 2005
The Reference: Two days before "Serenity"'s theatrical premiere, Joshua urges fans to "take it down a peg." ALSO: A pin-up of sorts appears in the Oct. 2, 2005 strip.
46. The Comic: Arthur, King of Time and Space
The Dates: Jan. 8-17, 2006
The Reference: Cartoonist Paul Gadzikowski throws his cast into a nine-strip "Serenity" parody: Arthur is Mal, Lancelot is Wash, Guenevere is Zoe, Gawaine is Jayne, Tristam is Kaylee, Merlin is Simon, and Nimue is River.
47. The Comic: Unshelved
The Date: Oct. 31, 2005
The Reference: The cast dresses up as Mal, Inara and a Reaver for Halloween.
48. The Comic: Castlevania RPG
The Date: unknown (but circa Sept. 30, 2005)
The Reference: In honor of the "Serenity" premiere, the sprite comic offers a tutorial on "How to Make a Joss Whedon Production."
49. The Comic: Penny Arcade
The Date: Dec. 11, 2006
The Reference: A discussion of the upcoming "Firefly" massively multiplayer online game (MMO).
50. The Comic: No 4th Wall to Break
The Dates: Feb. 23-28, 2004
The Reference: In a three-strip series, Otto becomes dangerously obsessed with "Firefly"... and then finds out it's cancelled.
51. The Comic: Cool Intentions
The Date: Oct. 11, 2005
The Reference: There's a bit of a kerfluffle over some borrowed "Firefly" DVDs.
52. The Comic: Real Life Comics
The Date: Dec. 8, 2006
The Reference: The announcement of the "Firefly" massively multiplayer online game creates a geek dilemma for our hero.
53. The Comic: The Devil's Panties
The Date: Sept. 2, 2005
The Reference: Jen gets caught downloading "Firefly."
54. The Comic: PhD (Piled Higher & Deeper)
The Date: Nov. 9, 2005
The Reference: A computer-enginnering grad proudly displays her geek cred.
55. The Comic: PvP
The Date: Sept. 27, 2005
The Reference: Brent and Cole get to a "Serenity" sneak-preview screening the only way they know how.
56. The Comic: Unshelved
The Date: Dec. 1. 2005
The Reference: Take a close look at the signs between Dewey and Mel.
57. The Comic: The Joy of Tech
The Date: Unknown
The Reference: "Firefly: The Next Generation."
58. The Comic: Comedity
The Date: April 24, 2006
The Reference: Alice hallucinates like Jayne.
59. The Comic: xkcd
The Date: January 2007
The Reference: "Firefly" gets worked into "Folsom Prison Blues."
60. The Comic: PvP
The Date: Feb. 27, 2007
The Reference: Scott Kurtz posts PvP/"Firefly" fan art by Claire Hummel. (Click here to see the full-size version.)
61. The Comic: Canned Ham
The Date: March 14, 2007
The Reference: Ogden gets a cunning hat in the mail.
62. The Comic: Legendary
The Date: Dec. 27, 2006
The Reference: King Arvel and General Benedict Iscariot share a familiar dialogue exchange.
63. The Comic: Punch an' Pie
The Date: July 9, 2007
The Reference: Angela, despairing of finding a new job, tries sleeping on it -- and wakes up on the Big Damn Boat.
64. The Comic: Ctrl-Alt-Del
The Date: March 28, 2007
The Reference: The absence of "Firefly" actors is a blessing for a seriously geeked-out Ethan.
65. The Comic: Zeta
The Date: Aug. 15, 2005
The Reference: "The crew of Serenity as created using UnderGroundOnline's HeroMachine 2.0."
66. The Comic: Real Life
The Date: March 21, 2007
The Reference: Somewhere in time-space, a couple of longed-for items occupy shelf space in the "Library of Potentiality."
67. The Comic: Weregeek
The Date: March 2, 2007
The Reference: Joel and Dustin get in a spectator-worthy argument about the merits of the Big Damn Show.
68. The Comic: Sheldon
The Date: March 30, 2007
The Reference: Sometimes, there comes a time when one must "hire a writer who knows how to do sci-fi right!" For Sheldon, there is but one candidate.
69. The Comic: Zeta
The Dates: 9/21/04, 11/6/04, 5/10/05, 6/23/05
The Reference: Seph and Zeta (and their creator, Matt) obsess on "Firefly" and "Serenity" -- and getting into the 2005 preview screenings -- in multiple installments.
70. The Comic: Real Life
The Dates: 4/9/04, 9/8/05, 9/21/05, and 9/22/05
The Reference: These four strips chart Greg Dean's journey from "Firefly" convert to meeting -- and insulting -- Joss Whedon at a "Serenity" screening.
71. The Comic: Head Trip
The Date: Dec. 10, 2007
The Reference: "If Head Trip was an episode of Firefly," it would be canceled by Fox before it could get to its punchline.
72. The Comic: xkcd
The Date: Sept. 3, 2007
The Reference: A familiar heroine appears in the purest possible action movie.
73. The Comic: Saturday Matinee
The Date: Aug. 8, 2007
The Reference: Nathan Fillion appears on "Saturday Cooking" to promote "Waitress" -- but he clearly has another project on his mind as he offers a few pie recipes of his own.
74. The Comic: xkcd
The Date: Jan. 7, 2008
The Reference: "Firefly" comes up in a conversation about the "obsessive fanboy mindset."
75. The Comic: Arcane Times
The Date: May 24, 2004
The Reference: Tombstones mark the passing of smart television.
76. The Comic: Hijinks Ensue
The Date: June 2, 2008
The Reference: The Universal set fire provides a new use for Serenity.
77. The Comic: "Jenny vs. Ree: Firefly Dorks"
The Date: Unknown
The Reference: Tipster Trish Lusby explained this one to us as follows: "Jenny writes and illustrates an awesome comic called The Zombie Hunters, but it turns out she's also Browncoat (but of course, isn't everyone?). This short strip features the main character from her comic and another from a friend's strip geeking out about our fave show."
78. "Mosquito: The Webcomic"
Authors: Nathan Town and Bob Green
The Reference:An ongoing webcomic based on the "Mosquito" fan-film spoofing "Firefly." (The archives are here.)
79. "Firefly Adventures"
Author: Richard Lester
The Reference: Lester describes his wildly ambitious effort as "a comic adaptation of Virtual Firefly's season 2." He's at 23 installments and counting. (The archives are here.)
80. The Comic: "The Non-Adventures of Wonderella"
The Date: June 14, 2008
The Reference: In order to heal Rita after she drinks a monster potion, Wonderella and Penumbra have to make her depressed. "Firefly"'s cancellation helps.
81. The Comic: More2Life
The Date: August 5, 2007
The Reference: Check out what's on the TV.
82. The Comic: Sheldon
The Date: June 14, 2007
The Reference: A rumination on the efforts to bring back every cancelled fanboy-fave TV show.
83. The Comic: Save Hiatus
The Date: June 2, 2008
The Reference: This webcomic -- created by world-class Browncoats C.A. Bridges and Adam Levermore-Rich -- revolves around fans distraught over the cancellation of their favorite cult sci-fi show, "Hiatus." In this installment, Ven's lament makes the "Firefly" parallels crystal clear.
84. The Comic: xkcd
The Date: June 20, 2008
The Reference: A "Firefly"-quoting cutie drives Randall Munroe's stick-figure romantic hero to distraction.
85. The Comic: InkTank
The Date: June 6, 2008
The Reference: Do you raise your child to love Disney or Whedon -- to be a girly-girl or a geekgirl? The battle begins early, apparently.
Missed one from Penny Arcade!
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2005/04/29
Posted by: Cathy | 06 December 2006 at 09:20 AM
They're all up now -- including that one. But good eye!
Posted by: Serenity Tales | 06 December 2006 at 09:27 AM
XKCD - http://xkcd.com/c9.html
One of his earlier comics. Hold the mouse over the image if you can't guess who was who :)
Posted by: Nick | 06 December 2006 at 01:12 PM
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38251173/
Posted by: charlie | 06 December 2006 at 01:47 PM
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic/series.php?view=archive&chapter=10240
Serenity reference in Narbonic (second strip)
Happy to see my own little webcomic (Brickgirl & Oscar) on the list :)
Posted by: Jody | 06 December 2006 at 02:10 PM
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/narbonic/series.php?view=archive&chapter=11328
Another Serenity reference in Narbonic. Second strip from the top.
Posted by: Alycia Shedd | 06 December 2006 at 05:55 PM
http://www.arcanetimes.com/index.php?strip_id=75
The Screenings.... The Frustration...
Posted by: darksybarite | 06 December 2006 at 07:47 PM
How about:
http://www.zoidland.com/archives/zoidland106.html
and
http://www.zoidland.com/archives/zoidland128.html
Posted by: jbragnarok | 06 December 2006 at 08:19 PM
A couple from Sanity Check:
http://www.sanity-check.net/view.php?date=2005-09-28
and
http://www.sanity-check.net/view.php?date=2005-10-02
Posted by: Paul Caughell | 07 December 2006 at 08:30 AM
You missed mine. It starts here:
http://arthurkingoftimeandspace.com/0598.htm
- and goes on for nine days.
Posted by: Paul Gadzikowski | 07 December 2006 at 09:45 AM
A rather obscure comic that you shouldn't have been expected to know about ;)
http://www.cvrpg.com/comics/comic209a.php
Posted by: Amber | 08 December 2006 at 08:11 AM
Missed another Penny Arcade one.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2006/02/08
Posted by: Drkdstryer | 09 December 2006 at 02:55 PM
No, we got that one. See #7,
Posted by: Serenity Tales | 09 December 2006 at 05:25 PM
Thanks for the mention. FYI, though; the reference you posted is actually a fan art piece someone sent in that refers to an entire Firefly-esque storyline that begins with Kit getting bored.
(link at http://www.bluecrashkit.com/index.php?date=2005-11-07
;-)
Posted by: Rob | 11 December 2006 at 05:04 AM
Here are some from No 4th Wall to Break:
http://no4thwalltobreak.comicgenesis.com/d/20040223.html
http://no4thwalltobreak.comicgenesis.com/d/20040225.html
http://no4thwalltobreak.comicgenesis.com/d/20040228.html
Posted by: Gabe Rudolph | 12 December 2006 at 09:19 PM
Here's one I did last year amdist my own webcomic, Cool Intentions:
http://coolintentions.livejournal.com/4760.html
Enjoy!
--Dave "Diavo" Voltaggio
Posted by: Diavo | 13 December 2006 at 08:53 AM
Don't think you have the Devil's Panties one yet:
http://devilspanties.keenspot.com/d/20050902.html
Posted by: Arwen Lune | 24 December 2006 at 01:37 PM
The new xkcd has another reference!
http://www.xkcd.com/c206.html
Posted by: Maya | 05 January 2007 at 07:28 PM
Found another!
http://legendary.comicgenesis.com/d/20061227.html
Posted by: Amalas | 20 March 2007 at 11:07 AM
The most recent Ctrl+Alt+Del comic has a small Firefly reference.
http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/comic.php?d=20070328
I think there may have been more in the past, I'll try to skim through.
Posted by: Jester013 | 28 March 2007 at 05:17 PM
http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/040409.html
http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/050908.html
http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/050921.html
http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/050922.html
Posted by: Owen | 28 March 2007 at 07:42 PM
http://weregeek.comicgenesis.com/d/20070302.html
And a couple that are more about Joss Whedon, so I don't know if that counts.
http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/070327.html
http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/070330.html
Posted by: Amalas | 30 March 2007 at 11:36 AM
Another minor reference to Firefly:
http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/070321.html
Posted by: Amalas | 30 March 2007 at 11:38 AM
I recently came across a 'comic' pre-figuring of Serenity, the ship. It's from the big booklet of artwork accompanying Hawkwind's second LP. [Go hunt your vinyl copies now!!]
http://img153.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hawkwindfireflyky3.jpg
Philippa
Posted by: Philippa Chapman | 03 April 2007 at 07:38 AM
I found this small comic that had quite a few Serenity/Firefly references:
http://zetahome.comicgenesis.com/d/20040921.html
http://zetahome.comicgenesis.com/d/20041106.html
http://zetahome.comicgenesis.com/d/20050510.html
http://zetahome.comicgenesis.com/d/20050623.html
http://zetahome.comicgenesis.com/d/20050815.html
Posted by: Ender | 22 May 2007 at 12:25 PM