Fake Serenity II Trailer

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

*Muchos* Serenity Stuff From Dark Horse

This is an official press release from Dark Horse:

As Serenity fans already know, Inara Serra, a well-respected “companion,” rents a shuttle from Captain Malcom Reynolds, of the spaceship Serenity, for her periods of separation from the crew. The shuttle appears in the film Serenity, when Inara makes her welcome return to the renegades. Since summer of last year, Dark Horse Deluxe has been releasing a line of products based on the Serenity properties including graphic novels, two variations of the Serenity ornament, a PVC set, and a Zippo lighter. The latest addition to this line of products is the Inara’s Shuttle ornament. Dark Horse Deluxe has set the print run for Inara’s Shuttle in a limited run of five-thousand pieces, based strictly on orders that were placed before September 14, 2007. No more will be produced.

Next on the horizon for Dark Horse’s Serenity line is the Reaver Ship ornament, which will also be released in a limited edition print run set according to pre-orders placed before October 12, 2007. Fans of Serenity will be familiar with the look of the Reaver ships—created from abandoned ships and spare parts—with their threatening red markings. In Serenity, the Reaver ships emerge from an ion storm in the quest for Mal and his crew. The Reaver Ship ornament is based on one of the most memorable, menacing ships in this scene.

Last year saw the release of the Serenity ornament to an overwhelmingly receptive cult-fan base. They call themselves Browncoats, just like the ragtag rebel leader and his first mate on the Serenity ship in the short-lived and long-lamented television series Firefly. The popularity of the DVD set of the two-season run spurred studio execs to take notice and in 2005 they released a feature film that was named after the ship. Dark Horse has published a comics miniseries of the same name, which will be collected in a hardcover edition available this November.

The Inara’s Shuttle ornament and the Reaver Ship ornament will be available February 2008 for a retail price of $29.99 and $39.99 respectively

Whedon Raises $60k for Equality Now!

We told you about how Joss Whedon was auctioning off dinner tickets a while back and we have been supporters of other minorities-based efforts we have heard about, so I thought I would share this official Dark Horse press release with everyone to let y'all know how well things turned out:

In conjunction with Dark Horse, eBay, and Auction Cause, five spots at a dinner table with Joss Whedon were offered on eBay.com/JossWhedon starting Monday, July 2nd, 2007. The ten-day auction proved to be a fierce bidding battle. The winners each paid up to $11,000 in the end. At a final count of the dinner plus auctions for signed Buffy lithographs and customized watches, the total amounted to $61,716.

Funds raised from the charity auction benefit Equality Now. Working with national human rights organizations and individual activists, Equality Now documents violence and discrimination against women and mobilizes international action to support their efforts to stop human rights abuses. Following in his mother’s footsteps, Joss is a large contributor and major supporter of Equality Now.

During San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, Joss will take winning bidders to a swank restaurant for drinks and dinner in a private room. For three hours the lucky guests will have the chance to talk, joke, question, and food fight with their hero, Joss Whedon.

“I’m more or less overwhelmed. The generosity of the bidders—all of them—is greater than I could have expected. Equality Now needs this money for its vital work and I’m thrilled at the amount this event has raised. Thrilled and galvanized: I promise to make this dinner truly memorable. I swear not to nod off (more than twice), not to try to ‘borrow’ the guests’ wallets or set the waiters ‘on fire,’ and to learn gooder English conversating,” muses Joss Whedon. “My grateful thanks to Dark Horse, to MySpace, eBay and Auction Cause—and mad props to the man behind the curtain, Mike Boretz—for making this run so smoothly. And to all the bidders, five of whom are in for a treat—or a least an appetizer.”

Whedon is the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This Emmy and Golden Globe nominated television series gained worldwide cult status throughout its Seven Seasons. Buffy spearheaded an evolution in the depiction of women in mainstream media making room for qualities like power and strength in female characters. The success of the show has created a new universe, the Buffyverse, which has enchanted different mediums with its enlightening and revolutionary characters.

Whedon is also the creator of Firefly, a sci-fi space western that had a short run on Fox. The major motion picture, Serenity, continued the characters’ journey and extended their fictional lives. This canceled series started a worldwide fan club that fights for the promotion and future continuation of the brilliantly constructed ideology presented in the post-apocalyptic setting.

Dark Horse has been the proud publisher of the companion comics for Buffy and Serenity since 1998, and earlier this year brought Buffy back with a direct follow-up to Season Seven of the smash-hit TV series in Buffy Season 8 with executive producer Joss Whedon!