Several comic book stories have been released under the Serenity title, set in the fictional universe created for Joss Whedon's Firefly television series and Serenity film, and which are considered canon. As of 2014, eight Serenity stories have been published. Written by Joss Whedon and Brett Matthews, and illustrated by Will Conrad, the first miniseries, Those Left Behind, was created as a bridge between the events of the series and film. Those Left Behind was popular: the first issue was the highest-selling comic published by Dark Horse Comics since the release of Buffy Season 8 in 2007, while the trade paperback is still one of the highest ranking items by sale quantity from that company. In early 2008, a second miniseries was released. Titled Better Days, it was set before Those Left Behind, with the storyline based around a heist that went in the characters' favor. In addition to the miniseries, a one-shot comic written by Jim Krueger and titled The Other Half was released in the August 2008 issue of Dark Horse Presents.