On page 5, the weaponeer arms Mal with an MX 2-20 shoulder cannon and Gronenthal side repeater, among other weapons to deal with bringing in the notorious Ma Reynolds. This is the first mention of these two weapons in the 'Verse.

The ship Mal and Boss Moon are given for their assignment to bring in Ma Reynolds is reminiscent of the USCSS Nostromo cargo ship in the 1979 science-fiction horror film Alien.

Mal and Boss Moon track Ma Reynolds down on Thornley. This is a moon of the planet Aphrodite around the proto-star Murphy in the Georgia system of the 'Verse.

This issue is the first mention of Mal's father, referred to only as Mr. Reynolds, apparently killed by a rival when Mal was just a baby.

Ma Reynolds robs a farmer's exchange on the planet Karma. This is the first mention of this world in the 'Verse.

In the flashback sequences of Mal's youth, the small town on Shadow near the Reynolds ranch is presumably Seven Pines Pass, the town he grew up in according to the novel Big Damn Hero. Possibly, the sheriff who's arrested Mal on page 32 is Sheriff Bundy from the novel.

Boss Moon's mother lives on the planet Boros. Boros was mentioned in "Serenity" and "A Better World".

Mal is promoted to sheriff by the Alliance at the end of this issue.

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