There’s a new sovereign in Thra and a new creative team at the helm of BOOM! Studio’s latest arc of

For as much as I bemoan Big Two comics for their wiki-over-purpose storytelling, it would be perhaps too generous to say that the Dark Crystal as a franchise is the most welcoming to new readers. Sure, you might remember broad strokes from the source material, but how much of that sweet, sweet lore do you have at the front of your mind? Henson’s worlds are so enormously inventive and lived-in that this lore is a bit of an albatross around the neck of comic continuations like this or the Labyrinth comics. There are exceptions: the Smith / Huntington run on Beneath the Dark Crystal laid out everything you needed to follow along early and was propelled with such an emotional depth to the character work that I’d recommend that book to any fantasy fans. But more often than not, they end up like the enjoyable but sometimes difficult to immediately pick-up prior two Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance arcs, even though the teams of Andelfinger / Balsa and Cesare / Carlomagno made very enjoyable books in the process. 

It’s refreshing, then, that Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #9 feels more first-time-reader friendly, and more akin to the Smith / Huntington book than either of the latter. There’s certainly a substantial bit of lore at play, but this feels less like an anchor and more like traditional fantasy story worldbuilding. The book focuses on Mayrin, the recently ascended All-Maudra (think Queen / Empress). The prior sovereign, her mother, seems to have been respected even if we are given hints that she may not have been the kindest ruler. Mayrin finds herself overwhelmed by both the expectations she still feels beating down on her from her late mother and by the competing interests she must now juggle as a Muppet-adjacent head of state. One of the more pressing issues is that a seafaring gefling Sifan clan has been openly antagonistic to the new leadership. To win favor with this clan, Mayrin embarks on a voyage with Sifan Captain Kam’Lu. The leader of the Sifan’s, Fenth, in the meantime is making a potentially nefarious deal with the Skeksis. A large ocean monster attacks the ship and Mayrin saves Kam’Lu as the latter’s ship sinks below the depths. 

What’s particularly unique is that all of that plot summary really obfuscates just how whimsical the book feels at times. A lot of that is due to Erman’s grasp on character-centric writing, a consistent strength in his work. It’s tough to write characters so clearly earmarked to arc in terms of maturity and not make them insufferable. Mayrin’s character is a make-it-or-break-it element of Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #9. In a lot of ways, she is bratty at the comic’s onset, but the book makes it clear that while her outbursts might be self-centered, she isn’t selfish. While this story doesn’t at this point seem too concerned with interrogating the monarchy of Thra on a conceptual level in any noticeable extent, the amount of sympathy it generates for its protagonist, and interest it builds in learning more about what will likely be its secondary protagonist, is impressive. It will be interesting after the remaining three issues of this arc come out just how much of a connection you can draw between Erman and Migyeong’s creative input on a long running much-beloved franchise and Mayrin’s own feelings towards her inherited throne.

On the subject of Jo Migyeong, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how good this comic looks. While Migyeong’s scenes of crowds often feel spacious to a fault, the facial work on the closeups and the action shots give this comic a sense of emotion and urgency. A large amount of the sense of wonder in this book comes with Fabiana Mascolo’s work. There’s a use of blues and purples that, while aiding in the mysterious quality of the night time scenes, makes the daylight scenes seem alien, which is fitting given just how weird the Dark Crystal world really is. Readers are only offered a brief glimpse of a skeksis, but it’s enough to be excited to see them interact with this story.

It’s hard to recommend this to someone with zero familiarity with the source material, but if you enjoyed the movie, Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #9 is worth your time. Without relying too heavily on prior arcs or even the Netflix series, the issue is way more new-reader friendly than it has any right to be. It’s a visual treat with a non-stop focus on characterization in its storytelling.

You may remember Possession as a standout from our review of Octal #2. The comic that manages to be equal parts forward thinking and retro-inspired is here with a full-length debut issue.

It’s refreshing to see a series so rooted in classic mythology to be such an inventive take on modern fantasy, and it’s with that in mind that Possession #1 is a delight to read. Writers Michael Norwitz and Mary Ann Vaupel weave a tale that feels uncompromising. That seems most obvious in the comic’s upfront depictions of sex and kink. It’s also in the way that the characters relate to one another.

The story features an ensemble cast. Despite it’s bouncing around it seems to settle on Javier and Astrid as its primary characters. Large character counts can often be at odds with a debut issue’s mission to craft emotional investment. Possession largely avoids this problem with how much a sense of mystery pervades the pages. Javier getting attacked by supernaturally influenced beings feels like a conspiracy-laden thriller. The edge of the world that Norwitz and Vaupel build makes all these combinations exciting.

In a lot of ways, Possession feels like the comic equivalent of the VHS of some forgotten cult classic that rides the line between sleaze and art in a way that you don’t get much of elsewhere.

On the visual end, artist Enrico Carnevale and colorist Andrea Blanco navigate the two halves of this comic adeptly. Possession fluctuates between a Greco-Roman pottery aesthetic like you’d see in Disney’s Hercules and a more straightforward indie comic grittiness, albeit with characters that pop more against their backgrounds. Carnevale exceeds in character models, with many of the panels having a sense of urgency through character positioning alone. Blanco’s fluctuations of color palette choices depending on the part of the comic.  

Possession #1 is available on Comixology now, and with quarterly releases over the next few years, now is a good time to jump into the story. It’s hard to not be excited for where the story goes. I’m eager to see how the mysteries the comic holds unfold. Ditto for learning more about the characters that populate this dense and lived-in world. You can follow the latest news for the series on Twitter and purchase it through Comixology.

Then there’s Miami Vice Remix.

Miami Vice Remix is a 5-issue series from IDW Publishing by Joe Casey and Jim Mahfood. The art style of Remix very quickly establishes its identity as something unique and not an uninspired reboot. The harsh edges and angles evokes German Expressionism of the 1920’s, albeit bathed in a lush neon glow. It makes the setting appear simultaneously modern and retro, but never appears redundant.

The story follows the ethos of the artwork and moves at a blistering pace. While it may seem a little erratic at times, or like you are given a lot of names in a short period of time, it works well in context and is supported by the art. The narrative doesn’t hold the reader’s hand. I was extremely thankful for this, as that sort of attenuating of narrative details or a story’s world lowers reader expectations and is honestly condescending. Just as the art is bustling, the story is bustling, and that’s fine. That’s Miami. That is the world this story lives in. The plot itself is intriguing and involves the same characters from the show in their undercover roles confronting “Miami Bath Salts”-addled zombies, no doubt influenced by the cannibal attack in Miami back in 2012.

This may not be Miami Vice for people who are expecting a direct adaptation or continuation of the TV series, but it is Miami Vice for the Drive-generation of neo-80’s nostalgic future lovers. And isn’t that just thrilling?

Note: The next Miami Vice Remix review will cover #2 and #3. Then it will be as released.