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.

Old Man Jack #1 – 4 out of 5

The Big Trouble in Little China comics have quietly been some of the most consistently entertaining comics of the past few years, with 2016/2017’s crossover with Escape From New York being a particularly strong endeavor, as we covered multiple times. This was all on the strength of great series writers who ran with the original film as a starting point, but largely put their own spin on Jack Burton’s misadventures. With Big Trouble in Little China: Old Man Jack, things are a little different. John Carpenter is at the helm with co-writer and largely unknown comic writer Anthony Burch. For two people with little in the way of established comics writing credentials, the result is… actually pretty great. Aided by outstanding art from both Jorge Corona and colorist Gabriel Cassata, Old Man Jack shows that many of the best parts of both the original film and the expanded comic series are going to be on display here. 

The Power of the Dark Crystal #7 – 3 out of 5

There’s a weird disconnect in The Power of the Dark Crystal #7. The story has been strong from the opening issue, as we reviewed, and it still is from a zoomed out perspective. The minutia of the issue’s narrative is where things don’t hold up so strongly. There are clearly huge things happening in the back half of this story, but this issue spends a lot of its time treading water to get to them. I have little doubt that writer Simon Spurrier will make the entire arc worth the wait, but this issue sees a special comic going through the motion. What elevates this comic is ultimately its art, with artists Kelly and Nichole Matthews delivering a strong contender for best comic art of the entire year in terms of both color and individual panel art.

Bill & Ted Save The Universe #4 – 4 out of 5

One of the more consistently enjoyable aspects of Bill & Ted Save the Universe that other comic spin-offs featuring those titular characters is the way that it doesn’t hesitate to show the emotional core of its protagonists. For as goofy as the films get, they aren’t without moments of struggle or emotional joy, which gets largely ignored by many other comic adaptations — opting to focus instead on the zany antics and jokes littering the original scripts. The issue also makes sure to prepare readers for conclusion next month with dramatic tension unexpected for the source material.

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Omnibus – 4 out of 5

Just like Old Man Jack, the return of an original creator to expand on their brainchild through the medium of comics leads to some memorable work in the form. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Omnibus straddles the line of “great coffee table addition for horror fan” and “compelling read for franchise obsessive”. Hellraiser’s proximity with slasher’s was always a strange and unfair association. The series, and in particular Clive Barker’s original,  is less like slasher thrillers of the 80’s and more like Carpenter’s less well known and more artistic early 90’s films with more Lovecraftian themes. Barker, his various co-writers, and the rotating lineup of strong artists wear their comic influences on their sleeves, as this is undeniably in the same vein as Gaiman’s Sandman opus or early Hellblazer comics. Apart from the art and killer plotlines in this collection of twenty issues and an annual, you also get treated to some of Barker’s original artwork, which is as frightening and unsettling as you’d imagine.

The first two issues of The Power of the Dark Crystal were fantastic comics that allowed its primary cast to shine alongside the world that it was elaborating upon. Knowing that the series had 12 issues to work with, it initially seemed like the conflict of Thurma needing to shatter the crystal and damn the world of Thra to save her own world would potentially lose the sense of wonder and grandiosity that made the Dark Crystal film so exceptional. As thematically rich as Thurma’s conflict is, the latest issue confirms that this story will be a character-filled epic. The Power of the Dark Crystal #3 rapidly expands the scope of the well-paced 12-issue series and further cements it as a comic you should be reading. 

The second issue ended on a game-changer of the Fireling Thurma taking a shard from the crystal for the purpose of saving her homeworld. The immediate consequence of this is the return of the Skeksis. The less thought about consequence is the release of the Mystics. The fallout of these two parties returning is interesting and very unfortunate for the Geflings. While Skeksis attempt to kill the Geflings, the Mystics simply sit and meditate. The Mystics in the original film are presented as an ideal of spirituality and morality. It’s interesting then to see that their principles, as noble as the may be, could arguably leave them as potentially responsible for what happens to the Gelfings, or to Thra in general. Writer Simon Spurrier is at his best when dealing with these moral dilemmas. 

Artistically, this series is the most visually engaging comic on the market. Kelly and Nichole Matthews have an engaging style that toes a line between the lush and cartoony with earthier textures. When they draw Thurma or the Pokemon-esque Tumbeloth’s, this really shines. The color work is equally phenomenal. It’s one of the few books that is enjoyable on a purely aesthetic level. The Power of the Dark Crystal isn’t just for fans of the Dark Crystal, but it does help to know about the source material. Ultimately, this is something that non-comic fans can really sink their teeth into.

Before I get into this comic’s writing and whether or not the comic does a service to Jim Henson’s legacy, I should get something out of the way:

This comic has one of the five best splash pages I have ever seen in my entire life. It actually gave me chills — like, real chills!

But first, some meta-backstory. After The Dark Crystal was released in 1982, the film’s director and creator, Jim Henson, discussed with David Odell, the screenwriter, about the potential for a sequel. Watching it in 2017 inspires a sense of awe, so the film must have been a spectacle to early 80’s audiences. The film is filled with a sense of Henson and company showing off, whether it’s with incredible cinematography, sophisticated puppetry, advanced filmography, or world building. It’s fleshed out and realized in ways that Labyrinth, it’s closest Henson relative, simply isn’t. This combined with the original film’s $25 million profit makes the lack of a proper sequel a bit conspicuous. While one floundered and ultimately died in developmental hell, Odell’s original work on the sequel, combined with screenplays by Craig Pearce and Annette Duffy have become the basis for Achaia’s Jim Henson’s The Power of the Dark Crystal 12-issue comic series. The first issue not only serves as a worthy continuation of Henson’s original work, but does so with that same effortless showing off quality that the original had.

Simon Spurrier taps into the strangeness of Thra not just with lore-heavy narration, but with some really interesting narrative choices. The story begins a century after the conclusion of the film, with all of the major players of the film still alive. That detail alone reinforces just how foreign this land is. The original was filled with characters who were intensely old, but treated that age as though a thousand years were a few decades. The Castle of the Crystal is now surrounded by beauty, lushness, and life, in contrast to the surreal deserts that litter much of Henson’s fantasy realms. The Fireling is introduced shortly after the comic opens and serves as potentially the best possible choice for a protagonist. The Fireling is an outsider to Thra society, presumably hailing from deep within the planet. The things about Thra culture that seem strange to the Fireling also feel intrinsically strange to readers. The original film’s theatrical cut was a little heavy on the exposition, so the comic’s trust of its audience is an improvement.  Readers are left in the dark about why offerings are made to the crystal, what the deal is with the authoritarian Geflings, or why some appear to be afflicted by a disease. The Fireling doesn’t know, so why should we. We are strangers in a strange land, paired with something even stranger.

The Fireling learns of the events a hundred years prior through an inventive form of candlemancy, for lack of a better word. When looking through the things that the candle has seen, readers are treated to the aforementioned splash page. It manages to push the surrealism of the whole aesthetic into a realm that practical effects-laden filmmaking simply wouldn’t be able to, and while maintaining a slight spiral / geometrical visual motif that is hinted throughout the first half of the book, and also while being the first sight of the Skeksies. It is unexpected in terms of art and story, and really captures a lot of the magic that comic books can do in a way that other mediums simply cannot. Kelly and Nichole Matthews artwork makes the whole affair incredible, and while it is too early to tell, it could potentially push it to classic territory.

You don’t need to be an expert on the original film, let alone the previous supplemental readings for it. In all honesty, this comic would easily impress somebody never seen who has The Dark Crystal. The Power of the Dark Crystal is truly comics as comics should be – utterly riveting, captivating, and capable of bringing life to a world both fantastic and unique. It’s one of the best #1’s I’ve ever read, and for anybody who enjoys great art, the original movie, and strong storytelling, it’s essential reading.

The Power of the Dark Crystal #1
5/5