One of the beauties of the Dark Crystal is how robust the world is, leaving it wide open for your imagination to run wild. It’s also wide open for comic book creators to dive in and build out new stories.
What is it about?
Read the preview.
Why does this matter?
Thanks to the new Netflix TV show there are plenty of new characters to explore, and in this new 12-part comic series starting this week, Nicole Andelfinger and Matias Basla aim to build on the TV show.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
The opening pages are quite dramatic.
Credit: BOOM! Studios
This is part one of a four-part story within the miniseries called “The Quest for the Dual Glaive.” If “Dual Glaive” means nothing to you, I’d suggest watching the new show as this sword plays a big part in the conclusion of the series. This comic serves as a backstory on the sword as well as an early look at a few key characters prior to their standing in the show. As first issues go you’re given enough detail for the main characters to enjoy it in its own right.
Two of the main characters include Fara, who is quite young here, and Ordon, before he was a father to Rian. Andelfinger does a good job revealing both characters at earlier ages. You see their true selves yet can see they both have a lot of growing up to do. There are a few elements at work here that should pique your interest if you enjoyed the show, as this series aims to reveal why Gelfling became Skeksis guards. It’s adding context which is always fun.
The art by Matias Basla and colors by Miquel Muerto are astoundingly good. The Skeksis that pops up in the issue has detailed armor and a stature that’s awe-inspiring. The world around the Gelfling is particularly impressive — there are some great wide-sweeping shots of the surroundings that remind us this world is teeming with life while other smaller panels still somehow pack in interesting details behind the characters. It’s an alien world and it looks the part splendidly.
Freaky!
Credit: BOOM! Studios
It can’t be perfect, can it?
Like any tie-in, this is going to be best enjoyed if you liked the source material. Familiar faces simply entering a room serve as the meat of a scene rather than the scene itself. The issue doesn’t do a lot, but it gets the journey started. I will say the cliffhanger left me wanting more and it serves as an unsurprising turn without much conflict.
Is it good?
I enjoyed the return of Thra thanks to the excellent art and seeing the familiar faces of the excellent Netflix show. This series delivers you back into the wonderful and timeless world of the Dark Crystal.
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