Review by Mason
The Power of the Dark Crystal is a twelve-issue comic book run collected into three volumes that serves as a direct sequel to Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal. Originally conceived as a movie, the comic run is based on a screenplay by David Odell, Annette Odell, and Craig Pearce. Set decades after the end of the original movie, The Power of the Dark Crystal finds Jen and Kira ruling over the Gelfling as King and Queen. However, their slumber has left room for corruption in their court, and the planet of Thra is beginning to suffer in their absence. Thurma, a Fireling from the center of Thra, is tasked with stealing a shard of the Crystal and will ignite a new adventure that will take the Gelfling to places on Thra that they’ve never seen.
Simon Spurrier’s writing is somehow both fresh and familiar at the same time. It breathes new life into the world of Thra while still invoking the lyricality and whimsy of the original movie. The art of Kelly and Nichole Matthews, while very distinct from the style of the original movie and prequel comics, is still visually striking and pleasant to look at. Originally, I was concerned with how legacy characters would be portrayed. The blurbs that I read gave me pause, and I always worry that sequels will retroactively ruin well-loved characters, but I was wrong. The legacy characters were true to themselves, and the new characters were engaging, and I found myself genuinely invested in their journey.
For readers who are unfamiliar with The Dark Crystal movie, this series will feel a bit lacking. Despite one being a movie and the other being a graphic novel series, they are both part of a connected story and are intended to be experienced in a certain order. This doesn’t mean that readers cannot read The Power of the Dark Crystal first; in fact, the series goes out of its way to be friendly to new readers. The main characters in the run are mostly new and there is a moment early on where the movie is briefly summarized. The barrier for entry is very low, but readers who are familiar with the original movie will get more to of the movie.
Fans of The Dark Crystal will love this series, and I recommend The Power of the Dark Crystal to even casual enjoyers of Jim Henson’s original movie. The art is beautiful and stylized, the story is simple, but the adventure is grand, and there is a real sense of wonder and exploration that permeates each page. If it sounds like an adventure you’d like to take, pick up all three volumes today.
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