My Rating
“The Dark Crystal – Part 01”
On a far distant planet, not unlike Earth, a world was broken by the conjunction of three suns. In an instant a massive crystal cracked sending magical shockwaves throughout the race of beings known as the Urskeks. It was then that the lands surrounding the Dark Crystal became decrepit and ruled by the evil race of Skeksis.
In the following days, as their power grew, one Skeksis had a vision of the planet healed by a Gelfling hand. Some claim it as a prophecy and word quickly spread. Fearing their loss of power, the great Skeksis Emperor sent forth an army of crustaceos monsters known as the Garthim to hunt down and kill the Gelfling race. Sadly in quick succession, they all fell under bloody claws and spine feet. The Gelflings were soon thought extinct as Skeksis reveled in their dark castle.
Years would pass until one day a Gelfling refugee named Jen would witness the death of his master Ursu. With his dying breaths, the aging mystic revealed the prophecy of the Dark Crystal and Jen’s role within it. Our story begins with the last known Gelfling and his quest to restore the fractured Crystal. As the great conjunction nears once again Jen must find the Keeper of Secrets and solve the puzzle of the three shards.
Will Jen find his way to the Aughra’s dome and learn the true nature of the Dark Crystal? Which challenger in the Haakskeekah is strong enough to become Emperor of the Skeksis? Have other Gelflings escaped the deadly claws of the Garthim? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
Wow. As a fan of the original movie, I had my doubts if this story could sensibly be covered in one treasury sized comic, let alone two standard size books. Well color me impressed. Writer David Anthony Kraft and artist Bret Blevins captured the essence of the movie perfectly.
As with any comic book adaptation, some things must always be cut to shoehorn the story onto another medium. In this case, David and Bret forgo the use of full and double page layouts, and instead focus on keeping as many of the movie scenes as possible. The coloring is limited to three or four tones in some panels as well, which in this case I found odd. Was this method used to convey certain moods within the scenes or was it just a cost saving technique? Inquiring minds want to know.
I thoroughly enjoy issue one of the Dark Crystal and recommend it to any of the movie fans out there. Did I mention I saw the movie when it was released in the theaters? Those poor pod people getting their life-force sucked out of them brings a tear to my eye even today. I give this issue five out of five stars.
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