The Power of the Dark Crystal is published by BOOM! Studios under their Archaia imprint. It is written by Simon Spurrier and Phillip Kennedy Johnson with art by Kelly and Nicole Matthews.
The further Jen travels from the castle, the more he sees of what has become of his beloved Thra since he and Kira have been asleep, and the more he is criticized for sleeping so long and allowing this to happen. Jen is still the same Jen from The Dark Crystal, he loves his world and his people, he is kind and good…but he was asleep and he feels responsible for the state of Thra. He feels responsible for the plight of his people due to the ones left in charge, and although he knows the crystal’s shard needs to be returned, he does not blame Kensho or Thurma for their actions. He says himself, “I’m not even sure they’re wrong”, the hardest part for Jen right now is he has no one in his guard he can actually trust. He tells them not to harm Kensho or Thurma and literally the first thing the do is throw a sling at Kensho’s head without warning.
Kensho and Thurma continue their journey to Mount Thranir, the entrance to Thurma’s world. As they travel deeper into the forests, they discover new but ancient ruins with carvings long forgotten and too chipped away to fully understand. Kensho finally returns the shard to Thurma and tells her the truth, expressing his complete trust and total faith in her. However, Thurma has a secret too, but before she can open up, their peaceful moment is ruined by Gelfling flyers.
This is a very Jen-centered issue. While I love Kensho and Thurma, I have a childhood attachment to Jen and I’m glad he has been given more depth. Those of us who have seen The Dark Crystal know Jen, but those who haven’t, they’re missing an important piece of understanding. Although Jen is older and wiser, he is still the same Jen we knew – willing to risk everything to save Thra but also not totally sure of himself or even how to do it. He doesn’t see things in black and white like those who were ruling in his stead.
And had his guards accompanying him given him the chance to actually talk to Kensho rather than just attacking him, I think Jen would have listened and worked to find a solution to save everyone. That’s the kind of Gelfling he is. Its true, Jen isn’t the hero of this story, but he is still an incredibly important part. Plus when he and Kira Dreamfast and they’re together talking but as their younger selves its just super cute and made me so happy.
Everything about Jen’s portion of the story is calm. But then we get to Thurma and her rage at those who have hurt Kensho is about to unleash. I really like the contrast. Kensho is very similar to Jen, but Thurma is the exact opposite of Kira. Kira is always so calm and collected and Thurma is just like FIREBALL STRAIGHT TO YOUR FACE!!! It’s so amusing.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5 / 10
We’ve kind of hit that part in the story where there’s a bit of a lull. It’s a lot of talking and learning new things, but it’s not a lot of over-arcing plot development. However, this issue ends on an incredibly high note and you can tell that a lot of stuff is about to go down in issue #8. Plus, I could seriously just stare at the art and the scenery and the creatures all day and be happy. Kelly and Nicole Matthews have just mastered this world.
Make sure you pick up a copy of The Power of the Dark Crystal #7 from your local comic store!
Happy reading!
