Jim Henson’s 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 Nichole Matthews.
On the first page, we find Thurma right where we left her last month. Stuck in front of a large river and the forest smoldering behind her. The Chamberlain’s attempts to steal the crystal off of her are thwarted by the sudden appearance of Kensho on a great flying serpent. However, the serpent isn’t big enough to carry them both and they crash land…conveniently right next to the village Kensho grew up in. As expected from folks who live in a small village in the middle of the woods, they accept Thurma’s presence without hesitation and share their food despite it being scarce. Meanwhile, Kira and Aughra are still observing the Mystics as they sing. Aughra huffs while Kira seems not at all concerned of the potential doom they are about to face. Down in the dungeons, the Skeksis are still plotting their escape and return to power, giving the “Crystalline Eminence” some rather cryptic advice about gazing into the Crystal now that it’s once again dark.
This issue was a lot of…background information. It almost felt like a recap. Kensho’s mother talks about how fire saved Kensho from the blight, others talk about his oath and its binding to his service of the Crystalline Eminence. Kensho talks about Thurma’s home, and tells his mother how much he cares for her and how in the last issue he actually lied to her because he thought it was the right thing to do, blah blah blah. While we are learning new things, we are often shown scenes that, while beautiful (because everything Kelly and Nichole Matthews produce is beautiful), either don’t offer us any explanation as to what’s going on (like with the Mystics), or are just telling us a brief rundown of some of the information we are already aware of. It’s a nice refresher and could catch someone who hasn’t read every issue back up to speed, but it goes on a bit too long for me. I mean, hardly anything NEW happens until the very end of the comic.
The dialogue between the characters was paced well and it gave us a better idea of the kind of people Kensho grew up with and therefore, why he is the way he is in personality. Kensho’s mom is also the sweetest little Gelfling ever. I just want to hug her and her wise brain. “When the mind is unclear, listen to the heart. Never forget that they are both parts of the whole.” I loved that line. It’s applicable now, but it’s clearly going to be something we need to remember in the future. That being said, even with this new place and new people, I found a lot of what happened to be predictable. Thurma overhears Kensho tell his mom he lied to her and she gets all mad. Called. That. Immediately.
The Power of the Dark Crystal #6 OVERALL SCORE: 7.5 / 10
The art was beautiful and the characters had unique personalities, but it just wasn’t the same excitement we had in previous issues. However, that final scene definitely sets us up for some action in issue 7. We are getting close to the end, halfway there, things are about to start getting real.
Make sure you pick up a copy of Jim Henson’s The Power of the Dark Crystal #6 from your local comic store!
Happy reading!
