Andrew Newton reviews Boom! Studios’ Jim Henson Presents #1…
Fans of Jim Henson rejoice as the first issue of Jim Henson Presents from Boom! Studios arrives, bringing with it tales from three beloved franchises – Fraggle Rock, Farscape and The Dark Crystal. Each tale brings the imaginative worlds created by Jim Henson to life, and just like the TV shows on which they are based, weave together whimsy, adventure and thought-provoking narrative.
The Fraggle Rock story, humorously titled ‘Beauty is in the Pie of the Beholder’, bounces with the cheerful energy of these lovable little creatures as they prepare to celebrate The Festival of the Bells, a very Christmas-themed celebration that comes once a year. It’s busy work for all the Fraggles, especially Boober, who takes it upon himself to do the cooking. What follows is a lighthearted tale of friendship that captures both the heart of the original series and the spirit of Christmas…. the Festival of the Bells.
Illustrator Max Sarin captures the bright, playful world of the Fraggles, with beloved characters like Red and Wembley leaping out of the page.
‘Last One There’s A Rotten Food Cube’ by Jill Tew is a short story that takes readers into the universe of Farscape and follows the crew of the Leviathan ship Moya on one of their more quieter days. With all the chores done and nothing else to do, two of the characters decide to have a race around Moya while the rest of the team wager on who will win using food cubes and latrine duty. The race itself does play second fiddle to the banter of those gambling.
Despite the shortness of the story, it still maintains the same excitement and humour that fans of Farscape came to love.
The Dark Crystal’s ‘The Heretic and the Wanderer’ is the meat of the meal in this first issue and takes readers to the world of Thra. This first part of the story follows the relatively nice Skeksis, skekGra, as he fights alongside the Gelflings and takes two young females under his wing. What he once sees as a mere tool soon becomes more important to him. This new story helps to show how skekGra is a unique character in the Dark Crystal universe.
Although there’s an occasional muddled looking panel where the action isn’t as clear as it could, artist Countandra has captured the otherworldly atmosphere of the The Dark Crystal franchise with the moody tones, while the writer Seanan McGuire transports the reader to the mystical and lore rich world of Thra.
Although none of the stories share the same universe, they all share the same theme of friendship and the importance of connecting with fellow creatures. This perfectly represents the legacy of Jim Henson’s storytelling and fans of these shows will appreciate how true these stories stay to their sources.
Boom! Studios’ Jim Henson Presents provides imaginative storytelling and a good tickle of the nostalgia bone for fans of these franchises.
Rating: 8/10
Andrew Newton
