Jim Henson's Beneath the Dark Crystal Vol. 2

Jim Henson's Beneath the Dark Crystal #2

by Adam Smith, Alexandria Huntington (Illustrations)

An official sequel to the cult classic film The Dark Crystal and the bestselling comic series The Power of the Dark Crystal.

Kensho and Thurma are worlds apart and their hopes of being reunited begin to dim. Alongside her rival, Nita, Thurma studies under the tutelage of the legendary Fireling elder known simply as The Fire That Stays. As the two prospective queens compete against one another, their teacher reveals new abilities of the Firelings with dark and powerful potential that could change the throne forever. In Thra, Kensho’s quest takes him to a place of wonder long forgotten...the Valley of the Mystics. There, alongside his companions, Kensho will need to face his past and the future he so desperately flees. Written by Adam Smith (Long Walk to Valhalla) and gorgeously illustrated by Alexandria Huntington, Beneath the Dark Crystal Volume Two continues Kensho and Thurma’s quests as the fate of two worlds hang in the balance.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Comics, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Film, High Fantasy

112 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 2019

Reviews

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh I am such a fan of the Dark Crystal saga that I could watch/read anything from the franchise and enjoy it. But this was genuinely fun, it picks up right after the events of the movie and it's a nice sweet story. Love the artwork too. I need to read more of these comics!

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was much better than the first volume. I was surprised by the depth of questioning about the purpose of suffering. I agreed with aspects of the lesson that suffering is a terrible thing but can forge a brighter light in people than would have been possible otherwise. But then the character who speaks this ends up being (maybe?) not a good person. We'll see where this goes.

It was also interesting to see the dialogue Kensho has with the Skeksis and Mystic—though I thought they had rejoined into the UrSkeks at least once already, so I'm not sure why inside the Crystal they're still separate personalities. But the scene was very good.

Still not the greatest story, but at least there is more to ponder in this volume. Curious to see how it concludes in the next volume!

[Steven Shinder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, it seems that this era can't move past Mystics and Skeksis. It's almost like people don't want to use the urSkeks.

[Reixma · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Review pending]

[Tamara Morrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

it was a great continuation of the first volume however i find that this dark crystal series is just not for me , i am not a big fan of some of the characters or the plot

[Mary Drover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, again, four stars based purely on the artwork. The story was better this time, and I definitely liked getting to see Kensho figuring out the light vs dark motif, but it was kind of overdone and predictable when the Skeksis popped in. Like, this was really starting to have an original plot and original mythos, and it was really interesting, and then the Skeksis came in right when all the light vs dark talk was starting, and I just? Didn’t want it at all. Granted, they didn’t stick around for much more than a few panels, but I had a major eye roll when an entire page was devoted to their “return”. I really hope that they’re not in the third volume, which I’ll definitely be reading when it releases in March. The artwork, as before, was incredible, too. It’s a different artist than Power of the Dark Crystal, and I really enjoyed how the Firelings were drawn. They were lovely before, but there’s something elegant and otherworldly about them now, and I really like it. Overall, good, but not great, and predictable in a way that was a little disappointing.

[pastiesandpages - Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An improvement on the first volume (3.5 stars this time) as the story is coming together and there are some lovely scenes.
The artwork is beautiful. It's a pleasure to look at and it's even better on the quality paper and oversized pages of these hardcovers.

The story still needs to pick up the pace but I'm intrigued to see how it all plays out in the third and final volume.

[Ahdom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story has been building and I would say this volume has built up the steam to whistling point in this story. No doubt the best is yet to come. These entries hadn't been grabbing me, but the end of this volume has pulled me back in and I'm anxious for the final installment.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this volume!
It expanded the world and the character development!! It is a story about being United, about being a beacons for others and to trust in them and be trusted in return. Working together for a better and brighter world, a better Thra!
Can’t wait to read the next one.
4.5/5

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bad piece of content all around. Aughra was drawn horribly, I resented the Skeksis and Mystics being trotted out again even in a liminal "within the crystal" space, and too many plot points / character choices just made no damn sense.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this comic as it has some good twists and turns in it. I can't wait for the next volume!

[Kyuu~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the story in this volume very gripping. I cant wait to real the last book!

[Danii Jackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic storyline and great artwork as always

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐

[Burcu]

https://www.hemengeliriz.net

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like this series of illustrations as much as the other series. Love the story though!

[Cory Gettinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not realize this was the second book… ANYWAYS the art is really cool and I want to keep reading this series.

I love Jim Henson and I love the history of theDark Crystal.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still having a hard time really embracing this sequel series of sorts but this volume was stronger than the first one, especially given how we've finally brought the characters of the main story arcs together in order to really move things forward. It's an interesting set of stories in themselves - they just don't quite feel in-theme with the original movie or the more recent Netflix series (yes I know this was written before the TV series).

[estherbookster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read and very nice artwork. This one teaches about teamwork.