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.
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!
I have never struggled this much to get through a comic book before. I hate this plotline, I don't like any of the characters except for Kensho (and I have no idea what his story is even supposed to be), the artwork isn't great (sorry to the artist, but they just were not the right choice for a Dark Crystal story; this looks like something you'd pull straight off of TikTok, especially with the line weight and brushes chosen), there were so many typos, the switching between the stories is so weird, and I just hate it all. Let's hope the final third is at least somewhat decent, because what is even going on here?
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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).