Hup prepares to fight the great beast that is plaguing his village. Armed with only his trusty spoon, he must gain his courage and brave the dangers ahead! Come check out Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #8 by Archaia, an imprint of BOOM! Studios.

JIM HENSON’S DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE #8

Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance #8 — **You can purchase this issue via comiXology**

Writer: Adam Cesare
Artist: French Carlomagno
Colorist: French Carlomagno
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Editor: Mathew Levine
Publisher: Archaia, an imprint of BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 10, 2020

Previously in Dark Crystal: Dark Crystal is a cult classic that recently had a prequel show on the Netflix streaming service. This comic book series follows the events that led up to the Age of Resistance storyline. This issue concludes how Hup, an aloof podling trying to become a paladin, began his quest in the first place. His mentor, Barfinnious, gave his word to save a village from a great beast but left before he fulfilled the promise. Now Hup prepares for battle to do the quest that his mentor refuses too.

A LIVING FOREST

Hup bravely entered the cave that the beast resides in. He found a seedle who is being taken care of by Veara, the village healer. Hup encourages Veara to bring the creature back to the village instead of hiding it. Back at the village, the elder decided that this creature was not responsible for the attack. As they discuss and argue the seedle’s innocence, the real monster shows its face as a swarm of small furry purple monsters appear. Additionally, they assembled together to become a circular wheel that can run people down! Hup and the village bravely prepare for combat. However, it isn’t until Barfinnious returns and runs the creature into a wall; forcing it to crumble. The village is then able to trap the small creatures in nets. Pup then is convinced to travel Ha’rar to become a paladin.

A FUN ADVENTURE

Pup is a lovable character but he is portrayed as simple minded. For that reason, I have a difficult time connecting with him from a personal standpoint. The more interesting character to me is Barfinnious. He is an elder man who had his title of paladin stripped from him but still ultimately pretended he had this title. Barfinnious running away and then coming back to save the village and become the hero is engaging and I wish that he was the protagonist. However, we need to set up Hup for the events of the Netflix series so I understand that he needs to be the focal point.

Hup is truly a lovable character. I really enjoy that mix of his past, present, and desired future. He was a cook who wanted to be a paladin and thus he wields his spoon as if it was a sword! What an interesting way to bring all aspects of your character’s history into a single moment.

The color scheme of the book seemed very purple and while I enjoyed the artwork; I think I could have used different colors among the entirety of the book. The artwork however, is really well drawn and there is a strong attention to detail. I love the shadowing and I think characters really pop out of the page!

BOTTOM LINE: STRONG WRITING BUT NOT A STRONG CHARACTER

Sometimes writing in an established world with established characters is very difficult. On top of that, Hup gets his development in the Netflix series. This arc is simply Act One but we don’t get an Act Two where Hup is the main character until the show. However, if you look past that to some of the other characters; you will find deep character development and a rich lore. 4 out of 5 stars for Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #8.

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