It’s a great year for the Dark Crystal fandom. Starting late summer, we can expect not one, not two, but three more stories set in the world of Thra.
Two of them are confirmed prequels, with the first taking place long before the era of Jim Henson’s 1982 cult masterpiece. A 12-issue comic book series, it’s called Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, and io9 reports it will be written by Adventure Time’s Nicole Andelfinger, with Matias Basla (Sparrowhawk) as the artist.
Here’s the synopsis:
Return to another world, another time, Before the Age of Wonder. The Skeksis rein over Thra, but there are distant echoes of rebellion. Gelfling and unlikely heroes emerge to champion what is good and just, but their paths to legend started long ago. Epic tales of adventure, magic, and mystery send us back in time to the Age of Resistance to witness the untold histories that forged these protectors of Thra.
Then we have Netflix’s long-awaited series, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which takes place after the comics but before the events of the original film. The IMDb synopsis describes how it will follow “three Gelfling [who] discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power, and set out to ignite the fires of rebellion and save their world.” Taron Egerton, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Anya Taylor-Joy play the three protagonists: Rian, a “Gelfling castle guard of the Stonewood Clan”; Deet, a “Gelfling prophet of the Grottan Clan”; and Brea, a “Gelfling princess of the Vapra Clan.” Other previously reported stars include Caitriona Balfe, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer, and Mark Hamill, while an announcement on Wednesday revealed that Lena Headey, Benedict Wong, Awkwafina, and Sigourney Weaver (voicing a mysterious character called the Myth-Speaker) will join the cast.
Watch the first teaser:
If you still can’t get enough Dark Crystal content, then we’re happy to report the Skeksis and Gelflings are taking over your Nintendo Switch as well. Polygon reports that the 3D “tactical strategy game” is called The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics, and will feature original characters, storylines, and settings not seen in the film or series. It’s not clear when the game takes place, but Polygon says it’s inspired by the prequel series.
That brings us all the way to the original Dark Crystal, which takes place during the “Age of Wonder.” According to a synopsis on the fandom’s wiki, “A thousand years ago, this land was green and good, until the Crystal cracked. For a single piece was lost; a shard of the Crystal. Then strife began, and two new races appeared: the cruel Skeksis… the gentle Mystics.” Raised by the Mystics in a world ruled by the Skesis, Gelfling orphan Jen thinks he’s the last of his kind. Jen’s adoptive people send him on a quest to find a lost shard of the titular crystal and heal it, and on the way, he meets a fellow Gelfling who also thought she was the last one left.
The comics will be released by BOOM! Studios on September 25, while the series will arrive on Netflix on August 30. There’s no release date for the game yet, so keep an eye on this page for any more updates. In the meantime, head to the comments and share what other Dark Crystal content you’d like to see.
Shazad Latif (Star Trek Discovery) is also a part of the voice cast.
Don’t forget the novels by J.M. Lee.
Shadows of the Dark Crystal, Song of the Dark Crystal, and Tides of the Dark Crystal are out now (the hardcovers actually came out last year, but the softcover of Tides only came out in June), but Flames of the Dark Crystal is due out in November.
They also centre on the Age of Resistance and seem to be a prequel to the series (at the very least, they’re marketed as such, with a big Netflix sticker on the covers).
There’s also another comic series, Beneath the Dark Crystal, being released as hardcover graphic novels this year (Vol 1 dropped in April, Vol 2 is set for September), but it’s a sequel both to the original movie and to last year’s The Power of the Dark Crystal graphic novel series.
A comment above says Flames of the Dark Crystal is due out in November, but I’ve preordered the kindle ebook and it says August 27th.
I’m hopeful for plush Fizzgig merch!
The Dark Crystal: World of Myth & Magic
Center For Puppetry Arts, in Atlanta Georgia.
Now – September 1st
http://www.puppet.org/programs/museum/
@3. Right, sorry. I was looking at the Amazon date for the physical version.
looks interesting![.](//s04.flagcounter.com/mini/Jkzv/bg_FFFFFF/txt_DEDEDE/border_FFFFFF/flags_0/" width="1"/>)
I just..I don’t know. I should be pumped as I adore the Dark Crystal. But I don’t see how a prequel can get out from under the dark miasma that is to come. We know they lose. Hard!
They can’t end with a “We set in motion the rebellion to come” story that prequels seem to love. The price is pretty much complete genocide. It’s hard to really get invested with the heroes acting in the “rebellion” when we know where this is going. Both of these prequels can only tell about the downfall of Gelfling kind and there subsequent eradication.
That could be an entertaining story on it own, but this would be a very dark tale not really for kids. But I hope I am proven wrong. I reserve the right to be pleasantly surprised.
As a devout Brian Froud fan, I’m actually quite happy with the look of these. They seem to honor the quirky naturalistic/faerie look that made early Henson productions so iconic and escapist.
@8 Cleggster, I take it you weren’t a fan of the Titanic movie, or Rogue One? We already knew the dark ending for both of those long before they came out.