Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock #1 Review
Story, Art, and Colors by Jared Cullum
Letters by Jim Campbell
Review by KrisK
It is the season of the Jim Henson comic! On the heels of the Labyrinth: Coronation comic, and before they debut the Beneath the Dark Crystal comic this July, BOOM! has dropped a Fraggle Rock comic. Fraggle Rock is best known for its characters, which are generally perceived as more multifaceted than the standard all ages show.
Fraggle Rock follows a population of critters called Fraggles, and they live in a community called Fraggle Rock. Yes, fairly straightforward stuff. The critters’ community is a village similar to a modern day commune. They all work and share. The Fraggles are all friends, and they hide underground, where they sing and dance and do happy stuff.
This issue focus on Mokey, an artistic Fraggle. Mokey has lost her creative mojo, and nothing seems to be working as a muse. The Fraggle gang of friends decide Mokey needs an adventure to get her creative juices pumping again. Considering this is an all-ages mini series, I don’t feel bad spoiling it for you. She does find her artistic muse in an unexpected place. She loves art again, and everyone is happy. It’s Fraggle Rock, people, not Requiem For A Dream. The predictability of the story does not necessarily take away from its power. The beauty of stories like this is they are pure and easy. I was happy to read this story, and I was amused throughout it.
The writing is solid in this comic. I won’t say it rises to the levels of classic, but if you have a Fraggle itch, it will certainly scratch it. It might even get you singing the theme song at work or watching clips on YouTube. The art is gorgeous; you can tell this was a passion project for Cullum. He took the time to make sure that every color and line was on point, and I loved taking in the panels. The letters are actually good too. I noticed them a lot more then I would in most others.
The downside to the comic, though, is it ended pretty fast. It was kind of like eating ice cream: delicious, but over in a few minutes.
Verdict: Buy. If you have a love of Jim Henson, or are just looking for some comic relief, then Fraggle Rock is the place to go. You will thoroughly enjoy your visit.
