It has been nearly 35 years since the Gelflings Jen and Kira brought unity back to the land of Thra in Jim Henson and Frank Oz's 1982 fantasy film "The Dark Crystal." Soon, in 2017, its fans will finally get to see what happened next in a 12-issue sequel comic from BOOM! Studios entitled "The Power of the Dark Crystal."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, this new comic is based on a screenplay for an unproduced sequel penned by the original film's writer David Odell, with help from Annette Odell and Craig Pearce. It will be adapted into strip form by "The Spire" creator Si Spurrier, along with artists Kelly and Nichole Matthews.

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A potential film sequel to "The Dark Crystal" was first announced in 2005, shortly after the Jim Henson Company sold the ownership of their most prominent asset, The Muppets, to Disney. While development on that project slowly ground to a halt in the intervening years, The Henson Company went on to develop a successful partnership with comics publisher Archaia, a relationship that carried over to BOOM! Studios when they acquired Archaia as an imprint.

In a statement announcing the series, Lisa Henson, the President and CEO of the Jim Henson Company, said, “The creativity that went into writing and designing the [sequel] feature film was such that we wanted our fans to be able to see and enjoy it now through this comic book series. We are very proud of the story." She added, "...our partners at Archaia and BOOM! Studios are the only people we could trust to expand and illustrate the story, and we are thrilled that it will soon see the light of day!"

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The plot of the new series sees Jen and Kira so wrapped up in the business of ruling Thra that they have become disconnected from the land and its people, prompting a Fireling called Thurma to set out to steal a shard of The Dark Crystal, not realizing that doing so could prompt a return from the venal and vice-ridden Skekses.

Written by Si Spurrier and drawn by Kelly and Nichole Matthews, "The Power of the Dark Crystal" #1 will hit comic stores on February 15, 2017, sporting a cover drawn by the acclaimed Eisner Award-winning artist Jae Lee.

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