There is Still Much to Tell – ‘Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Dragons #1’ Review

Writers: Fabian Rangel Jr. and Daniel Bayliss
Artist: Daniel Bayliss
Letters: Warren Montgomery

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller was one of those shows that exist as a distant memory; I don’t recall a single specific episode, but the image of an old man (played by the iconic John Hurt) sitting by the fire with his dog easily came to mind when I decided to take up the responsibilities of reviewing BOOM! Studios’ comic book adaptation of the classic 1988 British series. I very recently found out the entire series is available on YouTube, so that’s absolutely something I’ll be checking out when free time becomes available.

In Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Dragons #1 you’ll find gorgeous art work that’s definitely inspired by Jim Henson’s work, but while reading it I couldn’t help but wonder what this issue would have looked like as an episode from series. Remember how I mentioned the memory of an old man, a fireplace, and a dog? The issue does faithfully recreate the format of the show with the titular Storyteller and his dog interjecting throughout the story, so longtime fans will get a nice dose of nostalgia within the pages of the issue.

The writing is well done, and the imagery accompanying the dialogue did have me effectively reading the words with Jon Hurt’s voice and diction. The story and art belong to Daniel Bayliss, whereas the script is written by Fabian Rangel Jr.; both of these talents do a fantastic job at telling “The Son and the Serpent”, a tale based on the Native American legends of the Horned Snake and The Thunderbird. The issue feels short, clocking in at 24 pages, and there’s not a whole lot of dialogue so I did feel slightly rushed, but I’d still recommend it to any fans of folklore searching for a nice looking anthology of obscure legends and fables. I’m looking forward to the next issue; as The Storyteller promises the readers, ““Oh don’t you worry, old friend…there is still much to tell.”