Review: Jim Henson's A Tale of Sand

Way back in October 2011, while I was readying for New York Comic Con, I first heard about what sounded like a dream to this muppet and book-loving girl... The Jim Henson Company's archivist, Karen Falk, unearthed a Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl a previously unheard of screenplay. There were three drafts for a feature-length film entitled Tale of Sand that had been developed between 1967 and 1974 which was just about the time Henson, and his long-time writing partner, Juhl, were making their moves in children entertainment with Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. The screenplay went into the company vaults where it remained "the only feature-length screenplay written by Henson that he was never able to produce during his lifetime."

This was all I needed to know.

I am a life long Henson fan. I needed to see what this was all about.

So I waited...

and waited...

and waited...

For what was coming next.

With the permission of The Jim Henson Company and Henson's daughter, Lisa Henson, Archaia Entertainment set to the task of bringing this screenplay vividly to life.

Except they weren't making a movie. They were going to transform the screenplay into a graphic novel with the help of the incredibly talented Ramón Pérez. This book, now completed and available to us all has been nominated for five Eisner Awards. Well, after finally getting my very own beautiful, hardcover edition of the book and reading this great news, I sat down to read.

From the first page of Tale of Sand, I believe one can tell that this book stands out from the rest. Heck, the yellow hardcover with the cool purple band gives you a clue on first sight! Like all the Archaia books I have had the pleasure of reading Tale of Sand is a complete work of art.

The Introduction describes the story as "a surrealistic comedy-drama." Surrealistic is a perfect word. While the story seems to start in a normal enough celebratory fashion, it doesn't take long for the reader to be swept up in a world of confusion and mystery along with the protagonist.

 

There is practically no dialogue in this book, however it is full of action, intensity and unique storytelling page after page. Ramón Pérez's artistic interpretation of the screenplay is magnificent. His skill in drawing a myriad of settings, all in the desert, but unveiling, as the Introduction describes, "incongruous situations" is mesmerizing. By using a palette of pastels, the dry, white-hot setting of the desert is always present. Pérez's ability to draw any number of characters with full expression, as well as to fill up the page with any bizarre detail necessary to fill the tale's need is compelling. Finally, the layout of the book, page by page complements the surrealistic style of the story as well as the fast-paced forward momentum of the action. 

Beginning to end you will find yourself on a fun-house roller-coaster designed by Ramón Pérez and operated by the team of Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl. You will be whipped back and forth, racing toward the finish and wondering what twist is coming next. Make sure you keep the lap-bar down all the way through the ride, by the finish you may want to just ride it again!

This review can also be found on Word of the Nerd.