Jim Henson's Tale of Sand

by Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Ramon Perez (Artist)

Overview

The groundbreaking 3-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novel, now available digitally for the first time! Join us as we explore this missing piece of Jim Henson's career in a celebration of his creative process, gorgeously brought to life by acclaimed illustrator Ramon K. Perez (Wolverine and the X-Men, Spider Man: Year One). Discovered in the Archives of The Jim Henson Company, Tale of Sand is an original graphic novel adaptation of an unproduced, feature-length screenplay written by Jim Henson and his frequent writing partner, Jerry Juhl. Tale of Sand follows scruffy everyman, Mac, who wakes up in an unfamiliar town, and is chased across the desert of the American Southwest by all manners of man and beast of unimaginable proportions. Produced with the complete blessing of Henson co-CEO Lisa Henson, Tale of Sand was hailed as a groundbreaking achievement upon release, winning the Eisner Awards for Best Graphic Album, Best Penciller/Inker, and Best Production Design, as well as winning the Harvey Awards for Best Graphic Novel and Best Artist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681590127
Publisher:	BOOM! Studios
Publication date:	12/14/2011
Sold by:	Trajectory
Format:	eBook
Pages:	137
File size:	71 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	15 Years

About the Author

Jim Hensen is best known for his work on the Muppets as well as his other creative works in story and film such as The Dark Crystal, The Storyteller, and Sesame Street. The humor and whimsy of his characters have continued to entertain generations of children over the past 42 years.

Editorial Reviews

Based on an unproduced feature-length screenplay by legendary visionary Henson and Juhl, this graphic novel follows its hapless protagonist as he is cast out into the desert by the cheerful Sheriff Tate for reasons as baffling to the unnamed hero as the reader. The scruffy hero is a pawn in a game whose rules are concealed from him, pursued across a surrealistic southwest U.S. by an implacable hunter and hindered by the eccentric, bizarre inhabitants of the great desolation. The prize waiting for him at the end of the chase, should he survive to reach the end, is one he will never guess at. While best known as the creator of the Muppets, Henson was a man of multiple gifts. More than two decades after his untimely death, Pérez has brought to life a little-known side of Henson’s storytelling skill. The story eschews extensive dialogue, making events dependent on Pérez’s ability to convey Henson’s vision. Instead of trying to merely make a movie storyboard, Pérez chooses to make this pure comics, using an animated style somewhat reminiscent of Darwyn Cooke and stunning coloring that uses different palettes—muted pastels or striking duotone—to tell the story. An eccentric oddity, lovingly rendered into a haunting story. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

It's not a new observation that life is simply an endless struggle with A) death and B) oneself, but here it is realized with graphic brilliance. A man named Mac enjoys an ebullient welcome from the populace of a small desert town until the sheriff sends him away with a knapsack, map, ten minutes' lead time, and two recommendations: if he can get to Eagle Mountain, he'll be safe; and don't trust the map. Clearly, Mac shouldn't trust anything else, either, since an avalanche of surrealistic, often comic near-disasters follows, e.g., knife-wielding Arabs, a football team, a lion, and explosions aplenty, all seemingly masterminded by a mysterious eye-patched fellow and his chilly blond friend. This adaptation of an unproduced screenplay by the late Henson and his writing parter Juhl (who died in 2005), combined with Perez's realistic art, entrains the eye with a beautiful, nearly wordless collage of colorful panels. Indeed, the trip is so fascinating that the destination may surprise, though it might be obvious in retrospect. VERDICT This startling glimpse into Henson's psyche draws on themes from his films (The Cube; Timepiece; Labyrinth) for a dramatic and existential reading experience. Recommended for adult and sophisticated teen fans of literary black humor.—M.C.

Library Journal