It came as a bit of a surprise to me that there was a comic, a graphic novel I guess, released in December 2011 that was based on an old and unused screenplay written by Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl. Henson had the idea for the script early on in his career, as far back as the 1950s, and in the 60s and 70s he and Juhl developed the story and shopped it around, but couldn’t ever produce the film because the story is so strange.
It all begins with the hero, Mac, stumbling into a strange town. He cannot quite figure out why everybody is celebrating his arrival with a parade, dance, and music. But the celebration doesn’t last very long though, and soon the sheriff approaches Mac and tells Mac to get outta town, while everybody turns against him. Mac flees across the desert, and it isn’t a Gunslinger who followed, but he is hunted by a mysterious man “Patch”. What happens from there is a surreal dream sequence that I won’t even try to describe because, like most dreams, it is very far removed of everyday experience.
Artist Ramon Perez took the old script and did an amazing job translating it into a graphic format. His artwork is perfect for the story, as are his layout and design work. Even though it is a strange story with almost no words, Perez made it easy to follow and understand. I think that is what I like the most about this book, the story is told perfectly in a graphic format with almost no words. I love that.
www.archaia.com | Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand
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