The first appearance of a character in comic book form is often the most valuable issue featuring that character. It's a nice place to get started in Dark Crystal, if it's within your budget. Marvel adapted the original film in issue #24 of MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL [1978-MAG] and later released the adaptation as a 2-issue mini-series. Released coincidentally with the traditionally stapled magazine format MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL [1978-MAG] #24, there exists a softcover version of the magazine published by Marvel Books (does not say "A MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL" on cover). The exact timing of which came first is open for debate. With nearly identical covers, many would understandably consider them just variants of each other, but they are noticeably different formats.

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• MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL [1978-MAG] #24  (1st appearance of Dark Crystal)

Series beginnings are always great places to get started in comic books. Here is the Main Publication History for Dark Crystal comic books. The Dark Crystal has had a sporadic publishing history in multiple formats, but everything is seemingly in the same canon/continuity. The most recent licensee, Boom Studios, has produced the most material set in the sequel timeframe.

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• MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL [1978-MAG] #24  (official comic book adaptation)  Find issues on MCS
• DARK CRYSTAL [1982-SC]   (softcover edition of MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL [1978-MAG] #24 from Marvel Books)  Find issues on MCS
• DARK CRYSTAL [1983] #1-2  (reprint of the adaptation as a 2-issue standard comic book mini-series  Find issues on MCS
• LEGENDS OF THE DARK CRYSTAL [2007-DIG] #1-2  (original US manga series set hundreds of years before the film before the Gelfling extermination; third volume canceled with its story incorporated into VOL 02)  Find issues on MCS
• MOUSE GUARD: THE TALE OF THE WISE WEAVER/DARK CRYSTAL: PREVIEW [2011]   Find issues on MCS
• DARK CRYSTAL: CREATION MYTHS [2015-SC] #1-3  (another comic book prequel)  Find issues on MCS
• POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL [2017] #1-12  (adaptation of the unproduced screenplay sequel)  Find issues on MCS
• BENEATH THE DARK CRYSTAL [2018] #1-12  (continuation of the sequel storyline)  Find issues on MCS
• DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE [2019] #1-12  (official prequel to the Netflix series)  Find issues on MCS

This section contains a curated list of some of the best storylines for Dark Crystal, any one of which can be a good place to get started. However, there are only a few comic book stories in the Dark Crystal franchise. See the Main Publication History section of this guide for all of the Dark Crystal stories. Also, stories that are still in print as compilations may appear in the Compilations section of this guide.

A key issue can be an acceptable place to get started with Dark Crystal, but they are more of a collector's checklist, as they can carry high price tags.

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• MARVEL SUPER SPECIAL [1978-MAG] #24   (1st appearance of Dark Crystal; movie adaptation)
• DARK CRYSTAL [1983] #1   (movie adaptation, Part 1 of 2)
• DARK CRYSTAL [1983] #2   (movie adaptation, Part 2 of 2)
• POWER OF THE DARK CRYSTAL [2017] #1   (1st issue of this series)

In modern comic publishing, it's common (and expected) for individual comic book issues to be collected into compilations of trade paperbacks and/or hardcovers, as well as other special compilations. Unlike the individual source issues, the collected editions typically stay in print for long periods and are less 'collectible.' If individual issues are out of reach or are not of interest to you or if you just need reading copies, the following collected editions of Dark Crystal comic books are the most recent in-print editions and are the perfect alternative to get started right away with Dark Crystal. The following compilations are presented in a chronologically-based suggested reading order with softcover editions before any hardcover editions (unless the only in-print editions are hardcover--these are integrated into the softcover list).

Our suggested reading order is simply the chronological publication order, even though the material may jump around on a grand story timeline. Boom! Studios' sequel stories were first compiled exclusively in hardcover, but are beginning to appear in softcover.