Boom! Studios’ Second ‘Dune: House Harkonnen’ Collection Continues Story’s Gripping Tale
- Philip Sayback
- February 19, 2024
- Movie and TV Reviews and News
- Boom! Studios, Dune, Dune: House Harkonnen, Frank Herbert
- 0 Comments
Early next month, Boom! Studios will continue its Dune prequel series centered on the vile House Harkonnen when it releases Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2. Set for release March 5, this latest entry in the company’s ongoing story is another relatively strong offering that the most devoted Dune fans will appreciate. As with the story’s first volume, that is due in no small part to its overarching story and how it is presented. This will be discussed shortly. The artwork exhibited throughout the story adds to its appeal in its own way and will be addressed here a little later. The bonus content that accompanies the forthcoming hardcover collection rounds out its most important elements and will also be addressed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the 112-page book. All things considered they make Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2 another engaging and entertaining addition to Boom! Studios’ ongoing overarching Dune prequel.
Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2, the forthcoming new collection of issues from Boom! Studios’ Dune prequel series will appeal relatively easily to the most devoted fans of author Frank Herbert’s original novel. This latest collection proves appealing in large part through its overarching story. Spanning Issues 5-8 of the ongoing series, this collection’s story continues where Volume 1 left off, opening with Gurney Halleck continuing the search for his sister, Bheth. As he notes in his narration, years had passed at the point at which the story opened. He finds her, but things do not quite turn out as hoped for Halleck, initially. As a matter of fact, things get even worse as he is forced to watch his sister be gang raped and killed before finally escaping Giedi Prime to join a group of smugglers led by former IX ruler, Dominic Vernius.
Speaking of Vernius, he meets again with Warrick and Liet. Upon returning to Arrakis though, the two young men see their lives take a surprising turn, both for the good and bad, after Warrick wins the hand of the woman both young men wanted to marry. Things start well for Warrick but months after Liet leaves the planet and joins Vernius’ smugglers, things go very bad for Warrick. That result will be left for readers to discover themselves.
On yet another arm of the volume’s story, things get even more tense for Duke Leto and Kailea, who just so happens to be the daughter of Vernius when another woman, Jessica, enters the picture. Not to give away too much, but she is tied into another plot hatched by none other than the vile Baron Harkonnen. Speaking of him, things get even worse between himself and his brother, Abullurd, when Abullurd renounces his family’s name and then has a new son with his wife. Baron Harkonnen, who is also uncle to Abullurd’s first son, Rabban, find out and hatch a plan to kidnap Abullurd’s son, making the pair even more wretched.
So much more happens throughout the course of the overarching story, all of it tying back to House Harkonnen. The transitions from one part of the overall story to the other is so fluid, making it so easy to see everything playing out. It is essentially another large ensemble story, but it works so well here. To that end, credit is due to the series’ writing team of Brian Herbert (the son of original Dune author, Frank Herbert) and Kevin J. Anderson. The way in which Herbert and Anderson make everything come together ensures that readers will remain engaged and entertained throughout the course of each chapter in this collection.
The overarching story that is at the heart of Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2 is just part of what makes the collection worth reading. The artwork exhibited throughout each chapter is worth its own mention, too. Headed by illustrator Fran Galan, colored by Patricio Delpeche and lettered by Ed Dukeshire (just as in the story’s first four chapters), the artwork here is so rich in its own right. The contrast of Giedi Prime’s darkness really plays into the oppression of the Harkonnen forces against the slaves. It pulls audiences so much into that world. On the same sort of note, the much lighter colors in Caladan serve as an interesting offset of the tensions taking place between the two main characters featured there. The often very angular look of everything throughout the chapters is of its own interest here, too. That stiffness in the look of everything from planet to planet also plays into that tension. Whether that was intentional is anyone’s guess but it definitely is there. The artwork also has something of a grainy look, too; sort of roughly drawn. It serves to help continue establishing the identity of the artwork here against that of so many other graphic novels and comic titles. Keeping that in mind, the artwork exhibited throughout this collection is of just as much importance to the presentation as the collection’s story.
As much as the primary content does to make Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2 worth reading, it is just one part of the collection’s whole. The bonus (secondary) content that accompanies the collection rounds out its most important elements. That bonus content in question includes some script to page art and story elements lifted from Issues #1 and #5. Audiences get to see for themselves in these extras, how just some of the series’ art was developed to best match the writing. It is something that is sure to appeal largely to those with the most interest in art, speaking of art again.
Along with the script to page extras, audiences also get the complete collection of variant covers from Issues 5-8 as part of the overall presentation. For those who might not know, issues of many comic books with variant covers can be very expensive, depending on the retailer. So having all of the featured issues’ variants here in one setting along with the story that is included in each issue brings everything together in a relatively affordable package. Once again it serves as more proof that maybe just maybe it is better to work for titles’ graphic novels to release instead of trying to get those variants and/or all of the original covers. It gives readers all the best of both worlds, simply put. Keeping all of this in mind, the bonus content that accompanies Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2 proves to be just as enjoyable overall as its predecessor, which was released in October 2023 through Boom! Studios.
Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2, the second volume of issues from Boom! Studios’ ongoing Dune prequel series, is another offering that is sure to appeal to the most devoted fans of author Frank Herbert’s original story. That is due in part to its story and the transitions therein. The story continues to show just how vile House Harkonnen and its members are. It makes those fighting against those individuals all the more sympathetic. The transitions of each of the interconnecting stories are fluid for those who read slowly and fully immerse themselves in the overall story. This will ensure their engagement and entertainment in itself. The artwork exhibited throughout each issue continues to establish the series’ identity even more thanks to its artistic team, which also handled the work on the first four issues. The bonus content that accompanies this volume adds its own unique appeal because of what it brings to the whole. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the collection. All things considered they make Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2 another welcome addition to Boom! Studios’ ongoing Dune prequel story.
Dune: House Harkonnen Volume 2 is scheduled for release March 5 through Boom! Studios. More information on this and other titles from Boom! Studios is available at:
Website: https://boom-studios.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BOOMStudiosComics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/boomstudios
