Such stuff as dreams are shared of...

[icon_uk]

After a successful first miniseries, Archaia have started a second Fraggle Rock miniseries.

I always had a soft spot for that most indecisive of Fraggles, Wembley, and the first story of the first issue "Wembley and the Great Dream-Capade" is basically about a problem he's having.... He's not dreaming... well, he is, but he's dreaming about nothing... literally nothing, dark, empty nothing...

This is not a good thing for a Fraggle, who LOVE their dreams... and it also means that Wembley hasn't slept properly in days

Gobo suggests that if Wembely could make up his mind about what he wanted to dream about it might be easier, but Wembley points out he tried that and was so indecisive he spent the whole night awake trying to choose. The others propose alternative methods they've heard of to steer your dreams, but Wembley, being Wembley, has tried them all, and none of them worked.

As even the show hinted in the past, Wembley is perhaps, without realising it, the most knowledgeable of the Fraggles: He is always aware of ALL his possible choices and knows a lot about each of them, and it's knowing so much about them that makes it so hard for him to choose. The only other Fraggle we've ever seen who has that trait is Convincing John, who can make up anyone's mind for them... except his own,

So his friends offer him another solution.... Fraggles have a unique talent, if they fall asleep with their heads touching, then they can share dreams (Dreamsharing was used a few times in the series so this isn't a new thing)

Gobo's dream is exciting, but a touch TOO exciting.

Red's dream is... energetic, but Wembley finds that in dreams Red's competitiveness takes on a whole new dimension which is a mite too disturbing for him. (I'm not going to spoil the reveal)

Mokey's dream is what you might expect of the most poetic, artistic of our Fraggle group.... and you just know Henson would have adored doing this in the show...





You can just hear that in Wembley's slightly cracking, apologetic voice can't you? :)

That means there's only one of the group left... and as Boober puts it "Wow, you really MUST be desperate". Boober as usual, isn't keen in case "Dream darkness" is contagious, but Wembley is his friend... So we then get this fantastic scene inside Boober's dreamscape...



A SMILING Boober is too much for ANY Fraggle to handle, let alone a sleep deprived Fraggle like Wembley and he more or less runs screaming from the cave... (I love that Boober is into jazz, if ever there was a Fraggle born to sing the blues, it's Boober, as we also saw on the show)

I won't spoil how it ends, but after a trip to see Marjorie the Trash Heap, and some self realization from all the Fraggles (Who are worried that if Wembely doesn't like their dreams, can they be THAT special?) it does end happily for all.

Because it's Fraggle Rock, there's always time for a song (Even in the comic version), as we find out in the second story "Boober and the Ghastly Stain"  when Gobo gives Boober a laundry challenge in the form of a shirt with a truly hideous stain on the front (Gobo starts to explain the adventure that led to it, but Boober is adventure-phobic and truly doesn't want to know).

Oh, and tell me your brain isn't automatically filling in a typically Fraggle-like tune as you read the verses and I won't believe you.



There then follows an interesting little sequence where we see an unusual side to Boober; he HATES excitement and adventure but some of the extremes he'll go to get the laundry clean would make Gobo blanch. But see, to Boober, it's not an adventure, it's just part of the everyday challenge of washing clothes (Which is why he never even mentions it to his friends, to him "Doing the laundry" is all the explanation he needs, and it's more than they want to listen to!)

Oh, and the third story "Brave Sir Wembley" highlights the dangers of ever saying "What's the worst that could happen?" to Boober...

All in all a fun little issue, though I'll probably get the hardbound edition when it comes out!
 

Comments

[superfangirl1]

Wow,the art is very pretty. Who did it?

[icon_uk]

The first story is art by "Caravan Studio", with credits to Chris Lie for pencils and inks, and Hendry Iwanaga and Fandy Soegiartoon colours.

The Boober singing page has art by Mark Simmons.

[teamrodent]

Thanks for the scans. :)

That video seems to be blocked in the US, though. :/

[nezchan]

Now you have a taste of how Canadians feel.

[icon_uk]

And Brits....

[nezchan]

Well, Canadians are basically Junior Brit Scouts anyway... XD

[icon_uk]

Sorry, I'd picked "I'm never alone" for Boober and a scene about dreamsharing from the episode with Boober's evil twin Sidebottom. *

* Well, evil to Boober, he's funny and tells jokes all the time

[nezchan]

Actually, I don't automatically hear a Fraggle tune when I read the lyrics. I have this odd blind spot for lyrics and poetry in print, where my mind automatically tries to skim over it. It takes a bit of a conscious effort to pick out the meter.

[avantre]

Is it just me, or does wearing only a coat that's fully open at the front, and that shows your backside due to your having a tail, actually make you seem more naked, not less?

What is the exact social requirements of clothing with Fraggles, anyway? One of those band members has jeans and a shirt, whereas another character's okay with just a shirt (and nothing else), and another's naked except for a hat and a scarf.

[icon_uk]

Yup, in many cases scanty clothing highlights nakedness more than simple nakedness does, with humans as well as Fraggles.

As for the clothing conventions, as they're already a fur-bearing species, I think clothing for Fraggles is whatever they're comfortable with, Gobo wears more clothing than most, Boober only wears a hat and a scarf.

There's nothing to say that all the band are Fraggles, and a lot to suggest that at least some of them are not. (The drummer seems to be a a cross between Red and Animal, and the one in jeans doesn't have a Fraggle... not sure what the word would be... snout?)

[nezchan]

Is it just me, or does the one with jeans look a lot like Jim Henson back in the day?

[icon_uk]

I definitely thought so at first though looking at the picture again, what I thought was a beard is actually shadow, and the face looks a lot less like Jim without it.

Besides, Jim already has two avatars in Fraggle rock, Cantus the Minstrel (Who has been described as the character closest to his own that he ever played, even Kermit is less Jim Henson than Cantus) and Convincing John, a third might seem gauche.

[nezchan]

Since I don't think Henson played jazz guitar, I doubt the idea was an author avatar the way the others are. It's a throwaway cameo character who will probably never appear again, which (if my impression is right) is just a cute visual callback.

Apples and oranges, basically.

[icon_uk]

The fact it's in a dreamscape suggests we won't be seeing them again of course...

[kamino_neko]

Muzzle, I think would be the word.

And I suspect the Jazz musicians would be based on Cantus's Minstrels, by Boober's subconcious, seeing as they would be bringing strange music from outside into the Rock, much like him, and since IIRC Cantus was the only one of them who was a Fraggle... (All the ones which we can see the faces of seem to be based on various varieties of Whatnots.)

[nezchan]

There's one thing that confuses me about all this.

Since when is "jazz" depressing? Maybe an individual piece, but the vast majority of the jazz I've encountered has been either amazing, uplifting stuff, or technically masterful.

I dunno, maybe it's just depressing compared to the "Broadway show" sorta stuff Fraggles generally seem to go for.

[icon_uk]

Jazz contains a wide range that includes the Blues. "Depressing" or "sombre" (Which would be much the same thing to any Fraggle other than Boober) is what the Blues can deliberately aim for.

Billie Holliday singing Strange Fruit for example, is a jazz number and if you've never heard it, believe me, it's exquisitely beautiful, and one of the most depressing songs you'll ever hear in your entire life, which is what it's aiming to be.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Personally, not being very familiar with the Fraggles except through stuff like this, I kind of automatically hear that song in Kermit's voice.