Adapted by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson

Illustrated by Raul Allen and Patricia Martin 

Abrams Comic Arts, out now

Paul Atreides and the Lady Jessica are stranded in the deep desert of Arrakis.

With Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two now in production, this second volume of the graphic novel adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 classic provides an opportunity to jump ahead in the narrative, picking up at a similar place to where the first movie ended.

Writers Herbert and Anderson have continued the saga’s legacy by writing their own additional volumes, showing a keen understanding of what’s at the heart of Frank Herbert’s universe. In this adaptation, they take the key dialogue from the book so that it can live in comic book form. Visually, artists Raul Allen and Patricia Martin have designed an aesthetic that’s unique to this book, different to the look of the Lynch and Villeneuve films. If anything, it’s closest to the Sci-Fi Channel mini-series.

Much time is spent on Paul’s evolution into leader Muad’Dib, and while I’d initially assumed the novel would be completed within this volume, it breaks at a relevant point so that Volume 3: Prophet (scheduled for Spring 2024) can conclude the story with the spectacular battles.

Verdict: Those who purchased the first volume will need no prompting to pick the second part of what is likely to become the definitive comic book adaptation of Dune. 9/10

Nick Joy

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