Dune: House Harkonnen #6 - BOOM! Studios

DUNE: HOUSE HARKONNEN No. 6, June 2023

Whilst there should be little doubt that “award-winning novelists Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson expand upon “the rich mythology of Frank Herbert’s Dune” with their storyline for this twenty-two-page periodical. The comic book adaption’s frequent time jumps from planet to planet, and then back again, must surely have baffled all but the most committed fans of the best-selling, distant future interstellar franchise; “A year and a half since I was thrown into this slave pit.”

Foremost of these continuum conundrums is arguably that surrounding the events taking place inside Castle Caladan. The publication’s narrative has potentially already been moved on by eighteen months following its opening scenes set upon Arrakis. However, Jessica states she has only been assigned to Leto Atreides for six weeks since she was first introduced to the great house, and resultantly is “still learning the household, the people, the relationships.” However, Kailea then later accuses the Red Duke of having an affair with Baron Vladimir Harkonnen’s daughter at some point during the past couple of years, so it’s debatably difficult to say when this important argument actually occurs in relation to the Bene Gesserit’s aforementioned earlier sequence and the surrounding events depicted upon other worlds. 

Of course, considering just how many characters within this comic’s considerably sized cast repeatedly mention events moving on ‘a year and a half’, the writers could well have simply pushed everything within this book forward for that span simultaneously. But if so then it has been clumsily implemented, as at Lankiveil the audience are shown Rabban mercilessly destroying the settlement’s reconstruction some four months after its inhabitants first started its repairs, before being hurled the obligatory eighteen months into the future, and are then pushed a further eight weeks forwards to see Lord Abulurd’s wife announce her surprising pregnancy.

Perhaps therefore the sole success of this mini-series’ sixth instalment lies within the layouts of Fran Galan, whose consistently prodigious pencilling at least manages to gel everything together into a harmonious looking feast for the eyes. The freelance illustrator is particularly good at depicting each figure’s emotions on their faces, with Leto’s angry and utterly exhausted looks at the ever-antagonistic mother of his child telling the audience everything it needs to know about his feelings for the infuriating woman.

The regular cover art of "DUNE: HOUSE HARKONNEN" #6 by Raymond Swanland