LEGO NINJAGO's Dark Island Trilogy is coming back to shelves, and while it's beginning to show its age artistically, the story remains timeless.
A decade ago, a trilogy of LEGO NINJAGO comics was released, taking the team to the Dark Island in one of the most unique stories the team has told. Now, that trilogy is back on shelves for a new generation.
It's a bold tactic from the LEGO Group and Skybound Entertainment. As much as that original trilogy of comics tells an engaging story, there's no escaping the fact that the comic and the illustrations are 10 years old.
It's fantastic to have access to all three parts of this story in one place, complete with Wu's journal entries. These serve as a break from the main narrative to focus on Wu's thoughts on recent events, placing you in the character's mind in a way that most LEGO comics and animated series can't hope to match.
It naturally extends the length of the comic in a way that doesn't feel bloated, but an intentional decision to ramp up the overall maturity. Without delving into spoiler territory, the journal entries become more emotional as the story progresses and the Dark Island starts to take hold of the team.
These journal entries are fleshed out with in-universe illustrations from Wu, too. There's nothing new with them, though; they appear exactly as they did in 2016.
The same goes for the rest of the illustrations and graphics in the re-released Dark Island Trilogy. They're identical to those of the 2016 comics. While they matched similar NINJAGO comics from back in the day, they look drastically different to other offerings available in 2026.
As much as there is a comparison to be made with the likes of Garmadon's various novels, such a comparison wouldn't be fair on this re-release. The team aren't hoping to remake the original comic – despite a clear opportunity to – but re-release one of NINJAGO's rarer books in time for the theme's 15th anniversary.
There's a certain charm to the aged illustrations in the Dark Island Trilogy, demonstrating just how far the theme's comics have come. At £17.99 / $19.99, this re-released trilogy is worthy of that asking price for how long the story is, but don't go into this experience expecting remastered imagery. Do go into this experience expecting an engaging and unique narrative.
LEGO NINJAGO Dark Island Trilogy will be released on June 30, 2026 and is up for pre-order now at Amazon UK.
This book was provided for review by Skybound Entertainment.
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