MattBrady
08-04-2006, 08:39 AM
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_cvr.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Labyrinthcvr_t.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a> by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean
Last year, TOKYOPOP and The Jim Henson Company announced (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=38310) an exclusive manga publishing deal to bring the Neil Gaiman-plotted MirrorMask and two others, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, to fans.
The first of these projects, Return to Labyrinth, with a cover by Alichino creator Kouyu Shurei, hit comic book stores this week.
Return to Labyrinth is set after the 1986 film directed by the late Jim Henson and starred David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah. “The manga series takes place 13 years after the events of the film,” writer Jake Forbes explained to Newsarama. “Toby, who was just an infant when his sister Sarah wished him away to the Labyrinth, is now a teenager. For as long as he can remember, Toby has felt as if he's being watched. He doesn't know by who or for what reason, but ever since he was a child, trouble has clung to him like a grape juice stain. As the manga begins, Toby finds out that his suspicions have been correct all along. The Goblin King and his minions are behind Toby's troubles, and finding out why leads Toby on a journey to the center of the Labyrinth.
“As for Toby's destiny, it isn't exactly something he's come to "assume" -- more like it’s been dumped on his lap. Adding to Toby's troubles is the fact that other forces have their sights set on ruling the Labyrinth. Clearly there is more going on here than Jareth, the Goblin King, is letting on.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_01.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL1.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a> “As mentioned, the manga is not Sarah's story, but that's not to say she doesn't play a pivotal role. She doesn't appear much in the first volume, but we'll certainly see more of her later. Jareth, on the other hand, is a pretty consistent presence in the series. Not as much as in the film, but he does get a lot of "screen time" throughout the series. If the "journey" is Toby's story, the Labyrinth itself is Jareth's story.
“Other characters – Sir Didymous, Ludo, Hoggle and the rest – all make appearances, although none of them are part of the "core team." There are a few more characters from the film who we don't see yet in Volume 1, but will show up later, such as the Wiseman.
Forbes and co. created some new characters for the manga. According to the writer, there’s the female lead named Moppet. “Seemingly human, she wears a goblin mask to cover her face. Her past is still a mystery and currently she works as a servant to the goblin mayor.
“Toby's main friends in the first volume are a diminutive trio composed of Hana, a wingless fairy, Skub, a goblin with an inferiority complex, and Stank, an adorably unhygienic "cub" of the same species as Ludo.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_02.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL2.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a> “We also meet the inhabitants of the Moraine Kingdom – neighbors of the Labyrinth whose magic is based on water and ice. Their queen, Mizumi, has a past with Jareth that will be explored in the next volume.
“Probably my favorite new character is Panjan Spittledrum, the mayor of the Goblin City. He's a bureaucratic buffoon who I ended up liking a lot more than I thought I would from when he first appeared in the outline, thanks in large part to Chris' design.”
“Jake Forbes initially broached the subject of contacting The Jim Henson Company about doing a Labyrinth manga,” editor Tim Beedle said. “The reasons for that were pretty simple. He thought it could be successful, and just as important, he was a huge Labyrinth fan! The idea of further exploring this wonderful world that Jim Henson, Terry Jones and Brian Froud created back in the eighties was just too irresistible. Quite frankly, it was something we were surprised hadn't been done before outside the realm of fanfiction.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_03.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL3.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a> “However, I don't believe much was discussed with them until a few months later, when [former editor] Rob Valois started with our company. Rob was once an employee of The Jim Henson Company and was still on good terms with everyone there, so when he found out that we had approached them about doing a Labyrinth manga, and they had responded positively, he took it upon himself to help finish the discussion. Even better, when it was all over and done with, we had an agreement to produce original graphic novels based not only on Labyrinth, but on The Dark Crystal as well.
“When all this began, Jake was still an editor at TOKYOPOP,” he continued. “However, one of the first things Rob had to do after he picked up the project was assemble a creative team, and his first choice to handle the writing duties was Jake, since we know what a gifted storyteller he is and how passionate he was about the project. Labyrinth was one of Jake's favorite movies when he was young, so I know this is very much a labor of love for him. He's perfect for it, too. His sense of humor and imagination are so in line with those of the film that it's almost bizarre. I know that maintaining the integrity and heart of the world of Labyrinth is a huge priority for him, and somehow he's managed to do that and still tell a fun story. Volume 1 is only the beginning of it. We were discussing just this morning where the story goes from here and I can't wait to get started on it!”
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_04.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL4.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>Teaming up with Forbes is artist Chris Lie. “It was no small feat adapting the highly detailed character designs of the film into the more stylized versions of the manga, but Chris pulled it off with bells on,” Forbes said. “A lot of the creature designs, without the motion and voices provided by the Henson puppeteers, can be a little scary. I think Chris did an amazing job capturing the personality of the performance in his drawings. There is a lot of silliness in the manga, and I don't think it would have worked without the stylized characters that Chris does so well.
“Jareth in particular is a character that Chris really nailed. The hair, the outfits, the commanding personality – it is unmistakably Jareth without looking just like David Bowie. He is the quintessential "bishonen" – the type of beautiful, slightly feminine, male character that are found throughout manga but are fairly unusual in American comics. It is actually Jareth's bishonen appearance that helped get this project off the ground. Michael Polis at the Jim Henson Company realized just how similar Jareth was to the bishonen characters of anime and manga, and that's what made him approach TOKYOPOP about the project, even as we were working on a proposal internally. It was fate!”
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_05.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL5.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a>According to Forbes, the original Labyrinth film has proven to be so endearing because, at its heart, the story of the Labyrinth is “the archetypal coming-of-age fantasy. I think every child (or any adult with an imagination) loves stories about escaping the dreariness of the real world for a lush fantasy world. Labyrinth took that formula and added to it amazing creature designs from Brian Froud, the music and charisma of David Bowie and the magic and wonder of Jim Henson's puppetry. Unlike a lot of properties from the 80s that rely on the nostalgia of an aging fan base, Labyrinth continues to pick up new fans with each subsequent generation. I'm sure it will continue to do so for many years to come.”
What’s it like for the scribe to continue a story with such a passionate fan following with the Return to Labyrinth manga? “More intimidating than fan expectations for me was the idea of playing in Jim Henson's sandbox,” he admitted. “The man is a true hero for me. It has been an honor to work with the company he founded and more than any fellow fan, I want to do right by his legacy, first and foremost.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_06.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL6.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a> “Having worked in the manga industry for over six years, I've had a great deal of experience in relating with fans who have very precise expectations for a book. It doesn't matter how much you love the series and try to do right by it, there will always be those who are dissatisfied. You just have to do the best work you can, and trust that your editors and licensors will correct your course if you stray to far.
“In the case of Labyrinth, I specifically chose to tell a story that does not continue the story of the film. The movie Labyrinth is very much Sarah's story. I've always loved the sub-genre of fantasy where characters from the real world discover fantasy worlds spun from their own imagination– Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, The Neverending Story, Narnia, and of course, Labyrinth. Typically these stories feature characters on the cusp between childhood and adulthood. The fantasy worlds, while certainly compelling in their own right, are really there to serve the characters. Once the protagonist has crossed that threshold into maturity, the physical tie to the fantasy world is broken. Rather than focusing on Sarah returning to the Labyrinth as an adult, I was more interested in telling the story of another character experiencing the Labyrinth in a way that helps them discover themselves. I know that there will be fans of the film who are disappointed that the story does not focus on Sarah, but I hope that fans of the film and even those who haven't seen the film, can appreciate the manga on its own terms. For fans who are awaiting a more Sarah-Jareth focused sequel, a hundred years from now, if Alan Moore is still writing, maybe he can make it the fourth volume of his Lost Girls collection.”
Last year, TOKYOPOP and The Jim Henson Company announced (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?threadid=38310) an exclusive manga publishing deal to bring the Neil Gaiman-plotted MirrorMask and two others, The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, to fans.
The first of these projects, Return to Labyrinth, with a cover by Alichino creator Kouyu Shurei, hit comic book stores this week.
Return to Labyrinth is set after the 1986 film directed by the late Jim Henson and starred David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah. “The manga series takes place 13 years after the events of the film,” writer Jake Forbes explained to Newsarama. “Toby, who was just an infant when his sister Sarah wished him away to the Labyrinth, is now a teenager. For as long as he can remember, Toby has felt as if he's being watched. He doesn't know by who or for what reason, but ever since he was a child, trouble has clung to him like a grape juice stain. As the manga begins, Toby finds out that his suspicions have been correct all along. The Goblin King and his minions are behind Toby's troubles, and finding out why leads Toby on a journey to the center of the Labyrinth.
“As for Toby's destiny, it isn't exactly something he's come to "assume" -- more like it’s been dumped on his lap. Adding to Toby's troubles is the fact that other forces have their sights set on ruling the Labyrinth. Clearly there is more going on here than Jareth, the Goblin King, is letting on.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_01.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL1.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a> “As mentioned, the manga is not Sarah's story, but that's not to say she doesn't play a pivotal role. She doesn't appear much in the first volume, but we'll certainly see more of her later. Jareth, on the other hand, is a pretty consistent presence in the series. Not as much as in the film, but he does get a lot of "screen time" throughout the series. If the "journey" is Toby's story, the Labyrinth itself is Jareth's story.
“Other characters – Sir Didymous, Ludo, Hoggle and the rest – all make appearances, although none of them are part of the "core team." There are a few more characters from the film who we don't see yet in Volume 1, but will show up later, such as the Wiseman.
Forbes and co. created some new characters for the manga. According to the writer, there’s the female lead named Moppet. “Seemingly human, she wears a goblin mask to cover her face. Her past is still a mystery and currently she works as a servant to the goblin mayor.
“Toby's main friends in the first volume are a diminutive trio composed of Hana, a wingless fairy, Skub, a goblin with an inferiority complex, and Stank, an adorably unhygienic "cub" of the same species as Ludo.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_02.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL2.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a> “We also meet the inhabitants of the Moraine Kingdom – neighbors of the Labyrinth whose magic is based on water and ice. Their queen, Mizumi, has a past with Jareth that will be explored in the next volume.
“Probably my favorite new character is Panjan Spittledrum, the mayor of the Goblin City. He's a bureaucratic buffoon who I ended up liking a lot more than I thought I would from when he first appeared in the outline, thanks in large part to Chris' design.”
“Jake Forbes initially broached the subject of contacting The Jim Henson Company about doing a Labyrinth manga,” editor Tim Beedle said. “The reasons for that were pretty simple. He thought it could be successful, and just as important, he was a huge Labyrinth fan! The idea of further exploring this wonderful world that Jim Henson, Terry Jones and Brian Froud created back in the eighties was just too irresistible. Quite frankly, it was something we were surprised hadn't been done before outside the realm of fanfiction.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_03.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL3.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a> “However, I don't believe much was discussed with them until a few months later, when [former editor] Rob Valois started with our company. Rob was once an employee of The Jim Henson Company and was still on good terms with everyone there, so when he found out that we had approached them about doing a Labyrinth manga, and they had responded positively, he took it upon himself to help finish the discussion. Even better, when it was all over and done with, we had an agreement to produce original graphic novels based not only on Labyrinth, but on The Dark Crystal as well.
“When all this began, Jake was still an editor at TOKYOPOP,” he continued. “However, one of the first things Rob had to do after he picked up the project was assemble a creative team, and his first choice to handle the writing duties was Jake, since we know what a gifted storyteller he is and how passionate he was about the project. Labyrinth was one of Jake's favorite movies when he was young, so I know this is very much a labor of love for him. He's perfect for it, too. His sense of humor and imagination are so in line with those of the film that it's almost bizarre. I know that maintaining the integrity and heart of the world of Labyrinth is a huge priority for him, and somehow he's managed to do that and still tell a fun story. Volume 1 is only the beginning of it. We were discussing just this morning where the story goes from here and I can't wait to get started on it!”
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_04.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL4.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a>Teaming up with Forbes is artist Chris Lie. “It was no small feat adapting the highly detailed character designs of the film into the more stylized versions of the manga, but Chris pulled it off with bells on,” Forbes said. “A lot of the creature designs, without the motion and voices provided by the Henson puppeteers, can be a little scary. I think Chris did an amazing job capturing the personality of the performance in his drawings. There is a lot of silliness in the manga, and I don't think it would have worked without the stylized characters that Chris does so well.
“Jareth in particular is a character that Chris really nailed. The hair, the outfits, the commanding personality – it is unmistakably Jareth without looking just like David Bowie. He is the quintessential "bishonen" – the type of beautiful, slightly feminine, male character that are found throughout manga but are fairly unusual in American comics. It is actually Jareth's bishonen appearance that helped get this project off the ground. Michael Polis at the Jim Henson Company realized just how similar Jareth was to the bishonen characters of anime and manga, and that's what made him approach TOKYOPOP about the project, even as we were working on a proposal internally. It was fate!”
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_05.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL5.jpg" border="0" align="left"></a>According to Forbes, the original Labyrinth film has proven to be so endearing because, at its heart, the story of the Labyrinth is “the archetypal coming-of-age fantasy. I think every child (or any adult with an imagination) loves stories about escaping the dreariness of the real world for a lush fantasy world. Labyrinth took that formula and added to it amazing creature designs from Brian Froud, the music and charisma of David Bowie and the magic and wonder of Jim Henson's puppetry. Unlike a lot of properties from the 80s that rely on the nostalgia of an aging fan base, Labyrinth continues to pick up new fans with each subsequent generation. I'm sure it will continue to do so for many years to come.”
What’s it like for the scribe to continue a story with such a passionate fan following with the Return to Labyrinth manga? “More intimidating than fan expectations for me was the idea of playing in Jim Henson's sandbox,” he admitted. “The man is a true hero for me. It has been an honor to work with the company he founded and more than any fellow fan, I want to do right by his legacy, first and foremost.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/Laby_06.htm" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/tokyopop/Labyrinth/t_RTL6.jpg" border="0" align="right"></a> “Having worked in the manga industry for over six years, I've had a great deal of experience in relating with fans who have very precise expectations for a book. It doesn't matter how much you love the series and try to do right by it, there will always be those who are dissatisfied. You just have to do the best work you can, and trust that your editors and licensors will correct your course if you stray to far.
“In the case of Labyrinth, I specifically chose to tell a story that does not continue the story of the film. The movie Labyrinth is very much Sarah's story. I've always loved the sub-genre of fantasy where characters from the real world discover fantasy worlds spun from their own imagination– Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, The Neverending Story, Narnia, and of course, Labyrinth. Typically these stories feature characters on the cusp between childhood and adulthood. The fantasy worlds, while certainly compelling in their own right, are really there to serve the characters. Once the protagonist has crossed that threshold into maturity, the physical tie to the fantasy world is broken. Rather than focusing on Sarah returning to the Labyrinth as an adult, I was more interested in telling the story of another character experiencing the Labyrinth in a way that helps them discover themselves. I know that there will be fans of the film who are disappointed that the story does not focus on Sarah, but I hope that fans of the film and even those who haven't seen the film, can appreciate the manga on its own terms. For fans who are awaiting a more Sarah-Jareth focused sequel, a hundred years from now, if Alan Moore is still writing, maybe he can make it the fourth volume of his Lost Girls collection.”