Gobblin.net

75 responses so far ↓

• 1 Helena // Feb 15, 2008 at 12:30 pm

  What a startlingly accurate characterization of Jareth. You truly are spot on. I am looking so forward to reading the third volume of Return to Labyrinth that I can barely contain myself. I look forward to reading more behind-the-scenes narrative on your blog!

• 2 Crystal // Feb 15, 2008 at 2:16 pm

  Beautiful, that really looks like Jareth; I wonder why he’s smiling? Is that drawing of Mizumi and Jareth going to be the cover of the 3 book? It would look great.

• 3 Rachel // Feb 15, 2008 at 2:19 pm

  Nice! i hd a qstion; who iz tht grl on the cvr of the 1 book?

• 4 Jenny // Feb 15, 2008 at 2:41 pm

  OK! So does that mean we can hope for a Jareth and Sarah love then?!

  Does this mean also that Vol. 4 will be his loving side?

  Jareth is and will always be my favorite character fromt he Labyrinth…who I bet most people can agree with me on that! I can’t wait to read this new volume!

  I’ve been looking at Amazon and when you look up Return to Labyrinth there is a date there for Jul. 1, 2008? Is this the release date or are we going to have to wait until the fall like last year?

  Can’t wait! The art looks amazing and I am so excited!

• 5 Mandy // Feb 15, 2008 at 3:00 pm

  Rachel! That ‘girl’ on the cover of volume 1 is Jareth and Toby. Jareth holding a Crystal and Toby as a goblin pricne. Wow… I know you’re not trying to offend the illustrators but ouch. Even I winced when I saw your question. I like that cover art. I think it’s beautiful.

• 6 Mandy // Feb 15, 2008 at 3:01 pm

  prince = typo.

• 7 Mandy // Feb 15, 2008 at 3:28 pm

  You’re very right, Jake, about Jareth being a difficult character. For me, an easy comparision is Anne Rice’s rock star vampire, Lestat (not the version from the film Queen of the damned but the literary incarnation), the version from her novel The Vampire Lestat. He wasn’t exactly good but he had his own side of things, there are shades of gray. There’s even an illustration in one of the comic book adaptations of Anne Rice’s novels that looks a great deal like Jareth though it’s actually Lestat.

  http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t260/JTheGoblinKing/LestatJareth.jpg

  Jareth’s spoken lines are very limited in the film. David Bowie’s songs give him his soul. The Labyrinth novelization adds some depth to him as well but that’s a little hard to come by unless you find the text file for it online.

  So we’re going to see a bit of Jareth’s darker side? Oh, that should be fun! I think a lot of us fans girls (well, most of us are grown women now in our mid-twenties) are hoping that Jareth will not only prove his love to Sarah before the end AND redeem himself but that Jareth and Sarah will get that ‘fan-squee’ happy ending so many of us have ached for since the mid eighties.

• 8 Alorin // Feb 15, 2008 at 5:07 pm

  Jake, really, thank you so much for sharing your developement of the story. It is great that you do it, because it makes me feel like you are trying to involve the fans….but don’t let us sway you. You are under a lot of pressure, I am sure. I just like knowing how much research you are putting into the characterization of Jareth, because trust me, that’s been something we fans have debated amongst ourselves for years. And I am totally with Mandy, we fans are looking for the Jareth/Sarah ending.

• 9 Mollie // Feb 15, 2008 at 5:10 pm

  Blaaah waiting for this and the next Artemis Fowl book is going to be so difficult! But thank you so much for the teasers here and there, they’re really excellent ^_^

  David Bowie is my hero, he really brought Jareth to life for me in a way that no one else could. I’m really hoping for some Jareth/Sarah love, and Skub too, I like him =D Keep up the good work, you and Chris!

• 10 tanuki // Feb 16, 2008 at 8:13 am

  “Imagine if Henson’s mentioned alternate option, Michael Jackson, had been cast in the part.”

  Ever since I first learned about this, I have never stopped shuddering. :0

• 11 Andi // Feb 16, 2008 at 9:42 am

  When you say ‘dark side’, needless to say the only thing that comes to me is his (if you’re going by these means) fae/fey/faerie side. To mortals, faeries are tricksters by nature.

  So, I am assuming, he is going to trick Sarah but at the same time woo her? That’s… interestingly sweet.

  That picture at the top of the page is urking me. He’s either going out a window or going out through the door. Either or, I want to know!

  Keep up with the pretty pictures. You’re really not giving anything away, just making us more curious and more anxious to find out more.

• 12 DestinysDream // Feb 17, 2008 at 4:14 pm

  Hey, I just wanted to say I love the series and can’t wait for the next volume!

  It’s also great that you give us little previews and updates here — I think it’s nice when authors try to keep their readers more “in the loop,” so to speak.

  Like many fans, I hope Sarah and Jareth can be together in the end….I just love that pairing….At any rate, I’m really looking forward to seeing how you continue this awesome story!

  Keep up the good work!

• 13 Beatrice // Feb 18, 2008 at 12:10 pm

  lmao. Is Mizumi feeling herself up in that picture?

• 14 Mandy // Feb 18, 2008 at 4:59 pm

  I didn’t way to say it but it does look like Mizumi is grabbing at her own chest there. I suspect image will have her holding something in her hand there.

• 15 MasonTemplar // Feb 18, 2008 at 5:05 pm

  RE: Mizumi, you’re just seeing it out of context. In a previous panel, Toby was trying to grab them, so she has to protect them from his lecherous paws. It’ll make sense when you read it.

  …that’s a joke. No, really.

• 16 Mandy // Feb 18, 2008 at 5:20 pm

  Jake! You’re awful! (Laughing)

• 17 Mandy // Feb 18, 2008 at 5:22 pm

  By the way, my last post should say that I didn’t want to say it. I don’t know how the word ‘way’ is in there. That’s what I get for trying to multitask. That little post is riddled with typos.

• 18 Mandy // Feb 18, 2008 at 5:58 pm

  To me it looks like she realized her breast plate was on crooked and she’s trying to adjust it without Jareth noticing. In reality I supsect she’s probably going to be holding something there in the finished picture, perhaps a goblet or a cup.

• 19 Cristin // Feb 19, 2008 at 8:21 am

  I enjoy this word “dickish”. I shall use it. Thanks for the delicious Jareth post:D

• 20 Fallen Fairy // Feb 19, 2008 at 9:56 am

  Wow! I guess I am in the vast minority when I say that I would be a bit disappointed if J and S got together in the end.

  The original movie was a fairytale about a little girl becoming an adult and making adult decisions. In the end, she says no to the temptation of caring only for herself and her dreams. I guess I always saw that last scene in the crazy staircase room as Sarah confronting her selfish impulses and conquering them (you have no power over me!). The complexity and metaphor of their relationship goes away a little bit if they live happily ever after. But that’s just me, and that’s the beauty of stories like this- they’re open to many interpretations.

  I really like where you’ve taken Sarah, because I *think* you’re making the case that she may have gone overboard when she “defeated” her childish beliefs and has been living a life devoid of any imagination at all.

  So here’s my theory: I think Jareth’s “ablation” somehow split Sarah in two in order to keep a part of her with him, but something went wrong. The rational, reality-based version of her dwells in the the everyday, nonmagical world, and the half of her that lives in her dreams and remembers the Labyrinth stayed behind. Neither remembers the other one’s world. This would explain why Moppet looks like Sarah (with reverse coloring- yin and yang) and why that creepy room in the castle freaks her out.

  I can’t wait to see where you take it!

• 21 Mandy // Feb 19, 2008 at 11:34 am

  Fallen Fairy, I’ve had a similar theory about Sarah but if that’s true how did she tell Toby about faeries being nasty? She learned that from her journey in The labyrinth with the biting faeries.

  I don’t agree that Jareth and Sarah should never be together though. I’m a bit of a romantic who always loved that ‘pining for each other’ you see in the As the World falls down music video by David Bowie (not the scene in the film itself).

  Yes, in the original story Sarah had to let go of Jareth. He represented the darker part of herself, the id. She had to relinquish the hold her selfishness and childishness had over her. Jareth was the brat inside her. She had to let go and not let it have power over her anymore. But this is not that story. This is Toby’s story. Toby can gain his own self-exploration and revelations while Sarah re-embraces something lost to her. Jareth might not represent what he did in the original story which is why I think a redemption for him and reunion with Sarah would be lovely. This is not the first story of Labyrinth repeating itself. Letting go of Jareth again would be… well… boring. At least to me it would. I love the manga so far.

  If you want the original story all over again you can watch the DVD. What makes the manga appealing is that we have our old friends from the original story but it’s a new adventure with a new purpose and meaning for a new protagonist. So there is the chance for Jareth and Sarah that could never have been in the first story.

  Jareth and Sarah could easily become a couple so long as Jareth is able to redeem himself now. That way the meaning and purpose of the original story is not lost because it’s Jareth who has made the change to mean something else.

  What you’re saying reminds me of Doctor Who fans who are upset they found out Rose is going to appear in the up coming series (season) of Doctor Who. They feel it will take away from the tragedy of her being seperated from The Doctor. No, that initial seperation is still painful for the characters and the viewer like every single time Angel died on Buffy the vampire slayer (and that was a few times, didn’t it?). So if Jareth and Sarah unite now I don’t think it would hurt the original messange and feeling behind the film at all.

  I really wish we had a forum here for this sort of discussion. It’s really interesting how conversations can evolve.

• 22 jess // Feb 19, 2008 at 3:08 pm

  My $.02 on the whole Jareth/Sarah thing.

  I agree with Fallen that the movie is very much about Sarah straddling that gap between childhood and adult desires. To me, the Labyrinth has always seemed to represent not only the literal process of puberty, but a metaphorical coming to grips of womanhood that we all go through (with all it’s folds and hidden corners, the physical labyrinth couldn’t be more vaginal if they had made it pink and betwixt a pair of legs). Her “battle” with Jareth to reclaim her womanhood (and literally regain control of the child) never seemed romantic to me. Bowie plays the character predatory and abusive, and it seems Sarah ultimately understands this and reclaims her power.

  Granted this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but it grosses me out a little thinking of Sarah indulging in romance with a character who basically just sought to control and manipulate her. That doesn’t seem like love’s redemption, it seems like rewarding Jareth for being a psycho.

  Regardless of format, I think it’s great you guys can discuss this in such depth without descending to typical fan-bashing behavior. Jake has well-mannered readers ^_^

• 23 Mandy // Feb 19, 2008 at 3:23 pm

  I don’t think Jareth was that abusive. He’s an antagonist, yes, but he never controlled Sarah. On contrary. She controlled him. He lived up to what she anticipated and expected of him. He was what he thought she wanted from him, the bad guy. But Jareth loathes that role. He’s weary of it. Think of a darker version of Jack Skellington at the start of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas. He’s living up to an expectation. (’I'm exhausted from living up to your expectations of me.’) There’s a sublty to Jareth that many choose to ignore because they want to view things as being simply black and white. Notice how when Sarah is in the oubliette Jareth had certain victory. He could have left her there to die. Instead he sent Hoggle to take her back to the start to either give up or try all over again. If he had just left here there he would have won. Jareth’s not stupid, he knows this. He shows compassion in his own strange and subtle way as to avoid showing any softness. Jareth wasn’t just seducing her in that ball rooms scene, he was being seduced. Look at his expression as she flees. That’s not someone just worried about losing. Consider also David Bowie’s music video for As the World falls down in which an older Sarah and a figure I call ‘yuppie’ Jareth pine for each other and remember Sarah’s journey through The Labyrinth but neither is quite willing to go to the other.

  I never said the creation of Moppet (assuming she IS the ablation as most of us suspect) would be his redemption but perhaps something else. A great sacrifice for Sarah’s sake perhaps, maybe Jareth realizes what’s important and nearly dies for her. That could make for an interesting twist or fan-wank wishful thinking on my part.

  And as I said, the purpose and meaning behind the original story isn’t quite the same in the manga. Now we have Toby’s story, Toby’s self-exploration, Toby’s self-realization, Toby’s journey through his own mind (’Down the Labyrinthine ways of my own mind’ - Francis Thompson)

  We all know Jareth in the original story represented what Sarah had to let go of but the antagonist this time seems to be Mizumi and even then, like Jareth, she’s got her own slant to things… though she’s not quite as likable as Jareth. Jareth’s purpose in this story isn’t quite the same as what it was in the original story. Now is the perfect time for him and Sarah to potentially come together without harming the purpose and meaning of the original story.

• 24 Mandy // Feb 19, 2008 at 3:26 pm

  As further proof of Jareth’s dislike of his role as Goblin King check out the novelization by A. C. H. Smith and David Bowie’s own comments on the Labyrinth making of footage. He feels Jareth reluctantly inherited the tile of Goblin King and that he’d rather be down in SoHo somewhere… I don’t blame him…

• 25 Fallen Fairy // Feb 19, 2008 at 5:15 pm

  Wow- I love this discussion! It’s great to read the different story interpretations and character analysis from the fans on this blog. You’re right- Jake has some well-mannered (and SMART) readers.

  Jess, you and I have similar interpretations of the original story as an allegory for the journey from girl to woman (very similar to The Company Of Wolves- a movie released around the same time). Jareth is the personification of all of the negative influences we have to face and overcome as we mature (intimidation, temptation, manipulation). Without a strong sense of self it can be easy to fall prey to controlling or abusive relationships. Yes, he offered Sarah her dreams, but at what cost?

  That said, Mandy, I agree with you that the manga continues the story as Toby’s rite of passage. Mizumi is to Toby what Jareth was to Sarah. It’s his turn to solve his own Labyrinth (which may or may not be vaginal in nature- this cracked me up). Sarah is older, and her dynamic with Jareth may be totally different. I guess we’ll just have to find out…

  …but I’m telling you…if they end up falling in love he better apologize for all the crap he put her through, especially the roofie-peach and the making of the mini-Sarah (if this is indeed the case). Those are some pretty suspect attempts at courtship, even if there were some sexy Bowie songs along the way;)

• 26 Mandy // Feb 19, 2008 at 5:32 pm

  That last paragraph of yours is EXACTLY what I mean in that I hope Jareth redeems himself so that Sarah and Jareth can become a couple. It’s the romantic in me that feels this way.

  Oh, and it’s funny you should compare Jareth to The Company of wolves. I wrote a comparison to Labyrinth and The Company of wolves a long time ago. Here it is…

  For those of you who have seen both Labyrinth and The Company of wolves I noticed some similarities between the meaning behind Jareth of Labyrinth and the huntsman werewolf at the end of The Company of wolves.

  In the 1986 fantsy movie, Labyrinth, Sarah’s journey was of self-exploration and revelation in a Labyrinth, her own darkness was manifested as Jareth, The Goblin King.

  The Company of wolves (released in 1984 / 1985) takes place in the mind of a sleeping teenage girl who dreams of being Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother tells her horrific werewolf stories in which the werewolves become mataphors for masculinity, sexuality, puberty, sexual awakening, and social ostracism.
  At the end of the story Rosaleen (the dreamer) gets seduced by a werewolf but unlike Sarah she does not turn away from the darkness, instead she embraces it and chooses to be his werewolf mate.

  At first Rosaleen feared him the way Sarah feared Jareth but then she came to pity him at about the time and way Sarah renounced Jareth’s hold on her.

  As the huntsman-werewolf was coming toward Rosaleen as a man it seemed like he would devour her. And it’s perfectly natural to want to defend yourself. However, I think deep down inside Rosaleen always had a secret fascination and sympathy for werewolves (wolves). When her father brought home a severed paw of a dead wolf and the paw turned into a human hand coupled with the stories told to her by her grandmother, it all built up…

  When he turned into a wolf he was wounded and whimpered and she saw him cry. He didn’t seem to be a threat anymore but like a wounded puppy. And she felt pity for him. And I think he realized she sympathized with wolves when she told him the story of wolf-Alice.

  Metaphorically I believe her transformation into a wolf was her sexual awakening but what literally happened is he decided to make of her his mate. And she became one of the werewolves, a shape shifter that travels between the world of wolves and the world of men. Like most fathers (sexual awakening metaphor again) her father did not recognize her after her transformation. But her mother knew her and saved her from being shot, allowing her to make her escape and roam with the pack.

  In Labyrinth Sarah’s sacrifice was of her own immaturity- her inner darkness. Jareth wanted Sarah to believe in him, to make him real, if you believe in something strongly enough than it must exist in some way. In the novelization he out right asks her to believe in him and of course we have the song ‘I can’t live within you.’
  Jareth represented for Sarah the part of herself she had to let go, a selfish ego and lack of true priority. And that is what really had no power over her. Jareth was also her guide through her own psychological evolution, her maturity through her journey through The Labyrinth. The Labyrinth representing her own mind.

  Sarah was in a journey of self-exploration in which she had to learn what was really important in life.

  Rosaleen had already become enchanted with the wolves- whom for her represented sexuality, masculintiy, power, puberty, and sexual awakening. For her it was a frightening yet compelling aspect of herself she had to embrace whether it was right or not.

  And of course literally Sarah rejected a Goblin king while Rosaleen embraced a gentleman werewolf. I suppose Jareth and Micha do represent the same thing really it’s just in the case of Sarah she had to let him go, the fantasy, the seduction… And Rosaleen had to embrace him.

  I guess it all depends on the perspective of the story teller on what you should embrace within yourself or what you should turn away from. Are there temptations we should allow ourselves to surrender to? Is it actually important to give ourselves over to them? Or must we let go of the darkness inside and place others before our own dreams every now and again. Perhaps each is right to a certain agree though I can’t quite accept believing one should ever forsake their dreams for the ideals of others. If we give up or dreams for what others would want us to be and do then we can never truly be happy because we would then be at the mercy of what we think others want of us. We should all trust in our dreams, in my opinion.

  I wish Sarah had accepted Jareth’s offer, I’m glad Rosaleen is now running with the pack.

• 27 Mandy // Feb 19, 2008 at 5:37 pm

  That should say degree up there, not agree. I keep leaving nasty typos in here.

  Anyway, I wanted to add that I think a valid comparison to Jareth is Lestat of Anne Rice’s novels (NOT the film Queen of the damned but yes, possibly the version from Sir Elton John’s musical). In The Vampire Lestat we learn that Lestat was forcibly turned into a vampire against his will by the mad vampire, Magnus, and then abandoned by his maker. This left him with a lot of angst that effected how he treated others. The same can be said of Jareth if David Bowie’s assumption is correct that Jareth did not originally want to be The Goblin King and like Lestat is simply trying to make the best of the situation. Lestat was an actor in Paris and was ripped away from that and Jareth would rather be down in Soho (according to Bowie).

• 28 Crystal // Feb 20, 2008 at 2:26 pm

  I cannot believe I missed this! I love discussing the Jareth/Sarah love/hate relationship. I hope to become an author one day, so I like to study interesting characters such as the Goblin King; he’s dark, a trickster and the King of the Goblins. Some of the most frightening fairytales involve creatures such as goblins. But has anybody paid attention to what Sarah says in the movie or what Bowie says in the documentary as they show Toby playing with the goblin puppets? Sarah says, ‘I wish the ‘goblins’ would come and take you away right now.’ And Bowie says, ‘What has happened that the goblins, ‘without his command’, have gone off and taken another baby brother from another girl, and he has to sort out the whole situation.’ See what I am saying? To those who blame Jareth for taking Toby, Jareth is innocent, the ‘goblins’ took Toby, not the Goblin King, and in fairytales, goblins are usually responsible for missing children. But on the subject of Jareth and Sarah, take this into consideration; would you fall in love with some guy who kidnapped your little brother or sister? I will ignore whatever insults you throw at me when I say this bluntly; in the movie, Jareth is made out to be a monster, an arrogant fool and a man who is in love with the idea of being in love. But, if my hunch is correct, maybe in the future books, maybe we will see Jareth’s good side. Here’s hoping!

  P.S. I write short stories and sometimes I put them on the web; if you want to read one of them, I will be posting the first chapter on fanfiction.net and it is called ‘One Rose, Two Thorns’, and I will have it up soon.

• 29 Eric Althoff // Feb 20, 2008 at 4:19 pm

  I’m probably your only reader who CAN’T recite Labyrinth word for word.

• 30 MasonTemplar // Feb 20, 2008 at 4:47 pm

  RE: Eric
  But you can recite all 412 episodes of the Simpsons verbatim, so you’re nerd cred is not in question. : P

• 31 Fallen Fairy // Feb 20, 2008 at 5:47 pm

  “Sleep? That’s where I’m a viking!”

  Someone definitely offered Ralph his dreams, and he clearly accepted. It’s all connected!

• 32 Mollie // Feb 20, 2008 at 8:09 pm

  Dont worry Eric, I probably couldn’t either! True, I’ve never tried it and have been watching it my whole life, but I feel like I’d mess up somewhere

  Now Lord of the Rings is something I can recite =D

  Relating to the Jareth/Sarah/Moppet thing, my theory is similar. Moppet could be the child that Sarah left behind when she realized in the junkyard what was really important to her. Somehow, that child side took the form of Moppet (after all, “moppet” is another word for child, right?) So yeah, those are my thoughts on the whole thing.

  PS: We reeeeeaally need a forum ^_^;

• 33 Mandy // Feb 20, 2008 at 9:01 pm

  I’ve been saying we need a forum here for weeks.

• 34 Mandy // Feb 20, 2008 at 9:03 pm

  As I said, Crystal, I’m hoping for Jareth to redeem himself in the manga and for that to be grounds for he and Sarah to become a couple. It’s the romantic in me aching for this. The part of me that watched Bowie’s interpretation of the future of Jareth and Sarah in his As the World falls down music video and went ‘Awwwe!’

• 35 MasonTemplar // Feb 21, 2008 at 10:14 am

  RE: Forum, I thought about that and started to set one up, but upon further reflection, for the purposes of this site (which is a hybrid personal/professional blog after all), I think the system works pretty well as it is. I really enjoy reading the conversations that happen in the comments sections, and I’ll do my best to put up posts on a regular basis with topics you’ll want to read and discuss. Cheers - Jake

• 36 Crystal // Feb 21, 2008 at 2:34 pm

  And as I said, Mandy, would you love someone who took your little sibling? I think Jareth is totally awesome looking, but he’s part villian and part victim, just like Sarah, who is part hero and a part of the problem. I shall quote a line, ‘You eat what you like and I’ll eat what I like.’ You want them together, I want them to find true love, it may not be with each other, but they deserve some; and you will find that in my story as soon as I get it up and running. Huzzah!

• 37 Cosette // Feb 21, 2008 at 3:37 pm

  I just about spit out my water on my key board when you said Micheal Jackson was a considered alternate for the movie. I got this horrible vision of Dance Magic Dance done to the thriller dance…

• 38 Mollie // Feb 21, 2008 at 6:45 pm

  To Crystal, I personally would beat the stuffing out of anyone who tried to take my little sister. You have a good point, but bear in mind, Sarah was the one who wished him away in the first place and Jareth just did as she asked him to. That said, I’ll accept your quote from Rudolph and leave you to what you want to happen =)

  On a side note, there’s an owl I keep seeing while walking the dog, so I think I’ll be a cliche fan girl and call it Jareth ^_^

• 39 Mandy // Feb 22, 2008 at 2:47 am

  To be honest I’d be very, very annoyed if Jareth’s ‘true love’ was Mizumi. To me that’s just… bleh! It would feel very contrived. To me it would be no better than if Virginia ended up with the prince/dog in 10th Kingdom instead of Wolf. It was the fact that Virginia and Wolf ended up together that made 10th Kingdom satisfying for me.

  There’s one thing you’re forgetting about Labyrinth that hasn’t been mirrored yet in Toby’s story. the forgiveness and redemption issue. It’s an issue not yet touched in the world of Return to Labyrinth. In the first story Forgiveness and redemption was presented in the plot with Hoggle redeeming himself to help Sarah after betraying her for his fear of Jareth.

  Perhaps this time the redemption and forgiveness will be with Jareth, himself.

  And, please, don’t pressume to know who I could or could not love if I were in Sarah’s place. I’m a bit tired so I might be on the defensive here but you can’t pick or choose who you love based on rational logic. Love just happens. It just is. You can’t refuse to love someone because of what you think you should feel. And you can’t force yourself to love someone because you think you should love thm. It just happens. You can’t force yourself to love and you can’t force others to love you. On the same note you can’t stop yourself from feeling love if it’s there, no matter how hard you might try to deny it.

  And being an antagonist doesn’t mean you can’t fall in love with the hero or the hero can’t fall in love with you.

  Look at Erik in Phantom of the Opera (though that was kind of a domination thigh). Louis and Lestat of Interview with the vampire. In the sequel they reconcile and reunite even though Lestat was the antagonist of the first story.

  Stories change, character purposes change. You’re trying to look at Jareth as you did in the original story, using a first impression. There are different perspectives you have to take into consideration. This is not the original story. It’s the second half. The events are different, the characterts purposes are different. Jareth and Sarah couldn’t be together in the first story because at the time he was what she had to let go of. But he’s not that now. His purpose to the story is different. And that means they can end up together. You can’t keep looking at this as being the same exact story in a new form. It’s not. It’s part two and the characters have evolved since then.

  If both Jareth and Sarah are hero and victim, problem and cause, than they’re evenly matched. And that seems the worst reason to claim they should not be together. In fact it sounds ilke grounds for argument as to why they should be together.

  And I never once brought up that he’s ‘totally awsome looking.’ That was never my reason as to why I think they should end up together. Granted, David Bowie is and will always be attractive (he has a painting that ages for him).

• 40 Amanda // Feb 22, 2008 at 8:02 am

  I’m so happy I can’t wait for vol 3 to come out I want to know though when will it come out that way i can cont down to the days it comes out ^_^ I love the labyrinth so much…^_^

• 41 MasonTemplar // Feb 22, 2008 at 9:04 am

  Things are getting hot in here… I’d better make a non -Jareth post next time!

• 42 Elzbtchb // Feb 22, 2008 at 10:18 am

  You might just wanna do that, Jake. It after all might save you from the machinations of riotous fangirls.

• 43 Mandy // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:23 am

  Oh, but this is so much fun!

• 44 Sarah // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:32 am

  I think Sarah forgiving Jareth for taking her brother and them ending up together would be very satisfying. I disagree that it would take away from the original story. That would be the ultimate redemption.
  I do have to agree with Mandy on this particular discussion. Of course, there is ALWAYS going to be dissatisfaction with something from someone, but so far I have loved what has happened.
  I can’t really say I would be happy if Mizumi and Jareth ended up a couple. I do not think they would be good for each other. Jareth needs someone kind and less manipulative and I believe that is the reason he loved Sarah to begin with.
  And yes, he did take her brother, but remember, she wished it and in the story he pretty much did everything she asked. I think he was ultimately trying to be everything for her. But hey, that’s just me.

• 45 Mandy // Feb 22, 2008 at 11:34 am

  Sarah, that is exactly how I feel about it. Jareth needs Sarah, she balances him out. Mizumi is too much like Jareth’s own darker side. Sarah is Jareth’s yin to his yang.

• 46 Rachel // Feb 22, 2008 at 4:40 pm

  Has anyone thought that maybe Moppet could be the one instead of Mizumi? She’s evil and did anyone notice how Moppet ran away from the castle in the first book?

• 47 Crystal // Feb 22, 2008 at 4:48 pm

  Fine, I shall keep my views to myself and my groups’ views to ourselves. (I’m the spokesperson:) Anyway, who suggested Mizumi and Jareth would get together? That’s…disturbing. And on the subject of Toby and the rest of the Labyrinth, I would like to know what’s going to happen to him and what the deal is with those weird little lizards. :/

• 48 Mandy // Feb 23, 2008 at 12:34 am

  Please don’t keep your views to yourself. You have the right to your opinion. I’m just explaining why I disagree with you, that’s all. Also why represent a group? This isn’t a business meeting. It’s a comments section on an author’s blog. Anyone is welcome to post on behalf of themselves. I have friends who feel the way I do too, but I certainly won’t speak for them.

  I’m curious to know which group you’re talking about because Labyrinth realm, AsTheworldFallsdown, Undergroundlings, and Darklings-we-listen on yahoo are full of people who would like to see Jareth with sarah. The same can be said of the Labyrinth board in Internet movie data base, the Labyrinth myspace board, the Labyrinth message boards on IMVU, and landserene on Live Journal. We Labyrinth fans are a mixed lot but I’ve never heard of a particular group that’s entirely like minded otherwise how could you hold an interesting conversation?

  Please don’t take offense to my disagreeing and or explaining why I disagree, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t speak your mind, it just means my view is different from yours, that is all, and I want you to understand why. As for Jareth as Mizumi…

  Well… There’s going to be a true love’s kiss. That much is certain.

  Let’s look at the possible pairings for this kiss.

  We have Jareth and Sarah. Toby and Moppet. Toby and one of Mizumi’s daughters. Jareth and Mizumi.

  The story is almost half over and those are the only potential couples projected to us.

  Toby can’t possibly end up with Moppet as a young romantic interest now that it’s apparent she’s pretty much the double of his sister. Tht’s too strange.

  It’s not likely Toby and one of Mizumi’s daughters will end up together.

  So that leaves…

  Jareth and Sarah or Jareth and Mizumi.

  I can’t really stomach the idea of Jareth with Moppet. Moppet, physically, can’t be much older than Toby.

  As I said previously, I would hope Jareth redeems himself to Sarah the way Hoggle redeemed himself in the first story and Sarah forgives him. That gives the potential for them to be a couple without harming the purpose and meaning of the first story.

  And I’m curious to know what’s up with those lizards too.

  Again, please don’t take offense. I babble when I type but it’s not meant to have any emotion attached to the words or aggression. I’m just articulate with my views. That doesn’t mean either of us is wrong or right, I’m just trying to explain why I feel differently from you, that’s all. I apologize if it comes off as anything other than that.

• 49 LadyLoria // Feb 23, 2008 at 12:38 am

  I want to see Sarah and Jareth get together… that is what I firmly feel!!!!!!

• 50 Ranko Saotome // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:19 am

  I think its refreshing to see some people on the other side of the fence, as the “Jareth and Sarah should totally be together,ZOMG!” thing is way to common,and frankly, a bit too optimistic and black and white for my taste. But, i’m not about to hold it against those who do feel that way. Like, 99% of the laby community. >_>

• 51 Mandy // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:21 am

  It’s not black and white for me. It’s gray because you start with a villain and then you build on him to give him his own perspective and reasoning so you can sympathize with him. That adds realism. We are all potential sinners and saints and… I need caffeine…

• 52 Mandy // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:21 am

  Oh, and I agree with Lady Loria.

• 53 Ranko Saotome // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:33 am

  Well,yeah,when you look it that way.. but i still kinda see it as a cut and paste happy ending. It would diminish Sarah as a character if she suddenly did a 180 and fell in love with Jareth after her deep-seated determination to hate him in the movie.

  Then again, i did always see her as kind of single-minded in the ending. I noticed that there was more to the confrontation than it seemed, despite Jareths hypocritical logic (”Just fear me,love me,do as i say,and i will be your slave?” That doesnt even make sense. Was Jareth even listening to himself?), and yet, she stubbornly continues to treat him like the big bad Evil One. She seemed a little too set in her ways, to me.

  Also, i wanted to slap her at the scene in the very beginning,when shes throwing hissy fits and yelling at Toby.

  …oh dear god, i think im a Sarah-hater! Henson help me..

• 54 Mandy // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:41 am

  Ah, the old Do as I say and I will be your slave debate. I love this debate.

  I hope Sarah isn’t single minded and as I and others expressed, if thngs are done right than it doesn’t have to diminish the value of her rejecting him in the first story because he no longer represents that part of her she had to let go. With a different purpose he can go in a different direction, especially if there is redemption for Jareth involved.

  As I said earlier it’s like Doctor Who fans claiming that if Rose returns it’ll ruin the power and tragedy of her leaving the show or Buffy The Vampire Slayer fans every single time Angel was killed and brought back (which was a few times). If you do it right than the feeling you get the first time around doesn’t change. A good sequel cannot devalue the original film. This, so far, is a good sequel. Highlander 2… was not.

  As for Jareth’s line ‘Fear me. Love me. Do as I say and I will be your slave.’…

  I take it to mean ‘Fear me if you will.’ Since it seemed she feared him and he knew she only feared him because she anticipated she should feel him. Notice how she acted like she was acting out her story when she first saw him.

  ‘Love me. Do as I say and I will be your slave.’ That’s Jareth’s own warped way of asking for them to be a love of equals. He is her slave as she does as he says. They comply to each other. And or his way of saying ‘If you do as I say in the act of loving me, then I’ll do anything you want.’ Again, his own warped way of saying ‘Love me.’

  Jareth needs a PR person to write his speeches for him.

• 55 Ranko Saotome // Feb 23, 2008 at 1:49 am

  indeed.

• 56 Mandy // Feb 23, 2008 at 11:01 am

  I forgot one other pairing for the possible true love’s kiss. Moppet and one of Mizumi’s daughters. But that doesn’t seem likely to me either.

  So the options are…

  We have Jareth and Sarah. Toby and Moppet. Toby and one of Mizumi’s daughters. Jareth and Mizumi. Moppet and one of Mizumi’s daughters.

  The most likely pairing, and what would be most satisfying for me, would be Jareth and Sarah after Jareth manages to redeem himself.

• 57 tanuki // Feb 23, 2008 at 2:05 pm

  LOL — 56 comments & counting! This is what happens when you create a “Jareth” thread, Jake!!

  I saw the “Spiderwick” movie this week and I must say it strongly reminded me of Labyrinth. Scary goblins, fairies, a helpful gnome — there was even a young girl in it, though she wasn’t the lead character. And the goblins were ruled, not by a humanoid character like Jareth, but an ugly ogre. However, the ogre could make himself appear human, and also take other forms like a snake and a crow.

  That got me thinking about Jareth’s shape-shifting capability, and what his limitations might be. Is he able to assume forms other than the white owl? Might this be something the mangas could use in later plots?

• 58 Mandy // Feb 23, 2008 at 2:59 pm

  I’m not sure about what else Jareth can turn into or if he could turn into anything else. Notice how his disguises or glamours are just himself with different outfits or his hair slicked back like at the start of volume 1.

  Like the animaguses of the Harry Potter books Jareth probably relates most to barn owls. Notice how his eye make up even resembles the markings of the barn owl and the feathered ‘broken winged’ (according to Brian Froud’s commentary) cape he wears at the end.

  Of course, physically, in general Jareth is more like a faerie of Brian Froud’s Good faeries / Bad faeries book than an animagus. But that’s fitting because in many folk tales Puck could turn into a horse among other things.

• 59 tanuki // Feb 23, 2008 at 5:05 pm

  If he is a “faerie” then he should be able to take any form at all. That is the tradition for faeries, phookas, hobgoblins, and similar otherworldly creatures like the Jinn of Arabia. It’s a folklore found all over the world.

• 60 Fallen Fairy // Feb 23, 2008 at 5:40 pm

  Every time I come back here there are more and more comments! I wonder if Jake knew what he was in for with this post…

  It’s amazing to find so many people (mostly girls, it seems) who love Labyrinth so much. As someone who is just now realizing there are whole sites, groups, etc. dedicated to the movie and characters, it’s pretty cool to see.

  I’d be interested to hear a guy’s perspective on the whole debate. Furthermore, it got me wondering if there were any movies that had the same effect on guys growing up (with a whole rite of passage, first stirrings of romance thing).

  Most of the guys I know love Back To The Future and Star Wars (obviously), but are there any others?

• 61 Mandy // Feb 23, 2008 at 7:25 pm

  My little brother grew up loving The Princess Bride. I think he felt it was okay to like it since Andre the giant was in it and little Fred Savage was being told the story by his grandfather. A bit of sexism, I know, on his part to use that as grounds for it being okay to like it.

  As for Jareth being able to take any form he chooses. Not all faeries could take any form they choose. Some are limited like the Sidhe you see in Jim Butchers’ Dresden files novels whom not only can’t take that many other forms but are vulnerable to iron and cannot lie.

  Interesting fact = in most folklore including classic folktales, and contemporary fiction like The Dresden files novels, and the Gargoyles animted series and new comic book series will all tell you that faeries are vulnerable to iron. They can be restrained or harmed with objects made of iron.

• 62 MasonTemplar // Feb 23, 2008 at 10:14 pm

  RE: Fallen Fairy–

  For many guys of the Labyrinth era (ie now in late 20s, early 30s), Transformer the Movie had the impact you’re talking about. What was so incredible about it was that they took the characters we knew and loved from TV and toys and added death, heavy metal and even a little swearing. It’s sort of the pre-pubescent guy equivalent to the sexual coming of age subtext of Labyrinth, and it has a similar cult following to this day.

• 63 Ranko Saotome // Feb 24, 2008 at 12:31 am

  I can vouch for this,despite being a girl. A few of my friends are guys and to hear them talk,youd think it was like the second coming. Also, its refrenced a LOT in webcomics.

• 64 tanuki // Feb 24, 2008 at 6:22 am

  Mandy, I can’t speak for the Dresden Files — I’ve never read them. But you say they are novels, which is to say they’re a modern author’s take on the folklore, not the lore itself.

  If you study the original mythology (which I have done) you’ll find that faeries and other spirits are typically shape-shifters, as well as masters of illusion. The Spiderwick Chronicles is very true to this lore.

• 65 Mandy // Feb 24, 2008 at 12:58 pm

  You’re right about that. There’s a lot to speculate about Jareth. Perhaps he’s half-human which would account for his angst, and fascination with the mortal world (Knowing what plastic is, for example, and singing rock music). Being half-human would limit his powers though not prevent him from being immortal. Perhaps the barn owl is easiest for him or just the only one he knows how to take the form of since he most relates to it.

  Random fact: The barn owl is the only bird of prey that can be found almost anywhere in the world.

• 66 Crystal // Feb 24, 2008 at 3:40 pm

  Mandy, I apologise for whatever I said and declare a truce. I was just kidding about the group thing and I will agree to disagree with you, alright? I read what you said and I am not offeneded. And on the subject of Jareth, :D, I think he is a Fae, and I think the reason he changes into a barn owl is because it is also known as the moon-faced owl and, even though it is mostly white, it has brown, tawney, and black coloring, which I think could kind of show his soul, you know? White for the pure, untouched parts, then the other colors for things he has done wrong or flaws or whatever comes to mind. He may be the villian we’re suppose to hate, but he’s also the romantic gentleman us girls all hope to meet someday, minus the evil parts, so I guess he’ll never be the hero, but still, all he has to do is look at the screen and we’ll think, ‘he’s looking at me.’

• 67 Mandy // Feb 24, 2008 at 7:23 pm

  Thank you, Crystal. And for the most part I agree with you. But I think anyone can be a hero. Give Jareth a chance to redeem himself and show his side of things and he can easily be a protagonist who has to struggle with his dark side. It can be done if handled right.

• 68 BREAKING NEWS: “Tales of the Labyrinth” Anthology Coming Soon! [Updated] // Feb 25, 2008 at 9:48 am

  […] hinted at in the “On Writing Jareth” post, there’s a pseudo-musical number for Jareth in the works for […]

• 69 Tintin // Feb 25, 2008 at 6:54 pm

  Michael Jackson was a possible Goblin King?!? Aieee! I still like Michael too, but I cringe just to think about him with Sarah. David Bowie had just the right amount of coldness to make you believe how evil he could be.

  Count me in on the Sarah/ Jareth fans. I still think she should have taken Jareth up on his offer, but only on her terms- I wanted her to get to be her own person while still getting the Goblin King. Then again, the movie ending was pretty perfect besides the whole no-Jareth thing). I’m looking forward to volume 3.

• 70 Sarah // Mar 1, 2008 at 12:32 pm

  “Labyrinth” was my favorite movie as a child, not merely because I have the same name, the same dark hair, and, as a teenager, the same personality as the film’s protagonist; but also due to the captivating storytelling. The imagination and fantastical scope of the movie stayed with me throughout my adolescence.

  I recently re-discovered the movie in the last year and fell in love with it all over again. I also stumbled across your sequels, and an overwhelming curiosity drove me to purchase them, despite having never touched manga before. Coincidentally, I’m also the same age as your grown-up Sarah Williams. She may have tried to forget about Jareth, but I certainly didn’t! Even as I approach my late twenties, I still find him one of the most fascinating characters. Thank you for giving us long-time fans the second half of this wonderful story. I know I’m wishing for a Sarah/Jareth reconciliation…and perhaps even some romance?

  Keep it coming!

• 71 Sarah // Mar 1, 2008 at 12:50 pm

  What a pleasure to find so many well-read, intelligent fans here! I’ve long been fascinated by the Jareth/Sarah relationship and how complex and undefinable it often is. It reminds me of the equally complicated relationship between der Tod and Elisabeth (from the German musical “Elisabeth”). In black and white terms, both Jareth and der Tod are villains. They want to possess and control the women that they obsess over. Yet, for all of their ambitions, they are the ones being controlled and seduced, even in their efforts to manipulate.

  Watch Jareth’s expressions each time Sarah rejects him. There’s a flicker of disappointment, regret, heartache and a dozen other unreadable things. There’s no denying he goes about his courtship of Sarah in the wrong ways, but I do believe he loves her. It’s a selfish love at first, certainly, but that’s the wonderful thing about dynamic characters. They can change. I think it’s entirely possible for Jareth to recognize what he truly wants and make the necessary sacrifices to get it. I’m definitely looking forward to finding out!

  I’ve heard the argument that a stalkerish, obsessive, and predatory character like Jareth or der Tod doesn’t deserve to receive the love of the heroine. And if the moral of the story is that men can be predatory and cruel and still get the girl, then I’d have to agree with that. But let’s not forget that Sarah was unlikeable at first as the protagonist of the film. She was an over-dramatic teenage brat; however, by the end of her journey, she had transformed herself. Why couldn’t Jareth come to the same conclusions at the end of the movie? Because it wasn’t *his* journey. Granted, the manga is about Toby and his coming-of-age story, but it’s also a chance for Jareth to grow up a bit. At any rate, I’m not willing to give up on him yet (though I admit, I do not-so-secretly love snarky characters just like him).

  Thanks for the intriguing discussion everyone! I have the sneaking suspicion I’m going to be lurking around this blog for some time to come…

• 72 Ginger // Apr 17, 2008 at 2:46 pm

  This discussion seems to be dead, but I have to add my two cents. Its in my nature:D

  Okay. I only discovered this movie about two years ago, when I was at a friend’s party, and I’ve loved it with a passion ever since. And one thing that has always interested me is the relationship between Jareth and Sarah.

  Before Jareth and Sarah can be together, Jareth needs to repent for all the hell he put her through. But she shouldn’t instantly forgive him. If they do end up together, it should happen at the very end of volume four. And Jareth should surrender his immortality to live in the human world with Sarah. That would really, in my opinion, prove that Jareth is sincere in his love for Sarah.

  As to who will share this ‘true loves kiss,’ At first my vote was for Toby and Moppet, but after discovering moppet’s identity, I now cast my vote for Jareth and Sarah. Since Mizumi’s the trouble maker in this story, I don’t see her getting lucky with Jareth.

  Oh, and on another note: There are three people that I think Mizumi will try to kill before this is over:
  1: Toby
  2: Sarah
  3: Moppet

  And thats my two cents on the subject. Huh! I feel better now!

• 73 MasonTemplar // Apr 17, 2008 at 8:42 pm

  Ginger,

  Thanks for joining the discussion! No comment on the Sarah/Jareth relationship (sorry — you’ll have to wait on that!), but on the subject of Mizumi, she is definitely not above foul play for those who get in her way. How far she’ll go, you’ll just have to see, but she does taker her anger out on someone in volume 3…

• 74 Crystal // Apr 18, 2008 at 9:03 am

  Actually, maybe Jareth is going to tell Sarah about Toby being the new king and maybe she’ll get mad at him, and hit on the head, that would be funny. Sorry, I just don’t think Jareth and Sarah belong together.

• 75 Pandora // Jun 24, 2008 at 3:26 pm

  everyone here keeps talking about Jareth and Sarah getting together. i just never got the impression that Sara had feelings for Jareth. it was obvious that he loved her but she didn’t really show much of an attraction to him. maybe if they got to know each other but in the movie she seemed more concerned with finding Toby than starting up a romance with the Goblin King. and as for where the manga is going idk i just don’t think Sara and Jareth end up together. i think he’s there to let sara know what’s going on. i don’t think Jareth has changed much from the movie

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