We’re now officially in 2010, the calendar year that Return to Labyrinth will come to an end! I’ve been a bit lax lately on Labyrinth themed posts for the past month, and for that I’m sorry, but now that the release is getting ever closer and more tangible I think it’s time to start getting back in the gobblin groove.
Before I start previewing all new art, I thought I’d revisit that first piece of Volume 4 art that was previewed back in August. That image was just a rough thumbnail — so rough that folks in the comments couldn’t tell what combination of Jareth/Toby/Sarah/Moppet we were seeing! In the months since, Chris has been cranking through many more thumbnails, detailed pencil pages, and now his team is already starting to ink. So here you have it again, the very first chapter splash page from Return to Labyrinth volume 4. The chapter is called “Oubliette,” which, as Hoggle pointed out, is where you put people to forget about them. Yes, there is a literal oubliette in this chapter, but the word resonates in this chapter in other ways too. More on that later. For now, enjoy this stunning piece of art!
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Looks pretty spooky, though I’m curious, is there any reason why we can’t see where the ribbons erupt from? Or am I just over analyzing things again.
And comparing this to the draft, it looks like the major change was to make Toby and Moppet (That’s who they are right?) more interactive with their environment, they’re less passive but still not active as before, so I assume this ties in with a “All hope is lost, but only if we don’t try” sort of plot point, where the two of them have given up, only to realize their inner strength and rejoin the fight.
That said, Moppet’s got some wicked nails going on. She’d better be more careful with them, she’s liable to poke someone’s eye out. Both of their hands seem a little on the large size to me, though I may just not be used to manga/anime proportions anymore.
Kristi,
This is one of the chapter break pages that doesn’t fit into the continuity of the story. Like the stack of tarot cards, or the girls in masks fawning over Jareth in volume 3 chapter title pages, the intention is to be a little abstract and to go for a great stand-alone composition. Whether the ribbons reflect a literal event or a thematic one, you’ll have to wait and see! (and yes, it’s Toby and Moppet
)
*sigh* still having a hard time telling everyone apart. I’ve now convinced myself it’s Toby and Moppet, but I thought for sure that it was Sarah, but then was fairly certain that wasn’t Jareth, then decided it was Moppet. It would have been nice keeping Toby’s hair shorter so he’s more recognizable.
On a story level, there is a certain convergence with Toby/Jareth, but yeah, you make a good point about the hair. The easiest identifier in a pinch is Jareth’s eyes — the double eyebrows and the almond-shaped eyes.
This reminds me of an image that Jareth might see in one of his crystals. Like when he saw Sarah in the oubliette before Hoggle came to take her to the beginning of the Labyrinth…
It also kinda symbolizes the connection Moppet and Toby have to each other, both strangers to Labyrinth, (even though Moppet has lived there all her life). It’s very beautiful! Kudos to Chris!
Well I was not only wrong about who that was, I was wrong twice. I thought it was Moulin, and then when I first saw this I was sure it was Sarah. But then I remembered that Sarah has dark hair.
And in conclusion, this looks nothing like the original sketch.
The chapter splash is really intriguing. A part of me wonders what will happen to Moppet and Toby at the end of the book. The fact that she’s techincally Sarah and technically another person is heartbreaking. It kind of reminds me a bit of Avatar. (Don’t ask.) And I hope that Toby finds someone (not his sister) that he can crush on in the end. Like they can take the personality that Moppet created on her own and put it into a body. But then again, the Labyrinth is sometimes a mirror of ‘real life’, so one can only wonder if there is a Moppet that exists in the real world.
I like it. And I love the new cover art. It’s beautiful.
I get what you mean about Avatar. how he’s one person in one, body, yet a soldier in his other body. I can see the correlation between him and Moppet.
Glad you’re intrigued! I don’t want to get into too much detail this far out, but RtL vol4 does get pretty meta. When I first started on volume 1, I was picturing something in the tradition of the later Oz books, but by the time volume 4 started coming together, it was something else altogether. I hope you all will appreciate the story when it comes out this summer. It’s definitely a very personal one and much “heavier” than the first three volumes might lead you to expect!
it is awsome! I’m working on the sims 2 thing… it might take a wiel… I’m getting ready 4 exames… sooo… yeah… might take a bit of time…
should have known
spooky can’t wait. This book is going to be my treat after I’ve done my GCSE’s
Hmm, those ribbon-like swirls look an awful lot like the magic Mizumi used when she made herself look like Sarah.
Hey, very nice! I look forward to the release. It just so happens to be around the time I start my senior year in college so that will be my treat!
And the last one _wasn’t_ heavy? Suddenly glad that I ordered mine through Amazon because I definitely want to be home when I read it!
I have mixed feelings about this, I can’t wait to see how it all ends, but then it’ll be OVER … sigh!!
Ooh… i can’t wait to read it.
Who would want to forget about them?
Im SOOO excited looks sooo good, can you tell me is there going to be more then volume 4 because i love this series and dont want it to end. I really wanted Jareth and Sarah to get together hehe but ill have to wait and see what he is up to in volume 4
ahhh cant wait its going to be so gooood i can feel it! =D
Heh, you lucky little gloaters, I haven’t even read the first volume yet! The store where I buy my manga didn’t have vol. 1, so I have to wait until they import it again. At least I sneak-peeked some pages when Jareth visited Sarah. Hilarious facial responding regarding the peach pie though. Karma sucks much, eh, your Majesty?
I’m excited for this volume, but at the same time, I’m loathing its release. I don’t want it to end… The story is a lovely mix of nostalgia and the thrill of finding something new. Every time I finish one volume, I get so mad at the fact that I have to wait for a whole year for the next one! But there’s an excitement to the waiting too… I’m gonna miss all of it when it ends…
“I’m gonna miss all of it when it ends…” No kidding. Don’t forget about the existing fandom out there, though. That would just be perfect – Labyrinth suddenly comes into the spotlight out of the blue, we tack an ‘end’ on it and the following suddenly goes… down the oubliette. I’ve loved having a visual series but I think part of what kept this going was “The Ending Fangirls Love to Hate” to quote my favorite spoof. You haven’t heard the last of us, Jareth. We’ll be back after the collective relief nap.
[...] the story pages and let the art sing. A while back, I previewed the Chapter 1 title page (Rough and Inked). This week’s preview art is the title page for chapter 2, Palimpsest (the title of which was [...]
I was halfway right, but my comment on the first one about oubliettes was pretty much exaclty what you just said abut them so I’m happy, looks excellent all inked and ready for shading and color, can’t wait until vol. 4 come out