One of my favorite things about working at Tokyopop back in the early days of Sailor Moon comics and SMILE magazine was the fan art. Since we published it in the magazines every month, people sent a LOT of it. Once a week or so, I’d go through the week’s fan mail and sort out the art, the inquiries needing response and the constructive criticism. We had a bulletin board in the kitchen where we’d pin up some of the fan art so everyone could see (I wonder if they still do that?). It’s so much fun to see the different takes on characters, the creativity that went into the designs, and the ability to share a tangible connection with your readers.

Anyway, occasionally a reader will send Return to Labyrinth fan art my way, so I wanted to share a few pics with gobblin readers.

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Last year, world-class cosplayer K-chan created an absolutely amazing costume modeled on Kouyu Shurei’s drawing of  Toby. I’ve been to quite a few conventions with a major cosplay presence over the years, but even if this wasn’t a series so close to my heart, I would be seriously impressed. Gorgeous work! She gave me permission to repost the photos here — I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

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Reader Sierra has done Return to Labyrinth 3 the ultimate honor — she has composed piece of music to accompany “Shadows of a Dream,” Jareth’s Lament. There is no “official” music for this song– only the Jim Henson Company has the rights to orchestrate that — but for now, this is a beautiful piece that captures the heartbreak perfectly. Thank you so much for sharing, Sierra!

Frequent commenter and talented artist Aiijuin has had her work featured here before, but this time she’s really outdone herself with a new video that picks up the story of Return to Labyrinth right where volume 2 leaves off. How closely does her take adhere to the actual volume 3? Well, you’ll have to wait a month or two more for that, but regardless, her story stands on its own very well, with great bits of humor and most significantly, a reunion of Sarah and Jareth that I’m sure many of you will enjoy. Thanks, Aiijuin!

So yesterday saw the release of the Spore Creature Creator, a preview of the highly anticipated game that comes out this fall, and I had to give it a test drive. For those who haven’t been following the game, Spore is basically a life simulator that goes from the cellular to the interplanetary level. While hundreds of other nerds immediately flooded youtube with videos of phallic spore abominations, I decided to attempt to create something a little more… family-friendly. So here he is, everyone’s favorite monster, Ludo!

“Monsoon” over on the Muppet Central forums posted links to these machinima Labyrinth movies made with the Sims 2, and after watching, I just had to share…

This first version is like Labyrinth mixed with cosplay – Jareth with cat ears! I like the creator’s take on the ballroom scene.

Entry number two adds more plot… and goblins! And baby-tossing Jareth! My favorite Sarah of the three. In the comments someone says they created Hoggle and Ludo sims — time to pony up.

The final Machinima is the most polished of the three and focuses entirely on the Jareth/Sarah story. So well done! They nailed Jarerth’s eyebrows. And the ballroom looks superb.

You know you’ve made it when your words make it into a music video on youtube.

Seriously, though – It really is heartening to see Return to Labyrinth embraced by fans – so much that they’d intermingle it with the original film that we all love. Thanks, Smalls 3491!