This last week, first time visitor Arianna asked if she was the only who felt sorry for Mizumi. Certainly the Queen of Cups hasn’t been the most benign figure since showing up in the Labyrinth, but her history with Jareth, as seen in a couple of flashbacks, definitely suggests that the Goblin King might have had a little bit of wrath coming to him. Arianna, you’re not alone — I have a soft spot for her as well!

I didn’t have Mizumi’s origin story completely worked out when writing volume 1.By the time volume 2 came out, I knew the story, but only hinted at it in that particular volume. When Tokyopop was slated to do a Labyrinth anthology, my planned contribution was going to be that story — of how Mizumi met Jareth and how their relationship came to an end. Well, that anthology disappeared into the aether, so when it came time to write the script for volume 4, this was my last chance to make sure the story was told. And the more that I thought about it, the more that it needed to be told in the book proper and not as an extra down the line, as that relationship says as much about what Jareth sees in Sarah as it says about the adversary in this series. Anyway, that scene went through several revisions and trims (as it wasn’t originally in the outline for this volume, which still went a few pages over my limit!). I’m glad this scene made it in, as it’s one of my very favorite in the entire series.

Okay, now that that setup is out of the way, you can understand why I’m so excited about this week’s preview pic. This is the page that leads into Mizumi’s flashback. It’s actually part of a 2 page spread, but you’ll have to wait a bit to get the rest of the image. Thank you, Chris, for the gorgeous design! I love Mizumi’s new coat.

A while back I wrote a post on the challenges of writing Jareth. As intimidating as it is to put new words into such an iconic character’s mouth, it’s honestly been a lot of fun. After all, Jareth is timeless. He’s larger than life. His lines have a certain rhythm. There’s more Jareth dialogue in volume 4 than the previous 3 volumes combined, and I feel pretty confident that Labyrinth fans old and new will read it and think, “yup, that’s Jareth, all right!”

Writing Sarah is a whole other ballgame. For one thing, Sarah isn’t a timeless fantasy construct — she’s a “real girl.” I think one of the reasons Labyrinth’s popularity has endured is that Sarah isn’t a perfect princess; we relate to her because of her all-too human imperfections. And Sarah wasn’t put into cryogenic sleep since the events of the movie, when she was 14, but rather has lived an awful lot of life. Also, whereas Jareth will always be David Bowie circa 1986, it’s not quite fair to Sarah’s character to assume that her life would stay in step with Jennifer Connelly’s. Connelly is a fabulous star and has been since her teens. She poses for magazine covers and works hard for that body. She’s also hella smart.

We don’t know a lot about Sarah’s early life or what she did following one fateful night in the Goblin Kingdom. We know that she’s the child of a broken marriage, whose mother that she idolizes was a theater actress. We know that she’s not really into boys and that she loses herself in fantasy worlds. We also know that a change happens following the events of the movie, as Sarah symbolically gives Lancelot the stuffed bear to her baby brother, a sign that she’s ready to let go of her childhood fantasies, even though she admits she still needs them.

So what happens in the 15 or so years between Labyrinth the movie and Return to Labyrinth the books? When I first started writing Return to Labyrinth, I tried to steer clear of that as much as possible. This was going to be Toby’s adventure. Originally, I had conceived of a romantic comedy subplot between Jareth the high school guidance councilor who gets roped into helping teach Drama with Sarah. (You can see elements in the totally-non-canon Goblin King’s Revenge story I posted here last year). As much fun as that would be to write, it was largely a story about putting Jareth in uncomfortable situations and didn’t really do justice to Sarah’s growth and imagination.

The one element of Sarah that stayed from the first draft was the character Moppet, who, as you know by now, is an aspect of Sarah’s dreams. The Labyrinth film is ultimately about Sarah’s relationship with her dreams; that relationship is also at the heart of Return to Labyrinth. How and why does our connection to fantasy change as we “grow up”? What does “growing up” even mean? The kernel of that theme is pretty dormant in the first two volumes, but in volume 4, it’s in full blossom.

New reader Dave recently asked in the comments whether or not Return to Labyrinth is considered canon. It’s a question that comes up a lot in message boards and such, and I’ve said my take before in comments and panels, but I thought I’d reiterate here so it’s easy to find.

First of all, the series is 100% authorized by the Jim Henson Company and goes through rigorous approvals there. In that sense, it’s definitely as official as any of the other ancillary releases. Whether or not that makes it “canon” is ultimately the Jim Henson Company’s call. Labyrinth was first and foremost a movie, and movies follow different rules from comics, novels and prose. Even should the manga be adapted for a movie (which as much as I’d love to see, I don’t think is likely!), great changes would have to be made to make it work for that medium. For that reason, I think it’s best to think of the manga, the novel and the art books as “Extended Universe” Labyrinth. Enjoy them (or not) as companion pieces.

The original movie will always stand on its own, and as the guiding light has sadly passed away, we can only guess as to whether he’d have approved of this or any future Labyrinth story. All involved want to do right by Jim Henson’s memory. Whether or not you consider the manga canon, at least it’s keeping us talking about the original.

Last week I finished revisions on a scene for the final volume that features Jareth and Mizumi’s courtship. Mizumi mentions their affair in volume 2, but it isn’t until the next volume that we really get to see what their relationship was like. I’m not going to spill all the juicy details here, but now that the biggest piece of backstory is out of the way, I would like to talk about origins.

Prequels, even more than sequels, are dangerous ground, as they can, if badly handled, taint everything that comes after chronologically. Darth Vader is the perfect case in point. In the original trilogy, he’s a terrifying figure turned tragic hero. Apparently being turned into an evil cyborg was the best thing that could have happened to the guy, since according to the prequels, before that he was just a dick. The new Star Trek movie got it right, but only after the dreadfully dull Enterprise sucked all the energy out of the original series’ prehistory. C. S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew is the earliest prequel I can think of, and definitely one of the most successful, but even that one has slightly diminished the series thanks to revisionist editing renumbering it from volume 6 to 1.

But back to Labyrinth. In dealing with anything that could be construed as part of Jareth’s “Origin Story,” I definitely wanted to tread lightly. While I’ve imagined many adventures that Jareth might have had before he crossed path with Sarah, I’m of the opinion that his relevance, if not his existence, begins and ends with Sarah. Any back story he has must reinforce that relationship – the needs that brought him into her life, if not into existence.

As I finish tying up the many threads as best I can (with much support from the awesome Joe LeFavre at Henson), I sincerely hope that this story will supplement other fans’ memories and dreams of Jareth and not spoil them. In any case, more is left in mystery than is explained concerning the distant past; like they in the Neverending Story, that is another story and will (hopefully!) be told at another time.

You asked, Chris and I answer! Here is the second batch of answers to the questions asked by you, the readers. There are enough questions left for one more batch from this round. I’ll put out another call for questions in the future, so don’t worry if you didn’t get your question in this time or if you’ve got more to ask. Thanks again for the great questions — I hope you enjoy the answers!

Has Chris Lie seen Labyrinth ? If so, does he like the movie ?

Here’s what Chris had to say:
“I first saw it it was out in 1986. I was still a kid then and I thought the film was very good and imaginative. I remember that I kept the rented tape for a month and watched it everyday. The most memorable scene was when Jareth walking and singing upside down and also the Magic Dance.”

What is it about Sarah that is so special that Jareth fell in love with her, and is still consumed with her?

I suspect that her beauty caught his eye, her imagination gave him an opportunity, and her will presented a challenge worthy of his attentions. Of course, this is just speculation as Jareth has been quite coy when discussing these matters with me over drinks. (He claims that he chose her after watching Ms. Connelly in A Beautiful Mind on his magic DVD player that shows movies from the future, but I doubt that claim, considering he would also have seen The Day the Earth Stood Still.)

What inspired you to write RtL (besides being a fan of the movie)?

When I first proposed the idea, I was an editor at Tokyopop and the publishers was looking for licenses that might be a good fit for the manga style. I really pushed Labyrinth, being a fan of the series and someone motivated to write about it in any case, and by good fortune, the Henson folks were thinking along similar lines, what with Jareth being the original Bishonen.

Does Moppet have blonde or white hair?

More straw-colored, I think, but that could just be on account of the lax standards for hygiene in the Labyrinth. We’ve seen a bath and shower inside the Goblin King’s Castle, but such luxuries are reserved for the snootiest residents. A common serving girl like Moppet would have access to a bath about once every few years, so her hair is probably quite thick with oil and dust.

If you could give any character in the labyrinth (manga series or movie) a hug, who would it be?

I was going to say Stank, but that would probably result in my getting soiled with piss, so perhaps his elder and less stinky cousin Ludo. Or maybe Skub – he looks like he needs a hug the most.

Who was your favorite character to draw/create? It can be one of the main ones, I’m just interested which one is your favorite.

What a tough call! Spittledrum is an easy pick as his puffy speech and bad puns are always fun. Or Jareth for his emo mood swings and snarkiness. But I think have to go with either Skub and Moppet as they have the best extremes of sweetness and tragedy.
Here’s what Chris had to say:
“Sir Didymus, Skub, Spittledrum, and Toby, especially if they are in a comedic situation. I like to draw them because they are expressive, so I can create their expression by using exaggerated body language.”

If you could change one thing about the RtL series (from the first 3 volumes) so far, what would it be and why?

Great question! I’ve thought about this a lot. I would probably pick up the pace of the actual events in volume 1 to allow for more character interaction between Toby and the others cast members. I had greater ambitions for Hana and Moulin, for example (and they’ll get more attention in volume 4!) but due to the space constraints (largely imposed by my own pacing), I’ve had to scale them back. I think a lot of inexperienced writers, myself included, put too much emphasis on events and not enough on the small moments. Events pack much more impact when we’re super invested in the characters. It’s the difference between being amused and being emotionally involved. In volume 1, my favorite scene is the one with Moppet going shopping. I wish that there were more moments like that in the series. Working them in efficiently though is still a challenge.

Does that play at the beginning of the volume have an important significance to everything?

I think you’ll see some parallels between that play and the events/dialog of volume 3. As for volume 4 and the big picture, you’ll have to wait and see!

Do you as the writer get to dictate the layout- ie “In the first panel draw a picture of Toby looking confused, then in the next one draw him running” or is what you write more of a movie script and some one else puts it together?

Somewhere in between, leaning towards the former. When writing the script, I do a first pass without panels and pages broken down, then I go through it again inserting page breaks for pacing and to make sure it’s within page count. Most panels are either called out or implied in my script, but the actual layout is done by Chris. Also, if Chris needs more pages to do justice to a scene, he’ll make suggestions about where to insert panels to make it flow better visually.

How do you describe the characters so Chris Lie knows what to draw?

Depending on how important a character’s appearance is, I’ll offer anywhere from a sentence to a meaty paragraph of description. For major characters (basically, the 10 listed in the first poll), they went through a pretty extensive back-and-forth approval process with Chris, me and then editor Rob Valois, before going through a second round of approvals with the Jim Henson Company. Most other characters are purely based on Chris’ interpretation of my often vague descriptions. Here’s a sample of a description from volume 3:
“A large introductory shot of the Goblin Priest – MYNOSKYRKA. He is very old, wise and mysterious in appearance. He has four arms and walks with the aid of a tall and expensive-looking staff. Look to fancy catholic priest garb for inspiration (headgear similar to a papal miter), but don’t make him look too similar to any actual religious figure. When he speaks, he is always making a religious gesture with one or more of his hands (like a benediction or mudra). His fingers bend a little too much to appear natural – giving him a bit of a creepy look. “

Can we see some Bogging action in the next volume? Mainly for her watery royal-highness or the stray chicken?

Bogging? As in Stenchy-bogging? I’m not telling how important it will be, but the series wouldn’t be complete without at least another glimpse of that infamous swamp!

How much input and control does the Henson company have and who do you talk to about your ideas?

As far as input goes, the Henson company was very receptive to new ideas and aside from a few minor points, gave me free reign when coming up with the story and characters.Feedback in volume 4 has been the most comprehensive to date, both to ensure that the series really ends on a high note, and because the cherished stars of the film, Jareth and Sarah, figure more prominently than ever before. There is no doubt, the Henson Company has 100% control over all things Labyrinth, but they’ve given me a great deal of trust and freedom, and I endeavor to do right by them!

How hard was it to get them to get on board with your first proposal?

Not hard at all, surprisingly! They were very receptive to a manga-fied take on Labyrinth, having recognized themselves the timeless appeal of Jareth as a sort of “bishonen” in the tradition of shojo manga’s leading men.

What inspired you tackle the Labyrinth?

The film was a favorite during childhood, and as I grew older, I came to appreciate the artistry and whimsy all the more. It’s one of the rare films that I never grow tired of as it satisfies on so many levels. The combination of comedy, whimsy and adventure, with hints of danger and forbidden love makes for a unique melodramatic mélange that’s right up my writerly alley.

If you could own a prop/outfit/set piece from the Labyrinth movie, what would it be?

Hmm… That’s a tough one! I think I would have to go with the Deaf Door Knocker. I love his pudgy face, and he’d be easy to display. Either that or the riding crop scepter that Jareth holds in the Magic Dance scene. It looks perfect for snapping at meddlesome cats who try to sleep on my laptop! That said, like the Cross of Coronado, no matter what the  prop, “It belongs in a museum!” I’ve seen Labyrinth props at the Museum of the Moving Image in London, and the experience is one that I’d rather share than horde to myself.

A Question for Chris — In Volume 4, can you draw Jareth with tighter pants?

“If that’s what the fans like, sure.”

There were many great questions, and I intend to answer them all, but as finishing the script for volume 4 should take precedence over blogging about it, I could only get around to half the questions today. Thanks, everyone, for participating! We’ll do this again, so if there’s anything else you’d like to ask, hold on to those questions for now.

Why did Jareth have his own font in volume one?

…Because his ego is just SO BIG that we had to wait until his powers were weakened before we could shackle him to the same font as everyone else? Seriously, though, it’s a mistake probably born from the changes that happened at the publisher between volumes. In the script for volume 1, I suggested that Jareth have a distinctive lettering style – something a little more majestic and mysterious than your typical manga lettering font (sort of like how Dream has his super-distinctive style in the Sandman comics, although not so distinctive as that). For whatever reason, when volume 2 went through the lettering process, that distinction got lost. I honestly don’t know why, and the inconsistency bugs me too. I hope that in the future, if Return to Labyrinth ever gets reprinted in a new edition, that can be fixed so that his distinctive font is consistent.

At one point, you mentioned something about the ‘goblin golf course’. What was that all about?

Did you hear about that at Comic-con? I think I mentioned that scene there. Originally, in my outline for volume 2, there was a mini-golf competition with Toby, Moulin and special guest-star Hoggle. It was a scene I imagined from very early on as a quirky homage to Alice in Wonderland’s croquet game, and as a chance to see Moulin and Drumlin interact with Toby and Moppet. Unfortunately, I was already having a hard time packing the story into 3 volumes (this was before the 4th was greenlit), so this chapter had to go as it was pretty long and ultimately didn’t advance the plot much. Hindsight being what it is, I wish I could have picked up the pace a bit in volume 1 in order to find a way to keep it, but alas, it’s gone for now. I don’t want to give away more about this scene in case there’s ever an opportunity to bring it to life.

Is there any chance of Return to Labyrinth gaining an animated adaptation and if so will David Bowie be asked to voice Jareth?

I wish! The rights to Return to Labyrinth are wholly owned by the Jim Henson Company. There’s always a possibility that they could develop it for other media or they could follow up on Labyrinth in other ways. I’m not really the one to ask about that.

Is this the only Labyrinth manga series that will be done ? I remember something about side stories and such, but I’m hoping for a series that takes place after this. But one that is devoted to Jareth and Sarah.

Yeah, I did pass along the announcement that Tokyopop made at Wondercon a year and a half ago about an anthology of side stories. Sadly, I don’t know what happened to that – it seems to have dropped off the radar. Again, I must weasel out of an answer and say I’m not the one to ask about that as I haven’t been an employee at Tokyopop for over 5 years and I don’t know the status of their licenses or their releases schedules. As for other sequel stories in the Labyrinth world, there is always a possiblity, but it’s up to the Jim Henson company what other stories are told in this world. The story of Return to Labyrinth will be wrapped up in volume 4.

I have a strong feeling that the story of the exiled goblin’s earlier betrayal is kind of important to the back story. Am I right?

Cob the Exile’s prior betrayal was very foul indeed. Dark stuff. Some would call him a backstabbing Judas, others a misunderstood Snape – it was that serious! Undergarments were involved. Foul undergarments… fouled undergarments. Probably best not to get into that right now… if ever.

And just because I know everyone wants to know this… What is the name of the goblin that keeps eating my missing left socks?

It was Cob the Exile! He’s the nasty sock-stealer!

I was wondering if you and Chris Lie choose what goblins to use (in the background or otherwise) from Mr. Brian Froude’s notes for the movie? Because I bought a copy of Goblins of the Labyrinth and Candlewic was in there, though he’s undergone quite the makeover since then… Or are they all just thought up on the top of your heads?

You are right that Candlewic is the only goblin whose name is taken from the Froud/Jones book – he struck me as the perfect goblin stick-in-the-bum swordsman. The other goblins in the manga were conceived of by me and designed by Chris as suited the story. In the case of Goblins with names (Spittledrum, Skub, Maelgrot, etc.), I’ll provide some description, but all those background goblins are 100% Chris. 

Does Toby EVER get his history paper back? I don’t know if that’s spoilerific or not, but I really just had to ask… I know how vexing it is when you can’t find your homework! Poor Toby!

You’ll have to wait and see! Toby’s real world existence definitely plays a role in the final volume.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was the Escher room… Will we see any more of it in the story, or any other optical illusions? I know there have been a few throughout the series (and I loved them, by the way), and I’d really like to see more.

I think you’ll be pleased with volume 4.

Wasn’t there a contest for someone to be featured in the book as a Goblin? :\ Or am I just high on something (like a Peach) and I came up with that myself?

Indeed there was! Reader “Sarah” won the contest by providing the best guess for what the volume 3 cover would look like. I contacted her and we came up with a name for a goblin that will appear in volume 4.

How much of your day-to-day wardrobe is Labyrinth-inspired, or otherwise Bowie-fied?

When I started writing Labyrinth, I wore baggy pants with a 36” waist. No I squeeze into 31 inchers! I try not to stare (too often) at the crotchal region, but I presume that with such a dramatic tightening of pants, there is probably a higher probability of seeing the occasional… Yeah, probably best not to talk about this anymore.

What is Jareth’s favorite Morrissey song”

“I Hate it When Our Friends Become Successful”

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!

The New York Times released their list of best-selling comics for the past week and Return to Labyrinth comes in at #4 on the manga list, topped only by Naruto (which is like the Harry Potter of manga). Incredible! From scrappy underdog with legs to best-seller in just three volumes. Thanks so much for supporting the series, everyone.

Let’s celebrate!

As Return to Labyrinth Volume 3 is due to hit stores in days or weeks, this will be the last teaser post. This first image is the title page for Chapter 5 (title removed to avoid spoilers ), which I absolutely love — Great work, Chris! Ever since seeing this page drawn, I’ve been itching to make a real deck of Labyrinth Tarot Cards. Maybe I should look into that…  The second one is slightly spoilery as it introduces a new character, so it’s hidden behind this link.

Hope this whets your appetite!

And, of course, all images are drawn by Chris Lie and (c) The Jim Henson Company.

Twenty-nine entered, but only three will win free copies of Return to Labyrinth volume 3! It was a lot of fun reading through the entries, but picking just three was pretty nerve-wracking. In the end, I just had to go with the three that made me smile tonight (with a little help from the fiancee for tie-breaking). So without further ado… Read more…