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modernwizardReturn to Labyrinth, a Henson Company/Tokyopop manga, should be considered a companion, rather than a sequel, to the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth, about 15-year-old Sarah's coming-of-age journey to save her half-brother, Toby, from the Goblin King's Muppet-laden Labyrinth. 13 years after his older half-sister's adventure, high schooler Toby doesn't know that the Goblin King, his former kidnapper, now thinks of the boy as his heir. When Toby learns that Jareth has been granting his wishes – "meddling," as Toby puts it – he enters the Labyrinth in an attempt to get Jareth out of his life.
Motivated by personal annoyance instead of a need for maturation [the way Sarah was], Toby makes a bland, uninteresting protagonist. His companions – sharp-tempered Faery Hana, her playful, piss-happy steed Stank and the groveling goblin Skub – provide much more color. Other plot strands, like a Cinderella-like subplot involving Moppet, the human servant to Goblin City's mayor, and negotiation between Jareth and the neighboring Queen of Cups about Jareth's line of succession [?!], come in suddenly with some confusion, but will certainly be resolved in later volumes. [Return to Labyrinth is the first of three manga.]
Geared toward teens and thus a new generation of Labyrinth fans younger than those who saw the movie's theatrical release, Return… pays homage to the original with a similar punny, potty-mouthed sense of humor. Those familiar with the movie will also enjoy picking out continuity nods, old favorites [hey, Hoggle really is "prince of the Land of Stench!"] and plot parallels.
Devout Sarah fans will be disappointed, since blockily drawn, bespectacled [?!] Sarah has only a small role in this volume. Devout Jareth fans will probably object to the portrayal of the Goblin King as a long-fingered, smarmy figure whose interest in Toby seems predatory [when giving some royal garb to Toby, he assures the boy that he "won't peek"]. Taken for what it is, though – a lightweight supplement to a cult favorite – Return… is an amusing curiosity. Just don't expect it to show you your dreams.
Motivated by personal annoyance instead of a need for maturation [the way Sarah was], Toby makes a bland, uninteresting protagonist. His companions – sharp-tempered Faery Hana, her playful, piss-happy steed Stank and the groveling goblin Skub – provide much more color. Other plot strands, like a Cinderella-like subplot involving Moppet, the human servant to Goblin City's mayor, and negotiation between Jareth and the neighboring Queen of Cups about Jareth's line of succession [?!], come in suddenly with some confusion, but will certainly be resolved in later volumes. [Return to Labyrinth is the first of three manga.]
Geared toward teens and thus a new generation of Labyrinth fans younger than those who saw the movie's theatrical release, Return… pays homage to the original with a similar punny, potty-mouthed sense of humor. Those familiar with the movie will also enjoy picking out continuity nods, old favorites [hey, Hoggle really is "prince of the Land of Stench!"] and plot parallels.
Devout Sarah fans will be disappointed, since blockily drawn, bespectacled [?!] Sarah has only a small role in this volume. Devout Jareth fans will probably object to the portrayal of the Goblin King as a long-fingered, smarmy figure whose interest in Toby seems predatory [when giving some royal garb to Toby, he assures the boy that he "won't peek"]. Taken for what it is, though – a lightweight supplement to a cult favorite – Return… is an amusing curiosity. Just don't expect it to show you your dreams.