With a slew of film roles such as Nicolas Roeg’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, Tony Scott’s The Hunger, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, David Bowie wasn’t simply an icon within the music world – he was an icon of cinema as well. And it can be said with virtually no pushback that the virtuoso entertainer’s most iconic film role is that of Jareth the Goblin King, in Jim Henson’s beloved classic Labyrinth.
After Bowie’s untimely passing, the mere notion of a proper film continuation becomes a nigh impossibility. However, Labyrinth went on to continued relevance on the comic book page and that all began with Marvel Comics’ three-issue comics adaptation of the original film, newly republished by BOOM! Studios after decades of languishing out of print.
In Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Archive Edition #2, adapted by the late Sid Jacobson (The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation and Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography) and illustrated by the late John Buscema (Conan the Barbarian, Archie Meets the Punisher), we pick up well into the second act of the film’s plot. As readers have learned from the prior issue, bookworm Sarah Williams, an early adopter of the LARPer craze with an affinity for fantasy, resents her fussy baby brother Toby as well as her demanding parents who have tasked her with watching the child for the night. That is of course until Toby is kidnapped, whisked away by a troop of mischievous goblins and their king Jareth, to a castle at the center of a seemingly unnavigable labyrinth.
At issue #2’s start, Sarah is faced with a choice between one of two doors, one which allegedly leads directly toward the castle and another which leads toward “certain death.” In front of said doors stand guards, one who always tells the truth and one who always lies. Sarah, who can only ask a single question to a single guard, is tasked with deciphering what question would be the appropriate question to ask that would apply to either guard and present her with the right door, which will lead her one step closer in aiding her helpless baby brother (and herself).
Despite solving the riddle of the two doors, Sarah is yet again thwarted, finding herself in Jareth’s oubliette, a cavernous dungeon underground to the aforementioned labyrinth. With the aid of costume jewelry and dwarf turncoat Hoggle, Sarah bypasses the dreaded “Cleaners” and escapes the oubliette, back into the labyrinth. Sarah soon comes to the rescue of the third member of her party, a friendly furry giant who goes by the name Ludo. Sarah will need all the help she can muster as she’ll have not just the labyrinth itself to contend with but also the fearsome Fireys.
Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Archive Edition #2 is a wondrous throwback to the good ol’ days of comic book adaptations of movies, as well as Marvel taking on IP outside their superhero predominate wheelhouse. The beautifully rendered panels are sure to fill readers with nostalgia for the Star Wars comic adaptations of the ’70s and ’80s, which only makes sense seeing as both Jacobson and Buscema worked on those comics (not to mention, our comic in question is indeed a relic from the ’80s). It’s also worth mentioning that Jacobson has multiple other Jim Henson credits to his name, serving as an editor on comic book adaptations of Fraggle Rock, Muppet Babbies as well as The Muppets Take Manhattan. For all these reasons and more, Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Archive Edition #2 is a must have for Labyrinth enthusiasts everywhere.
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