Archaia Comics Labyrinth Tie-In to deal with how Jareth became Goblin King

[Rachael]

I have just found a reference in this article to the upcoming Labyrinth tie-in comic by Archaia, it doesn't reveal a great deal but does say that the comic will deal with how Jareth became Goblin King-

http://blogs.laweekly.com/stylecouncil/2011/08/jim_henson_archaia.php

Next year, Archaia will be taking on cult hit Labyrinth.

"It's the story of how Jareth became the Goblin King," says Christy, "so it's a David Bowie extravaganza."

Archaia has yet to announce who will be working on the new Labyrinth volume, but Christy noted that fans will have a chance to get a first look on Free Comic Book Day next year.

I'm quite excited for the comic in light of this. While there were a lot of good elements to Return To Labyrinth (the series any new comics will inevitably be compared to), I don't think it hung together very well and ultimately it suffered from too much going on. All the sub-plots detracted from the whole, and it didn't help that Toby wasn't a particularly gripping protagonist. Jareth is a far more engaging character, and a comic focused on him should at least be an interesting curiosity if nothing else.

RTL is quite an interesting case, as quite a few fans must have brought it (it sold quite well) yet it has had little to no impact on fandom. I have maybe seen four of five RTL influenced fanfictions, as opposed to 1000s that follow original, fan-created story-lines (which are, let's face it, for the most part straightforward (and often dull) Sarah/Jareth fluff). I find it really interesting how fans of a franchise/film/TV series create their own mythology, and that often over-shadows story-lines and plot-points introduced in material sanctioned by the copyright holders.

What do you think about the prospect of a comic dealing with Jareth's origins? Does it appeal to you at all?

 

[The Count]

Heh, you haven't read the stuff by RedPiggy yet have you? Look up either her RTL VG fic, Comeback King Saga, or her RedPiggy's Realizations articles. There's more from her tieing in the Henson-verse and RTL, but the recommended reads above are good starting points. :jim

 

[Rachael]

Thanks, I looked it up quickly and it appears quite interesting. I must admit that I'm not that big a fan of crossovers for the most part, but at least all the fandoms in the story full under the JH umbrella!

 

[RedPiggy]

*sneezes*
Thanks for the shout-out, Ed. It was a rough day at work.

 

[The Count]

Any time Kelly.

 

[Laszlo]

Thanks for the info!
I dont know... I think I dont really want to know how Jareth became the Goblin King. I mean, it can kill the whole magic feeling of Labyrinth. But who knows, it depends how they make it.

 

[dwmckim]

I actually already know how one becomes the Goblin King...

...you have to successfully wed a Burger King with a Dairy Queen. Bonus points if the happy couple produces a Carl Jr.

 

[RedPiggy]

LOL!

 

[Rachael]

Lazlo - I know what you mean, sometimes these projects can end up as information over-kill and end badly. However, Archaia have a very good track record and it seems like their A Tale Of Sand was very thoughtfully put together, so I trust them to do a good job.

 

[mewcowardlylion]

Any idea if the story idea comes from something Jim Henson wrote down or said? Or Brian Froud?