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Labyrinth Prequel Coming to Comics

Image via liveforfilms.com

Archaia comics has announced an upcoming prequel to the 1986 Jim Henson film The Labyrynth. The story will focus on the character of Jareth, the Goblin King, played by David Bowie. While a fascinating character in the movie, there is no backstory for him whatsoever, leaving a lot to be explored. For me this is a perfect prequel; we’ve seen what he becomes, and although he’s the bad guy, he’s a great mysterious and sympathetic character. I can’t wait to see what lured him into and trapped him within the labyrinth. Love? Adventure? So many possibilities.

Entertainment Weekly spoke with Archaia about the prequel. “It’s a very tragic story that is the opposite of Sarah’s, which has triumph at the end,” Archaia editor-in-chief Stephen Christy explains. Illustrator Brian Froud, who worked on both The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth with Jim Henson, is working with Archaia on the Labyrinth prequel. All of the creators have a passion for the original story and are trying to create something in the same tone, with a lot of reverence for Jim Henson and his work.

Jim Henson had an amazing talent to create worlds and characters that captured peoples’ imaginations. With one of his former collaborators overseeing this project, there’s no telling what wonders will come out of this.