Return to Labyrinth 1 by Jim Henson and Jake Forbes (2006, Paperback)

I have been a fan of Labyrinth for a very long time so I was very excited when they created a manga sequel to the classic fantasy film. The cover art for The manga is beautiful. It's true that the internal art work isn't as good but it's still a charming story. The portrayal of Jareth is accurate to the film. From the part where Toby says 'You said you wouldn't mess with me anymore!' and Jareth quips 'I said I wouldn't HELP you anymore. There's a difference.' to the way he abruptly leaves his own kingdom. It's true that the story does read a litle bit like a fan fiction. Many fan fictions have been named Return to Labyrinth over the years but considering how many fan fictions Labyrinth has spawned a real sequel was bound to feel like a fan fiction of some sort.

I love the manga just so long as Jareth doesn't turn into anything or die before the trilogy is complete. And I've been told that Sarah plays a bigger part in the second volume so I am looking forward to that.

Things change. I find that most of the negative reviews of Return to Labyrinth are people who just don't want to see things change or evolve from what they loved growing up. I feel the spirit of Labyrinth lives on in this manga.

The cover art is stunningly beautiful. The story, though reads a bit like a fan fiction, is compelling. I'm happy with it. So long as Jareth doesn't turn into something horrible or die I'm happy with it. I enjoyed volume one of Return to Labyrinth very much.

I would like to say I'm a hardcore Labyrinth fan; therefore this purchase was made without question. All of the characters I loved from the movie was mentioned and plays a part in the story, including Sir Didymus, Hoggle (who is introduced in a way I found very humorous), Worm, Ludo, and many others. In contrast, I would have to add that this manga may not be very impressive to a prospective buyer who has not seen or loved the movie because it may appear repetitive to those who have seen the movie or appear “cheesy” to those who have not seen it. All in all I absolutely loved reading it because it made me laugh at movie references and introduced a new twist on the story line from the movie. A++ from someone who is obsessed with Labyrinth.

I saw #4 in a bookstore recently and decided as a lifelong Labyrinth fan that I needed it. I was VERY pleased. The story is original, but true to the movie, and the graphics are beautiful. Wonderful as manga, as Labyrinth memorabilia, and as a stand alone story. Great find. Highly recommend it.

I bought this book because I am a huge fan of the movie. The movie propelled me into being a huge fan of David Bowie (and spandex). Up until the point where I developed a crush on Jareth, the Goblin King, all of my crushes had been limited to cartoon characters like Peter Pan, or the Muppets, who are not actually cartoons but express themselves more animatedly than most cartoons. Either way, learning that Jareth was going to be anime sparked my interest and put my crushes back on track. Not forgetting, of course, that the book was sure to be very interesting, especially since Sarah was no longer the Goblin King’s love interest. I had read a review by someone who had read it and was disappointed that the book wasn’t about Sarah, but I just thought of that as more of a plus. Don’t get me wrong though, despite the fact that she irritated me, like having something caught in your teeth that you cant get out, I know why they had to use her other than, say an emo kid, scene kid, homeless kid, or very good girl… kid (I brainstormed this for video ideas). I knew that it would be interesting from the review that I read and that it could help me to expand my artistic repertoire.
What I like most about the book is the characters. I knew the Goblin King would look amazing as an anime character and I certainly wasn’t let down. The main characters were all drawn very well (although Hana’s eyebrows were repeatedly forgotten to be drawn), however, the extras were not as impressive. The disappointment in that, however, was nullified by the excitement of recognizing them! The characters also quickly endear themselves to you. I was quickly able to identify Hana with my cousin (a LOT of similarities there) Stank with my dog, but maybe a bit younger, and as soon as I read the part with Skub, I turned to nobody in particular and giggled (which I don’t ever do) that I wanted one (Skub that is. He’s like an adorably huggable pet!). The villains that are supposed to be thought of as complete idiots are definitely complete idiots, the jerks are jerks, and the creeps are creeps. The only personality that remains a little bit shrouded in mystery is Jareth’s, but he likes to keep it that way. There are many creatures that you recognize from the movie, which is extremely exciting for a dork like me. One of my most favorite scenes in the book is when Sir Didymus shouts out to everyone that the mayor has been stood up by his date because he believes it to be his duty. Sir Didymus was one of my favorite characters in the movie.
There are only two things that I can think of that I disliked about the book. One of the two is only that it had two instances of foul language- and neither time was it used by a goblin. The goblin’s depravity was shown more by actions (like when Mayor Spittledrum pantsed himself in court) than by language. The other thing I disliked was the fact that Jareth, the Goblin King, needed an heir. Doesn’t that mean that he’s going to die at some point? It had better not! I only just got to start seeing him as a drawing! I wanted the book because HE was in it, and if he’s not in the others, he’s in big trouble.

The story is very fetching if you're a Labyrinth fan. Sadly, don't be fooled by the cover art. The artwork inside does not match it. It isn't TERRIBLE artwork, but it's not as good as the cover by any means. This story opens up the Labyrinth, and makes it a tad more believable. Over all, if you love the Labyrinth and have always wondered 'What if', then this is the manga for you.