I read and review maze books about the spirituality of mazes, or the history of physical mazes. I also delve into comic books that contain either mazes and labyrinths. You will not be surprised that today’s comics based on Jim Henson’s classic film from 1986 Labyrinth do just that. We have 4 different versions to look at.
Jim Henson's Labyrinth 2016 30th Anniversary Special (2016)
from BOOM! Studios, 40 pages
The comic consists a collection of 7 stories featuring some of the movie characters (the wonderful Jim Henson puppets from the movie). It is actually a collection of previously released mini stories that were given out for free comic book day. The stories are quick, fun and are not interconnected. It is helpful to know a bit about the characters to enhance the relatability, but you will not be lost (maze reference?) if you pick this up with no prior knowledge.
The best story, and the reason for this review is story 4 titled “Rock Solid Friendship”, which features Ludo the monster in a predicament that has him entering the labyrinth to escape. But is entering the labyrinth really a good idea ? Now Ludo must find his way out !!
Ludo approaching the Labyrinth
Overall this is a comic great for fans of the movie, and worth a read if you are not but you do like 5 page fantasy stories.
Jim Henson's Labyrinth Tales (2016)
from BOOM! Studios, 46 pages
We come back with a second book based off of the same characters, from the same year, the same publishing company and the same illustrator. I think you will love the artwork you see in this volume from Cory Godbey and I suggest you check out his site/portfolio to discover even more.
And as far as a review. Really this book, despite having the same illustrator is more about the illustration than the first volume above. The book is almost completely full page illustrations that look like paintings. There are 3 short stories included in the book. Outstanding book. You will spend more time looking at the pictures than reading the dialogue.
Jim Henson's Labyrinth 2017 Special (2017)
from BOOM! Studios, 40 pages
by Jim Henson, Katie Cook, Delilah S. Dawson, Roger Langridge , illustrated by Jared Cullum and more
Our final review is from the 2017 Special volume that features 6 short stories. Of the three comics this one does feature a few stories with the Goblin King, but like the other volumes really focuses on the puppet characters from the film like Sir Didymus, Worm, The Four Guards, and Ludo.
Each of the stories are fun and we get a different look from our first 2 reviews. This is mostly because we have 5 different illustrators for the 6 stories. Although we do not see any illustrations of the labyrinth, we do get a call back to the famous MC Escher inspired room you probably remember from the movie.
Jim Henson's Labyrinth Artist Tribute (2016) AMZN
from Boom! Studios, 120 Pages
by various authors and illustrators (see list below)
First, let’s start with a photo of the page that lists all of the artists you will find in the edition. It is a large list and includes artists who use many different styles !
This comic is exactly what the title says it is. If you are a fan of Labyrinth, either the book, the movie, or the comics, this is the book for you. It has the feel of a coffee table book, because while there are snippets of writing, this is also about the artwork. The colorful characters created by Jim Henson that you saw as puppets in the movie make for great subjects for creative artists.
I did not want to include much artwork from book but this transition page did catch my eye.
And I did feel compelled to include this maze ! Because, well, this is a maze website and it features the characters from the Labyrinth world.
Overall, this is an artist tribute that I would love to see for many different franchises.
While my favorite comic of the 4 was Jim Henson's Labyrinth Tales because of the illustrations, all books are nice, short, fun stories that anyone could enjoy. If you were a fan of the movie (or still are a fan), all 4 are worth a read/look. And if you want to get into longer stories I suggest you check out the 2 longer comic series that have been published:
Jim Henson's Labyrinth (6 issues)
Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Coronation (12 issues)
Other blog posts you might like:
The 12 Best Maze and Labyrinth Movies Of All Time