Jake T. Forbes

I have had the first 3 volumes of this manga series by Tokyo Pop on my library shelf for several years. I never could find a copy of Vol 4 at a reasonable price. Because this year I am challenging myself to read more books from my shelves, I decided to try one more time to find the final book. And, I did! I found a copy at a normal price (not $35 and up like on ebay). I expected to receive a mostly dead , damaged used copy, but that was fine with me. At least I would be able to read it! I was pleasantly surprised today when the book arrived. It's brand new & beautiful!!! I was SO excited to finally get to read the finale of this series! I've gone years now not knowing how the tale ends!

Toby has been named the new Goblin King, but he's completely unsure of himself. Jareth is trying to gain control over Sarah through a new character named Moppet, who unbeknownst to her, is key to Jareth's plans. And then there is Queen Mizumi who wants control over the Labyrinth. The clock is ticking. Jareth has to win a bet with the queen or lose his kingdom.....and time is running out.

I loved this book! As far as I am concerned, it ended perfectly. The art is wonderful. I like the combination of anime style characters and fantasy characters from the movie. This series is American style manga reading from left to right, not right to left as in the Japanese style. I don't mind the American style. I love Labyrinth, so I don't care if it reads one way or the other. I just want to enjoy the story! The cover is gorgeous. And, I finally have the entire series! Yay!

Now I will have all 4 books on my keeper shelf! :) Finally!!



… (mehr)

I have been a fan of the movie Labyrinth since it came out in 1986. Return to Labyrinth is a 4-part manga series from Tokyo Pop that continues the story. A couple years ago I was given the first 3 books in the series. Unfortunately, the person who gave me the books didn't have the final book. Because I made it a personal challenge in 2018 to read more books I want to read and more off my own shelves, I went online tonight and found a copy of Volume 4 for a good price. I am finally going to finish reading this series! While I'm waiting for Volume 4 to arrive in the mail, I am going to re-read the first 3 volumes.

I am by no means an expert on manga. So I will leave the in-depth style and artwork critiques to others. I'm just going to concentrate on my own personal thoughts about this series.

Return to Labyrinth is American style manga, reading left to right. I really prefer the Japanese style...there's just something about reading from right to left that sets the genre apart and makes it different and more fun to read. But, that does not mean that I didn't enjoy this series. I'm always up for a revisit to Labyrinth!

This series takes place more than 10 years after the movie. Toby is a troubled teenager. Unknown to Toby, the goblin king has meddled in the teen's life for years, causing him to be a bit of an outcast with his peers. Toby is lured into the Labyrinth by Jareth, who wants the boy to be his heir. A mysterious queen and the Mayor of Goblin City want to steal the throne from the goblin king, so they try to prevent Toby from finding Jereth in the Labyrinth.

Toby meets up with some characters from the original movie like Ludo and Sir Didymus, but there are also new characters like Moppet, Skub and Queen Mizumi.

As a fan of the movie, I'm really enjoying reading this manga series again. I can't wait to get the last book and finally discover how it ends!

On to Volume 2! :)


… (mehr)

In the early 2000's, Tokyo Pop published a 4-part Return to Labyrinth manga series. I love the 1986 movie, so I was so happy when someone gave me the first 3 volumes in the series several years ago. The only downside was that I didn't have the final volume. Turns out the last book in this series is a bit hard to find, and often ridiculously expensive. This year I have challenged myself to read more books that I want to read, nostalgia reads that I enjoyed in the past and more books from my own bookshelves. As I looked over my bookshelves, I saw this unfinished series on my keeper shelf. It was time to acquire a copy of the missing 4th book so I could finally discover the ending to this revisit to The Labyrinth. I have ordered a copy of the 4th volume of this series. In preparation for its arrival, I'm re-reading the first 3 volumes. I have my fingers crossed that the final book arrives in readable condition!

This series is American style manga, rather than the Japanese style that reads from right to left. I'm ok with that. It's based on an American movie, and mixes typical manga style art characters with more muppet-style characters from the movie. I like the storyline as well. Toby (the baby from the original movie) has returned to the Labyrinth. Goblin King Jareth has named him his heir and promptly disappears. Strange things are discovered about a girl, Moppet, who lives in the Goblin City, revealing Jareth has told some whopping lies. He has also entered into an agreement with Queen Mizumi. If he doesn't fulfill his part of the bargain within 13 years, the kingdom belongs to the queen. There is only a week left.....and Jareth still hasn't' succeeded. Although the exact nature of his agreement isn't revealed, he does travel to see Sarah, who has no memory of him. It turns out that Sarah and Moppets fates are intertwined and Toby will face a hard decision to save one or the other. Volume 3 reveals secrets about the queen's daughters. Toby is betrayed and Sarah is about to walk into Jareth's trap.

Volume 3 is a great build-up to the final book in this series! I've had these books on my shelf for four years now, never knowing the ending! I had a great time re-reading these books. I am a huge fan of Labyrinth (really, anything Jim Henson ever created) and have a spot on my keeper shelf for these books and the more romantic duology written by S. Jae Jones.

The cover art for Volume 3 is again by Kouyu Shurei and features Queen Mizumi's two daughters, Drumlin and Moulin.

I can't wait for Volume 4 to arrive!! I am SO ready to find out how this story ends!… (mehr)