World Famous Comics: Return to Labyrinth Volume 2 (Return to Labyrinth)
Return to Labyrinth Volume 2 (Return to Labyrinth)
By: Jake T. Forbes Publisher: TokyoPop Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: TokyoPop Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 192 Publication Date: October 09, 2007 Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: October 09, 2007
Book Description: Secrets are revealed as the reign of power passes from one heir to another...Toby has been named the next Goblin King and Lord of the Labyrinth, and the goblins are in an uproar. As heir to Jareth's throne, Toby hopes he can be more successful than he was in the human world, but first he must earn the respect of his subjects and learn to control the Labyrinth. His tutor in leadership and magic is Mizumi, the icy Queen of Moraine, but with each lesson, the young king finds himself drifting further away from his friends. Toby may have what it takes to rule this unruly kingdom, but at what cost?Based on the classic hit film!"A great book that fans of the original are sure to love." --A.E. Sparrow, IGN.com
Cant wait! The plot thickens in volume two. As more questions are being answered, new ones keep popping up. The artwork is beautiful. The end of the book leaves you with a huge cliffhanger. I've been a labyrinth fan since i was a child and i have been a manga fan since junior high. Combining my fav movie of all time with the manga style was the best idea ever! I hope they keep em coming. If you are a labyrinth fan you can't go wrong with these books.
Getting Better This one is better than the first volume.However,I think most of the characters look too manga style(Mizumi's daughters,I find them totally innecesary),more than Brian Froud's.As for the fan art,some of them are beautiful,but the rest...they can have saved them. I like Skeksicorps bit,(i Love Skeksis),but the illustrator had a mistake(I don't know if on purpose)..skeksis have lizardlike tails
In short.. This is a great manga. I love that it has the characters from Labyrinth in it. The artwork is beautiful and the story is very interesting. I hate that we have to wait so long in between book releases. This is a must read for labyrinth fans and manga fans as well.
The sequel makes up for the first novel Now you're probably looking to see with all the lackluster reviews of the first graphic novel if things get better. Or you read the first and are trying to decide if you should just give it up now. Well, I've got some good news for you, the art is BETTER.
While the cover is done by a different artist than the one that does the manga (the same cover artist for the first graphic novel), the art inside is much better. It seems like the artist was given more time to work on things, and utilized it well. Jareth doesn't seem like a doodle, but much closer to his old self: sharp features and wild hair. Queen Mizumi seems much more larger-than-life (Drumlin gets larger than life, but that's neither here nor there). Speaking of Drumlin, the two daughters seemed to be worth attention when penned. Toby looks a lot better and Sarah's appearances in flashbacks and what she's doing in the real world make her much prettier than she looked in the last novel. Environment details in the last novel were well done to begin with, but they feel as if they're a bit nicer in this novel.
Possibly due to the extension of the series from 3 novels to 4, the pace in this one is a little more slower. You get to see more of the goings on in the Goblin Kingdom, you get insight into where Mizumi fits in, and you start to see what in the world Jareth is thinking. While some of the side characters meant for comic relief, like Scub and Stank, remain static silly, characters like Moppet, Mizumi and her daughters, and even Spittledrum gain some dimension to them. You start to get drawn in by certain plot devices, and Return becomes a story unto itself instead of a trip back down memory lane. What is the bet that Jareth and Mizumi have? Why does Moppet's face look so familiar? Is Toby gaining powers and will he remain there forever? They're very easy to come to plot ideas, of course, but a definite improvement over the last novel if you were looking for more than a story setup there.
More references to various other literature and films: the Dark Crystal and the Chronicles of Narnia get hat tips, as well as more Labyrinth ones. And that Mac and Cheese box looked nearly familiar...
In the end, getting through the first graphic novel for setup is well worth it after reading this one. I have high hopes the next novel will show art on par or better than this one, as well as more revelations as to what Jareth has up his sleeve, if he does have anything at all. Here's hoping things keep looking up!
Great book. This book is great. I think it's about time they continued the story. I cant wait for volume 3 to be avalible.
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