Return to Labyrinth   Manga-ka/Author Chris Lie Jake T. Forbes Genre fantasy, drama, supernatural Volumes: 3+ Distributor: Tokyopop Classification: PG Rating   Introduction to the story   "Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there lived a beautiful princess." So begins the story of the Labyrinth, and Sarah's struggle to win back her baby brother Toby from the clutches of the enigmatic Goblin King. Several years have passed since Sarah entered the Labyrinth, and her brother Toby is now a teenager, constantly in trouble at school for things he can't explain or remember doing. After being caught 'cheating' in a test, a strange guidance counsellor tells him he is being given his every wish. Angered, Toby tells him he doesn't need his help. When a strange little creature steals his homework and disappears through a door in his closet, Toby realises his life is about to get even weirder. He reappears in the world his sister Sarah left years ago, and here still dwell the strange, dangerous and in some cases, familiar creatures of the Goblin Kingdom. Eventually surviving to reach the castle, Toby comes face to face with Jareth, its ruler. Jareth agrees to return him home, but Toby doesn't know what the Goblin King is planning...   My thoughts   A spin-off manga from the cult classic film The Labyrinth (1986), Jim Henson's Return to Labyrinth follows on as a nice sequel to the film. Fans of the film will no doubt really enjoy this second forage into the world of the Labyrinth, as they will meeting some of the original characters from the film (as well as some new ones) as they rally to aid Toby. My extremely foggy memories of the film (it was released when I was a toddler!) give me the impression that the creators of this manga haven't done too bad a job; Return to Labyrinth is reasonably entertaining, and the new characters are interesting and well-designed. The cover art is particularly beautiful (done by a different artist, Kouyu Shurei), and while the art inside is nowhere near as elaborate or expressive, it successfully conveys the story.   Where to find it   Manga Return to Labyrinth is a new series, and the first volume is available from Tokyopop.   Anime There is no Return to Labyrinth anime as of yet. The original film it was inspired by is, of course, available in most countries.   Related web sites   If you are interested in Return to Labyrinth, check these web sites out. http://www.chriscomic.com Artist Chris Lie's official site http://www.tokyopop.com/shop/1712/ReturntoLabyrinth Return to Labyrinth at Tokyopop http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369 Labyrinth (1986) at The Internet Movie Database