Archaia Comics enters Jim Henson deal

[MuppetDanny]

Archaia Comics enters Jim Henson deal

Archaia Comics and The Jim Henson Company have entered a deal to publish graphic novels based on the late puppeteer's creations.

The Henson estate, now run by his children, has granted the publisher the rights to release new material based on The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Mirrormask, The Storyteller and Fraggle Rock.

"For us, it takes away a lot of restrictions both creative and budgetary on storytelling and allows us to tell these stories right," said Joe LeFavi, director of publishing and development at The Jim Henson Company.

"In features and on TV, you only have a set amount of time and a limited budget to explore that world. And if you think about worlds like that - Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Mirrormask - those are huge, vast worlds.

"So here, with a comic book, you can spend months there. If you wanted to see a $500 million Henson film, this is how you can do it. Do it through a graphic novel."

Fraggle Rock will be the first intellectual property to receive the graphic novel treatment later this year, with other Henson projects expected to follow in 2010

source: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/comics/a161697/archaia-comics-enters-jim-henson-deal.html

This sounds interesting

 

[RedPiggy]

It does. I'm in. I take it, then, that Tokyopop won't be working on Labyrinth and Dark Crystal anymore. As long as Return to Labyrinth is finished, I won't care.

 

[crazed gonzo fa]

This sounds great. As long as they actually follow through with this (Still waiting on that Mirrormask manga Tokyopop promised us).

 

[DTWolf]

Fcbd 2011

A year and a half later, there's actual news:

Archaia is planning to release a comic of the Dark Crystal this May for Free Comic Book Day. Go to your local comic shop on the 7th of May, 2011, and you can pick up this comic for free. It will be a flip book with Mouse Guard taking up the other half.

You can read a description here:

http://freecomicbookday.com/comics.asp?ItemNo=JAN110002

Note what it says about upcoming graphic novels which, apparently, are going to be about the early days of Thra before the original movie.

 

[DTWolf]

Well, a little searching showed me that the news about the forthcoming graphic novel was posted here back in August, I just missed it. (The thread is here: http://forum.muppetcentral.com/showthread.php?t=48727&highlight=comic.)

The official press release for the graphic novel is currently up on Archaia's website:

http://www.archaia.com/blog/pr-ogn-based-on-jim-henson-and-jerry-juhl-screenplay-announced

 

[crazed gonzo fa]

So it's a prequel then? I don't doubt that it might be good, but I'm really hoping for something post-Dark Crystal.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

Any new comics for "The Dark Crystal" are always cool to have.

 

[crazed gonzo fa]

True

 

[DTWolf]

The cover for the free comic (the Dark Crystal side, that is) has been illustrated by Brian Froud himself:

http://www.archaia.com/blog/archaia-2011-fcbd-covers

I know I'm looking forward to May 7!

 

[Slackbot]

Oooh, sweet. I'm glad my comic shop sets such lovely things aside for me when I can't make it to FCBD.