A taste of Cory Godbey’s previous Labyrinth art.

I’m writing from under the giant weight of an approaching deadline. This is my excuse for why this post arrives a month after the initial announcement. But! The exciting news: this December, Archaia is launching a new comic anthology series titled Jim Henson Presents, a celebration of some of Henson’s most beloved and imaginative creations.

I wrote a story in the world of Labyrinth, a film you remember for either the incredible puppetry or David Bowie being, well, David Bowie.

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Joining me for the story is Cory Godbey, one of my absolute favorite artists (and humans). Whether it’s a loose pencil sketch or lush illustration, Cory’s art sparks my imagination like no one else. Writing for him is like getting to vacation inside my favorite painting.

It’s still TBD which issue we’ll be in, but I’ll show off a preview of our tale on the day of release and share a little more about what the Jim Henson Company means to me.

In the meantime, I can pass along a few of the gorgeous covers:

Jim Henson Presents #1 Cover by Derek Kirk Kim Jim Henson Presents #1 Cover by Jorge Corona

When I first saw Labyrinth as a kid, I remember being utterly perplexed (and slightly scared) by this strange world. In some ways, I couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but I also couldn’t look away. The creatures and set pieces conjured by Henson and his team were mesmerizing, and they stuck with me ever since.

Each time I revisit the film, I come away with a new level of appreciation for its ambition and craft. That was particularly true when prepping for this short story. Full disclosure: I’m 100% one of those people who had children and now weeps at even the most remotely emotional scene involving kids. And yet, I was still surprised by how Sarah’s quest to save Toby moved me this time around. (I will neither confirm nor deny if tears were shed in a movie featuring “the Bog of Eternal Stench.”)

There is genuine pain in the scene where Sarah wishes her baby brother away and joy in watching her persevere on his behalf. For all the wild creatures and effects that captured my attention all those yeas ago, it’s Sarah’s emotional journey that grabs hold of me now.

Yes, the puppetry still amazes and Bowie paints the screen with charisma like only he can, but Labyrinth carries real soul, too. While our upcoming story will be short and goofy and weird, I hope some of that soul can be found in its pages, too.

News from the Writing Desk

Did I mention I’m currently under deadline? It’s only the first draft, so it’ll be far from perfect and plenty of work will need to be done once I get feedback from [REDACTED] and [REDACTED], but a looming deadline for a 200+ page script turns my brain into a jumble of page counts and scenes still to be written. With two weeks to go, I am on target…but there’s plenty of work still to be done.

It was nice poking my head out for a moment but now, I head back into the writing mines. See you on the other side.

A live look at Cam in the Writing Mines.

Thanks for reading,

Cam
10.30.24

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