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[katara]

Title: Jim Henson's Labyrinth: Coronation #11
Author: Simon Spurrier, Ryan Ferrier, Daniel Bayliss (Illustrator), Dan Jackson (Illustrator), Fiona Staples (Illustrator)
Format: Epub
Rating: 4.5/5
Status: Finished
Reading Date: March 14, 2019
Book Summary: Maria finally reaches the gates of the Owl King’s Castle—but did she make it before the clock strikes thirteen?
Book Review: In this installment, we find ourselves closing in on the final issue of this series.

In this issue, we find that Maria is on the wrong side of a moat filled with monsters. On top of all that, her magic chalk is almost gone. The gondolier, whom likes to dump people in the water when they do not have any money to give them, appears. At the same time, Tangle the bush figures out a puzzle and Skubbin manages to trick the gondolier to taking them to the castle without being paid.

Meanwhile, we return to Jareth's timeline where we find Beetleglum sitting on Jareth's throne. In his hands is a crystal, the little goblin is sitting there and talking to himself about how Jareth's tale of Maria had been strong but how Jareth wandered from it. You see all Beetleglum wanted was harmony and that Jareth to be happy and far away from humans.

From there, the series starts to become parallel to the movie. We find both sides facing off against various kings. Sarah against Jareth. Maria against the Owl King. Both women demanding their respective child back. While the clock ticks down to the last minute, both women say the right words. Sarah manages to say them just in time but Maria says them just as her own clock strikes. But did Maria say them just in time?

As we return to Beetleglum, we learn that the Owl King has placed Baby Jareth in a crystal and has ordered Septimus to throw Maria back where she had come from.

So what does this mean? It possibly means the end for Maria's hope to gain back her son. We won't exactly know what her fate is until the next issue.

There was a lot going on in this issue. We saw how parallel both stories really are up until the famous last showdown between Sarah and Jareth. Yet, we cannot be certain what will become of Maria or what if exactly will happen next. I am hoping to see what Beetleglum really is or was at some point. There was more to that character than I actually thought. I mean his story in the beginning really seemed to nothing more than a babysitter to both children but there is just something about him I cannot place and I am hoping our next issue tells us.