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.