Labyrinth: Coronation 9

Solicitation: "Maria finds herself in a stunning, masquerade ball of her dreams, reunited with her husband at long last. But like all things in the Labyrinth…everything is not what it seems."
==Story==
* Story by Simon Spurrier
* Written by Ryan Ferrier
* Illustrated by Daniel Bayliss with Irene Flores
* Colors by Joanna Lafuente
* Letters by Jim Campbell
* Character Designs by Kyla Vanderklugt and Daniel Bayliss
===Synopsis===
A confused Jareth looks at the old masquerade mask, finding it familiar but not knowing why. A mysterious person takes the mask from Jareth, and advises him to move on:
:“Be happy. Don’t look back. Look forward. Let’s make this ball a masquerade, shall we? One to remember… masks for everyone”. 
At the encouragement of the voice Jareth dons his ballroom attire and happily announces that Sarah has arrived.
Back in the Owl King’s Labyrinth, Maria questions Albert if he and the party are real. Albert tells Maria that he is better than real, that he is “every single part of me that you love so dearly”. The Owl King watches Maria through his crystal, gloating to Sir Skubbin that Maria is lost in her own fantasy. The members of the goblin rebellion are being led to prison, including Cible and Tangle. As a young Beetleglum consoles Maria’s baby, Skubbin asks the Owl King what will happen to Maria. 
:“Ah, that is simple. Now that she is perfectly distracted and without that daft little chalk of hers… she dies. She has served a greater purpose, just as you did – The Goblin Court lays in disarray at my feet. And at my hands? My plan comes to its pristine fruition. The human child will provide me with the strength I need to deal with the goblins myself. I will rule this kingdom alone. Forever. My ordered, efficient Labyrinth”. 
Skubbin attempts to attack the Owl King, but is stopped by Septimus. Skubbin is stripped of his armor and possessions and is thrown back into the Labyrinth. 
Albert briefly leaves Maria alone during the party to return to the Owl King, where we learn that this Albert is actually a clockwork construct made by the Owl King to kill Maria. Before returning to the party the Clockwork Albert and Maria’s baby briefly meet, and Maria’s baby calls him “Dada!”. The Clockwork Albert is silent, but appears conflicted. 
Sir Skubbin wanders the Labyrinth, eventually finding his way to the Bog of Eternal Stench. The members of the goblin rebellion have been suspended in a cage over the Bog, Cible and Tangle among them. Cible doesn’t trust Skubbin but Tangle still does, and so Tangle extends their branches to lift Skubbin up to their cage. Finding a padlock on the cage, Skubbin begins instructing Tangle on how to pick the lock. 
The Clockwork Albert rejoins Maria at the party, who in his absence had started painting a portrait. Dagger in hand, the Clockwork Albert prepares to stab Maria in the back, but stops himself when he notices that Maria’s portrait is of their baby. His mind made up, Clockwork Albert puts his dagger away and sincerely apologizes to Maria for how the real him treated her. 
:“I remember it now. Everything. How different I could have been, if only I had let you change me in the ways that you surely could”. 
Clockwork Albert opens up his mechanical parts, proving to Maria that he and the party were another trap. Clockwork Albert explains the Owl King's true plan to Maria, that he wants to use their baby’s essence to rule the Labyrinth forever. As he does so he and the rest of the party begin to melt, flooding the area. Eventually Maria is left alone, swimming in a watery void.
Beetleglum is telling this part of Maria’s story to Toby, who begins to cry. Beetleglum looks for the mask that he used to calm Toby earlier, but when he doesn’t find it he correctly assumes that Jareth has found it, and now knows that Beetleglum is the same goblin that tended to Maria’s baby. Beetleglum uses a nearby crystal to see where Jareth is, and observes Sarah’s escape from the hallucination ball. 
Maria surfaces from the water, finding Skubbin, Cible, Tangle, and the rest of the goblin rebellion waiting for her. With no time to waste Maria accepts Skubbin’s penance for his part of the Owl King’s scheme, and Maria and her army begin marching towards the Owl King’s castle.
==Covers==
Labyrinth Coronation textless cover 09 Fiona Staples.jpg|Fiona Staples cover
Labyrinth Coronation textless cover 09 Cory Godbey.jpg|Cory Godbey cover
==External links==
* Comic Book Roundup Review Aggregator
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Category:Labyrinth Coronation