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It’s Only Forever
In the 40 years since Labyrinth’s release, Jim Henson’s cult classic starring a menagerie of goblin puppets, the conversation about it has only grown louder. Fans are still holding viewing parties and masquerade balls, and creating memes inspired by David Bowie’s sardonic and sexy goblin king, numerous Etsy crafts, and even a Japanese video game. But what makes the film so enduring, beyond its technical mastery and clever script, is how it presents childhood as something dangerous, heroic, and even queer.
It’s Only Forever explores Labyrinth as an ’80s time capsule that both reflects and challenges its era, offering its young audience an alternative to conservatism and soulless economics, at a time when U.S. president Ronald Reagan ignored the HIV/AIDS crisis, pushing queerness further into the shadows. As Sarah, played by a teenaged Jennifer Connelly, faces down the king and his destructive whims, she exclaims, “You have no power over me,” and in that moment she is everyone who has ever felt marginalized, who has instead turned to the goblins over social and political toxicity every single time.
From the costuming to the twisting plot, this classic example of 1980s fantasy shows us that the magic and comfort of childhood never need to be discarded as we are forced to enter a world that may very well seek to destroy us. Instead, Labyrinth reveals a universal and beautiful truth: that our strength comes from what we have always known ourselves to be — beastly, loving, and wildly joyful.
JesBattis takes readers on a nostalgialaced tour of Hensons classic film filtered through queer neurodivergent and othered lenses Embrace your inner goblin and dance the magic dance Joe Lipsettfilm critic and podcaster
Its Only Forever is a tender and beautiful ode to the interwoven cultural touchstones that contribute to the portrait of a life Niko Stratis author of The Dad Rock that Made Me a Woman
Its Only Forever is my favorite kind of book one that leaves me both giggling and sniffling highlighting the most impactful lines Readers will be pulled in by Jes Battiss quick wit and hilarious prose and will find themselves swirling about in truths so heavy and clear that they will become lost in their own labyrinths of nostalgia and critical reflection Luckily unlike many a creature in the film Battis doesnt leave you on your own without instructions but instead carefully unravels the complexity of Jim Hensons iconic film through a mix of academic readings nostalgic pop culture considerations and little windows into their own life For all the weird kids out there this book will feel like coming home Cassandra Ozog coeditor of Youre Muted Performance Precarity and the Logic of Zoom
I thought Id seen Labyrinth from every angle but Jes Battiss thoughtful meditation has uncovered new pathways into the film Like Sarahs journey this book is a reexamination of the evershifting nature of dreams sexual impulses and the goblins who pursue us or the goblins we secretly long to join As a work of art Labyrinth has always been generous in offering plenty of room for interpretation and Battis accepts the films invitation with vulnerability and insight drawing on personal memories that shed new light on the importance of exploring mazes Analytical intimate and queer in every sense of the word this book feels like a natural extension of the nostalgic mental roaming that fans of the film have been happily indulging in for the last forty years Matt Baume author of Hi Honey Im Homo Sitcoms Specials and the Queering of American Culture
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Details
Dimensions:
160 Pages
7in * 4.75in
Published:
April 07, 2026
Publisher:
ISBN:
9781770418585
Book Subjects:
Featured In:
Language:
eng
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