OK, I have to admit it - I have a thing for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. I also have a bone-deep exhaustion for all the freakin' retellings of Lewis Carroll's stories and reimaginings of his iconic characters.
But I pretty much love Wonderland.
Taking place sometime after the now-notorious Alice has fled the scene, Wonderland picks up the thread with Mary Ann, the unseen girl the White Rabbit confused Alice for in Adventures. Compulsively committed to her housemaid duties, Mary Ann is only slightly less whacky than more familiar characters - like the Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat - also making an appearance.
At first, I was a little leery of the connection with Disney (the cover blurb says it's, "Inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic works and the Disney animated motion picture"), but the Mouse's influence seems to be mostly cosmetic. Thankfully, the story and dialogue have a healthy streak of Carroll in 'em, making it a fun read from writer Tommy Kovac.
And the art is great - what, are you kidding me? Look at that panel; see how the Cheshire Cat looks a little mottled? It's not sunlight, it's the BACKGROUND! Artist Sonny Liew has designed the Cat so he's always slightly transparent (and the creepy sucker never stops smiling, either). The art work could easily be taken from a children's book, but luckily this blend of classic illustration with a watercolor feel (and a pinch of manga expressionism) is coming out on a monthly basis.
This is a comic I don't think I'll be getting tired of anytime soon.
And the Jabberwocky is awesome.
Wonderland #2: Writer, Tommy Kovac; Artist, Sonny Liew
6 comments:
I cannot wait to read it! I am slightly more tolerant than you are of the reimaginings (I think I know what you are referring to with your exhaustion and while I'm not so keen on it from that standpoint it doesn't get in the way of my enjoying the Templesmithy goodness). However, I do dig a good old-fashioned approach too and this looks and sounds to be just that. I like the Mary Ann angle especially. very cool. Have you read any other Kovac or anything else that Liew has drawn on? Can you recommend any? Well? Can you?
So much cool stuff to read this week and it feels like soooooo long before I'll be able to get to it :-(
I hadn't heard of either one of them before this (but that doesn't mean anything - I might've seen 'em somewhere else before and I just don't remember).
Ha! And actually I wasn't referring to Hatter M - I like that one! What I really had in mind were these goth books and toys that came out about a year ago (I think) that had a sexy Alice and cannibal Cheshire Cats, drooling Tweedledee and Tweedledums, that kinda crap.
And you know me - usually I'm all over that sort of stuff. But, eh ... it's just gotten old. Unless it's imaginative or creative, it can't hold my interest.
...Wonderland on the other hand is awesome! I don't know about this monthly business though, wasn't there like a three month gap there?
Was there?!? It didn't seem like that long - seriously, I could swear I just picked that up a few weeks ago.
Oooooh ... unless it was a re-order. Hmmm.
Still, isn't it great?!? I'm really enjoying it, which surprises the crap out of me. I was expecting to hate it with the passion of a thousand suns ... but nope. I especially felt better when Mary Ann let out a, "Bloody hell!"
Nel - if it isn't too much trouble, can you hook me up with this (and maybe a few other) choice comic? It's a wee bit difficult to get...well...ANY decent english-language comics out here. Metric ton after metric ton of manga in Chinese, but only the adventures of Scrooge McDuck in English. Melanie and I will be back in ep for a couple weeks over the Xmas holiday, so perhaps you can give me a brace o' comics then.
...and I know this is probably just perpetuating the Carroll Myth, but "it's just gotten old...it can't hold my interest."?
Seriously.
A-wha?!? Did I unconciously quote Carroll? If I did, that's just weird.
Yeah, of course, man! I'd be more than happy to get any comics you want for you! Just let me know which ones you'd like and I'll get on it. When are you going to be in the Chuco? We're supposed to be there the 21st through the 31st (I think).
And I'm sorry, but that Scrooge McDuck thing cracked me up.
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