Zenescope Entertainment 2018
Written by Raven Gregory
Illustrated by Allan Otero
Coloured by Grostieta
Lettered by Taylor Esposito of Ghost Glyph Studios
The realm of madness is back with a brand new twisted tale of love, loss, and vengeance! It’s been a long time since Alice Liddle’s daughter, Calie, finally escaped the twisted world that her mother was pulled into many years before her. But the insanity of Wonderland has returned and this time around things are much more dangerous and horrifying than ever before. Can Calie and her daughter team up to stop a new madness from emerging from Wonderland and invading our world or is it too late to stop the inevitable?
I am going to say this with some authority and that is Raven is the Master of Wonderland. First I love the reactions from Violet and Callie it’s two extremes in polar way and to see how Raven handles this without going all Dynasty on us is extremely nice to see. Sure we get to see some emotions but there’s no pool to pull each others hair and fall into. Still coping mechanisms aside this mother/daughter relationship was effed up before she was conceived. Still that Raven can combine everything they’ve been through up until now and incorporate it into this story showcases what Raven is capable of. Not only that but seriously the characterisation that goes along with all that is just extremely well done.
I like the way that this book is structured and the opening showcases pretty much why. Last issue that cute ginger told Calie that she thought her adventures were true. By the end of the issue The Duchess came to her. That is what the opening deals with. As the Dutchess comes to take her to the land she wanted so much to be true I was mesmerised and shocked at what we saw. Yes they destroyed Wonderland but they also didn’t stick around to see what became of it and who rose up to fill the void. The Dutchess and her dialogue the inflection and how I picture her accent I love her the characterisation is flawless, and that plaid dress I'd like on in my size.
Speaking of the dress and the interiors I am a fan of Alan’s we all know that by now. The way that he can manipulate the linework as he does from the softest almost non-existent to the bold in your face are used exceptionally well. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective shows off a strong eye for storytelling. The creativity and imagination used here, though Calie’s leather ensemble is more than rough on the eyes, in how we see wonderland or those faces holy moley is that creepy as hell. Oh and Grotieta’s colouring is frickin dynamite stuff. The colour gradation the high and lowlights how they pop or represent something I am impressed.
This books is delicious, when it’s good its oh so good and when it’s bad its oh so bad. Seriously thought this is a smart, intelligent and well thought out story and it shows. To be able to bring something like Wonderland to life like we’re seeing here takes Chutzpah but Raven has the talent, skill and know-how to do it. I hope that this arc will bring Raven back to writing for us and I will admit that there are series here that he needs to handle again. In the meantime this story epitomises what I have been saying about Zenescope’s new direction of more good stories and good art that aren’t near the pin-up page.
Smart, sassy and sensationally well written with incredibly stunning interiors Zenecope has the perfect blend of storytelling and psychological horror.