Wonderland #2

Written by Tommy Kovac

Art and cover by Sonny Liew

 

The unlikely marriage between corporate entertainment juggernaut Disney and indie comics publisher Slave Labor Graphics has given birth to a strange litter of children—Gargoyles, Haunted Mansion, Tron and Wonderland.

 

For my money, Wonderland is the pick of the litter. This is at least partially because Lewis Carroll's characters and settings are used so regularly in comic book adaptations and re-imaginings. Hell, this summer alone we have Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars, Bat-villain the Mad Hatter prancing around Secret Six, the grown-up Alice engaging in all sorts of sexual antics in Lost Girls, another grown up Alice meeting Dorothy of Oz in The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles and other fairy tale heroes in Lullaby, and on and on.

 

Most comic book riffs on Carroll's work tend to be mediocre to terrible, and, in that context, Wonderland seems even better.

 

Writer Tommy Kovac manages to weave a new tale that feels spiritually faithfully to both Carroll's original Wonderland stories and Disney's filmed adaptation, focusing on a character mentioned in both but never explored in either (Mary Ann, the White Rabbit's maid, whom the Rabbit initially mistakes Alice for in both versions of the tale).  It's through her that Kovac continues the Disney film's story.

 

A dark haired, dowdy young girl, she uses a feather duster that's actually a bird to clean off anything in reach (mushrooms, rocks, whatever) and seems to be a bit obsessed with cleanliness (If this weren't a lighthearted fairy-tale, I'd diagnose her with a touch of OCD, but it is, so I won't).

 

She and the Rabbit are currently on the run from the decapitation happy Queen of Hearts and, tricked by the purple-striped Cheshire Cat, encounter a rampaging Jabberwocky. Separated, Mary Ann ends up down an empty treacle well, where she meets another card-themed Queen, in what might very well prove to be a Wonderland below Wonderland.

 

While Kovacs' story is quite solidly done, this being comics, it's artist Sonny Liew whose work makes the most impression, and it's truly lovely, having a very painterly, storybook illustration feel about it. He draws inspiration not only from the 1950s Disney designs (the characters are instantly recognizable from the film) and, to a lesser extent, the original John Tenniel illustrations, but from his own head, as he's not forced to bow to any house style (anyone who's read his highly recommended Vertigo series My Faith in Frankie will recognize every panel as his work).

 

The first issue was a surprising treat. With the second, the direction of the series seems to be getting clearer, and it's a wonderful one.

 

Rating - 9