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Review: ‘Wonderland’ #2

Published

12 years ago

on

It was recently reported that the #1 issue of Zenescope Entertainment’s new Wonderland ongoing series has become the best-selling comic to ever be published by the company. Following in the footsteps of the original “Wonderland” trilogy (“Return to Wonderland”, “Beyond Wonderland”, “Escape from Wonderland”), the new “Wonderland” is rightfully continuing its tradition of being Zenescope’s most popular series to date. And after reading the first 2 issues, it’s not difficult to understand why. Writer, Raven Gregory, picks up the story years after Alice Liddle’s daughter, protagonist Calie Liddle, escaped the horrors of Wonderland. It chronicles the nightmarish adventures she, and her now teenaged daughter Violet, face as they’re constantly on the run, trying to evade the Queen of Spades and her evil minions.

WRITTEN BY: Raven Gregory
PENCILLED BY: Sheldon Goh
COLOURED : Felipe Gaona
PUBLISHED BY : Zenescope Entertainment

Finally settling in a small town in hopes of establishing a normal life for themselves, issue #2 focuses on Violet persuading her mother into letting her attend a local high school. The madness of Wonderland clearly still weighing heavily on Calie’s shoulders as a verbally intense confrontation erupts between her and Violet, after the latter comes home late causes her to fear for the worst. Meanwhile, the abused young boy who returned from a carnival with the Mad Hatter’s hat in #1, spreads the hat’s madness onto residents of the town, leading to a cliffhanger that could result in Calie’s worst nightmare. While all of this is happening, over in Wonderland the Queen of Spades continues to build her army.

This is a strong comic from cover to cover that is becoming increasingly morbid in nature. Gregory combines the realistic and common theme of mother/daughter drama with the grim characteristics of a slasher film in effortless fashion. Gregory deserves a lot of praise for being able to spin a tale with a massive scope that comes across so naturally. With each page, he offers more character development and well executed storytelling.

Artist Sheldon Goh pencils this issue, taking over the role from V Ken Marion, and he doesn’t beat around the bush. He seems to understand the concept of ‘less is more’ regarding the graphic killing scenes, by successfully portraying an outrageously horrific moment without resorting to an excessive explicit detail. Goh does not give everything away in his art, leaving much of the horrors to the imagination of the reader.

#3 comes out next month, and there’s no doubt Raven Gregory and team will deliver an even better issue. “Wonderland” is definitely a series to look out for.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – ShadowJayd

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

6 days ago

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April 18, 2024

By

Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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