Comics
Review: ‘Wonderland’ #2
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
Comics
‘Curse of the Where Wolf’ Bites Into August Release With Trio of Werewolf Theatrical Screenings [Exclusive Preview]
Larry Chaney‘s hairy misadventures are continuing in the sequel graphic novel Curse of the Where Wolf from creative team Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, and its author is celebrating with a trio of horror’s greatest werewolf films.
The Curse of the Where Wolf hits shelves on August 7 from Encyclopocalypse Publications.
That coincides with the launch of a theatrical screening event in Houston, Texas, featuring a trio of seminal werewolf flicks turning 45 this year: The Howling on August 7, Wolfen on August 14, and An American Werewolf in London on August 21.
Each screening features a “werewolf in film” presentation as well as a book signing from Where Wolf author and River Oaks Theatre artistic director Rob Saucedo.
In the new graphic novel, “Being a werewolf sucks. Reporter Larry Chaney wanted to be a hero. Instead, he became a werewolf. Now, caught between incredible new powers and a desire to eat everything (and everyone) in sight, Larry must find a cure for his curse. Or die trying.”
“With Where Wolf, I wanted to tell a whodunit set in a furry convention, so the story was pretty contained within a very specific setting and genre. With Curse of the Where Wolf, I wanted to celebrate everything I love about the possibility of comic books. Curse of the Where Wolf is a funny book, in every sense of the phrase, but it’s also an earnest look at a person’s struggle to become a better version of themselves, especially when the alternative is to become a literal monster,” Saucedo says of Curse.
The original graphic novel was previously serialized as the first webcomic hosted on Fangoria before being collected by Encyclopocalypse Publications in 2023 and has already been optioned for film, podcast, and television development ahead of launch by producers James Fino (“The Freak Brothers” for Tubi, “Rick and Morty” for Adult Swim) and Charles Horak (First Date for Magnolia Pictures).
Expect Larry to find himself in even weirder situations in the 362-page full color sequel; Saucedo has provided Bloody Disgusting with exclusive art pages from the upcoming graphic novel that showcase lupine humor.
You must be logged in to post a comment.