Which is more important: Violet’s sanity or the legacy of the Mad Hatter?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Erica J. Heflin
Art: Giorgia Sposito
What They Say:
After years of torment at the hands of Wonderland and its many psychopathic denizens, Calie Liddle finally claimed a victory. By defeating the Queen of Spades, Calie assumed leadership of Wonderland. And now she cares for the realm that once existed to torment her family. With the White Rabbit and a newly reformed Cheshire Cat by her side, Calie seeks to transform the tainted realm to its former glory … But it will not be an easy task.
This is the story of Calie Liddle … White Queen of Wonderland.
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Calie and Cheshire have been exiled from Wonderland, she is Queen no longer. The Ace of Spades is now in charge and Violet has let the Mad Hatter take over. All is lost, but this child of Wonderland will not allow herself to fall into the madness of her family’s curse that they all now seem to cherish. But how can she hope to overcome the insanity that consumed her Uncle Johnny and is now trying crush her own sanity? The new king needs her powers to shape the land in his own image, but is she willing to let her legacy take hold at the cost of her reasoning?
Ghosts from the past echo in her head as they try to persuade the fragile mind of Violet to give into her inner demons. She must be willing to submit to the voices for the Hatter’s hold to be complete, but is her will something that they wish to contend with to claim this damaged soul? This child of Calie and Brandon is stronger than any they have fought with before, and the prize will not be an easy one to claim, nor will they be able to win the contest this day. Violet is the true victor and the Hat will not survive the battle, but who is the real winner when Ace’s proper goal is not clear and the Queen cannot defend her realm? Mother and daughter may have claimed victory, but the final battle is yet to be fought with Wonderland being the ultimate reward.
In Summary:
Erica Heflin has given us an excellent depiction of the madness of the Hatter. On the surface, it would have seemed like one person fighting against their own personal demons, but now this description as an actual struggle with the past wearers makes all the more sense and is fitting for the legacy of the Liddle family. They were all cursed by the madness of Wonderland and this issue sheds light onto one of the cornerstones of that insanity. But now that Violet has seemingly conquered her inner beast, how will Wonderland punish this negligent child for not wanting to play anymore?
But the screws which secured this issue together was the artwork of Giorgia Sposito. To be able to give form to such an intangible idea as madness made the explanation of the Hat all the more pleasurable to read. The struggle which Violet faced on a daily basis made her sadness all the more tolerable as we see what she had to endure within and as the fight continued outside, how it continued to plague her even as she confronted her inheritance. Pure satisfaction is the key as she severs her connection to her past, only to hopefully open what will be a brighter future. And that sequence of her taking down Red had to make you grin considering how much he loved to torture his charges – a fitting end for a miserable scoundrel.
Violet is supposedly free of the Mad Hatter’s curse, but we know that Wonderland will not leave the scion of the Liddle family alone without a chance to participate in its future. Just as Calie and Cheshire are supposedly exiles from that realm, we hope that Heflin and Sposito have more in store of this story, but we just have to wait and see what will happen. Keeping our fingers crossed that they will not be banished for long and they will keep us entertained for the foreseeable future!
Grade: B+
Rating: 16+
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: December 16th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
