There is never a relaxing day at the beach … especially when Wonderland is involved.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Erica J. Heflin
Art: Joel Ojeda
Colors: Leonardo Paciarotti
Letters: Christy Sawyer
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):
After a long trial from their last excursion, the Liddles and Cheshire try to relax along the sandy shores of the beach. But they know that the peace and serenity of this placid sight of sun and surf has already been tainted by the toxins of their former home; the Cult of the Wondermen has sunk their claws deeply into this tropical paradise and it knows that they are being hunted by the Queen and her former court. But even as they bide their time to pursue the human miscreants, Calie’s former bodyguard can feel his strength waning, the time away from his adoptive land has taken its toll. He will serve his master as best as he can, but even if he should fall, should his stamina waver, Cheshire shall rise again once they return home.
However before any such thoughts of comfort can take precedence, they must first cleanse the land of the latest malignancy, the Queen of Hearts. She too has created a new kingdom in his realm of humanity, but her presence is no longer wanted, the price of her dynasty has painted the landscape with an all too familiar shade of red. But she shall not abdicate her throne, her followers are loyal to the fault of insanity, as are all who follow the path of the Wondermen. They would rather fall than fail their Queen, but either way the sacrifice shall pave the way to paradise, even if not by their own hand. Calie, Violet and Cheshire have faced this madness before and have had to pacify the zealots, but never before has the road been such a bright shade of crimson.
In Summary:
With only one issue left before the finale of the series, writer Erica Heflin has unleashed the dam of insanity like never before by releasing the Queen of Hearts. Her self-absorbed infatuation and the enduring obedience of her followers suit this story so magnificently that at times, it is nauseating to see what lengths they will go to please their Queen. To see such a beautiful woman manipulating her servants to the point of infatuation and then allowing them to pursue that subservience is frightening but at the same time is not unheard of, though I would never want to see such submissiveness in real life. But even with this allure, her callousness for the fate of her devotees shows her as the vulgar beast she truly is and as such, we finally see that her attractiveness gains her the end which such ugliness demands.
However what truly makes this story such a chilling piece of storytelling is the art of Joel Ojeda and the colors Leonardo Paciarotti. From the beginning, we are enveloped by the charming sandy beach, a relaxing sight to see, but as soon as we see that goldfish and the red headed woman, we know trouble is looming. Those crimson accents that decorate her tent, and then that axe … we all know what is coming next and it only gets worse from there. It is wondrous how Ojeda and Paciarotti are able to weave such disgusting images into the tranquil setting of a rose garden, but it all works with the classic images we have for the setting. However, this artistic team is able to interweave the sanity of a beach realm with the madness of Wonderland, for once that realm’s influence is truly revealed, even the beauty of a setting sun cannot reverse the damage which is soon to come. For once that gate is opened, there is no going back.
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents: Wonderland is coming to a close, and yet the magnificence of that realm is not through with us. We have tasted that forbidden fruit, and it has forever tainted us by the rotten odor which remains but is that same tang which lures us back every time. But now that we can return to that realm, do we really wish for the journey to end … or will it ever truly be over?
Grade: B
Rating: M (Mature)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: July 13th, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
