If Calie & Violet will not come to the Rabbit Hole … then it will come to them.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Raven Gregory
Artwork: Allan Otero
Colors: Grostieta
Letters: Taylor Esposito
What They Say:
The realm of madness is back with a brand new twisted tale of love, loss and vengeance! It’s been a long time since Alice Liddle’s daughter, Calie, finally escaped the twisted world that her mother was pulled into many years before her. But the insanity of Wonderland has returned and this time around things are much more dangerous and horrifying than ever before. Can Calie and her daughter team up to stop a new madness from emerging from Wonderland and invading our world or is it too late to stop the inevitable?
Content: (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
It has been some time since mother and daughter escaped from the insanity which they knew as Wonderland, and have tried to live ordinary lives, with mixed results. However when strange happenings occur around them, the estranged family tries not to notice, even if they live in the same town called Elsewhere, Arizona. But while Violet deals with a belligerent customer as manager of a local auto repair shop, there is a distant someone watching her with waning enthusiasm, wanting more from the child of the former White Queen. It is only when her gaze turns upon that prior ruler, does the interest perk into one of fascination, teetering on the edge of clear obsession.
The woman once known as the White Queen has done the best for herself, becoming a best selling author by basing novels upon escapades within that forbidden land. Speaking before a sold out auditorium, Calie recounts mental stability is based upon a matter of perspective and how difficult it is to differentiate between those with a chemical imbalance versus those who have suffered traumatic events. If she had related events within Dreamland to this audience and no one knew of her past, they of course might assume she was insane, but to label her writings as works of fiction, then her sanity does not come into question, which is the fault of current society. With this warning she ends the lecture and proceeds to sign copies of her latest book with modest intent, until a person named Marie confronts Calie by labeling herself as her Biggest Fan. With this self-referential title, this woman also thinks she deserves preferential treatment, and boldly asks the writer if the stories are true, inferring anecdotal evidence and urban legends to support the veracity of her tale. However this bemused author credits the power of a great marketing campaign as the true driving force behind her stories, not allowing fans to separate truth from her creative prose, and disproving she is but a woman who leads a boring life. Although this explanation seems to appease the devotee, there is a visible sense of disappointment as she runs away, making Calie wonder if she did the right thing.
As if in recompense for offending this misunderstood admirer, Calie calls her wayward daughter Violet, knowing after they defeated Wonderland, there was something lost between them, and yet to be repaired. But as the phone rings, and the uneasy silence of concern is not returned, a sudden click in response acknowledges she still has not forgiven her mother. But as family relationships erode due to neglect, there is someone who still is obsessed with finding the truth, and Marie will not allow a simple dismissal to deter her investigations … no matter how far or deep down the Rabbit Hole she must dive to find the truth.
In Summary:
Looking back at our first time as we witnessed Alice try to commit suicide and Calie encounter the White Rabbit, it is hard to believe it has been eleven years since we first wandered into the obsession which we now call Wonderland. Through endless escapades of the Liddles and how a foul realm has twisted this family’s lineage, we have seen a warped and twisted reality of the land take so many and corrupt them into pawns to serve its inhabitants, all to supposedly end with Calie becoming the White Queen. But as sanity grew farther away and machinations of the corrupted came to an explosive end, it appeared there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, but even that hope was abruptly snuffed out by a shadow from the past. And yet after a tentative cessation of hostilities, mother and daughter have finally returned to a normal life, and we as readers too come full circle with a brilliantly seductive entry into Zenescope’s foundational mythology, by the original writer of this madness – Raven Gregory.
However as we leap headlong into the fray, it would seem this premiere is a bit tentative, until we glance into the darkness of what is beyond the mirror. It is admirable to see Gregory subtly use deviousness to gradually introduce readers back into this Launch title, and while foreknowledge of the characters is appreciated, the method by which he weaves this deceptive tapestry helps to flesh out what is to come. We can clearly see there is evil encroaching upon this peaceful city, and yet the ferocity of its menace is kept subdued, allowing for a slow progression and thus keeping the relationship between our heroines at the forefront, questioning if they may even be associated. At first it appears as if they are two coincidental characters, having nothing to do with each other, until we have a villainous monologue linking the individuals; this separation allows for new readers to question what happened in the past, wanting to know how she and the raven haired beauty are connected, and yet fans of the title recall what happened in the finale, but in both cases, it is the lack of information which provides for a more gripping story and greatly satisfying once the mystery is revealed.
However when we meet Marie, this new actress adds greater possibilities for both groups of readers, expanding the prospects of what is possible. It is clear she is obsessed with Calie and her secrets, even to go so far as to hack into her accounts and ferret out the truth behind the novels and Dreamland. While we can laugh at the laxness of inferior passwords, it is the real world possibilities which make the events all the more worrisome, followed by the possibility of what her exuberance unlocks – expanding the world which she knew into something all of the more tangible and allowing us a glimpse into what lies ahead. All of these acts parallel into a tragedy, but they also reveal the possibility of hope to repair the bond between a whelp and pretender. We all want to know what happened, but at the same time, to keep this secret unknown until a momentous declaration which allows both to vent their frustrations would be all the more emotionally satisfying, for both the audience and the characters themselves.
Although the narrative itself is emotive and produces a manifestation of how Wonderland has evolved into a new nightmarish beast, it is the title Revenge of Wonderland proclaims the best meaning of what is to come. We know this will be a straightforward title, not hiding any secrets behind veiled threats, and if they are disguised, it is only to allow for a more dramatic reveal in an attempt to amplify the tension. With this intention in mind, the perceptively evocative illustrations of Allan Otero bring the story to life, mixing contemporary imagery with a touch of the bizarre, but all the while grounding the menagerie with a slight touch of sanity. It is disturbing to open the issue with Mr. Monarch, as the child observes, a bad man, seemingly nondescript and then he reveals the same haunting tone which we receive in the past with such subtlety. But even with this masterful picture, it does not reach its true potential without the nuanced colors of Grostieta, giving his appearance just the right amount of sinisterness with his reaching shadow and those chilling crimson eyes.
And yet this marvelous artistic team does not push the violence, only hinting for this initial salvo, all while disguising everyday horror within the crispness of Otero’s figures, allowing for a sense of normality to depict a strayed moral compass for Violet. To see this tainted girl still has her twisted justice is rewarding for those fans who remember her previous life, one in which she and her mother were haunted by the sins of the past, threatening to swallow them whole. However when we shift to the wicked woman watching her, the tension is magnified by Grostieta’s rich palette, royal purple intonates a sense of importance and electric blue denotes something not of this world, all while showing us an ominous mirror signaling something villainous is to come, only to be ensured by the wickedness of a smile. Then to finally see the former White Queen settled into a new life is confusing, considering how much she had to sacrifice, even as Calie’s beauty and determination still perseveres. It is amazing how the essence of the previous series have been condensed within this premiere, with stunning artwork and enriching colors, these talented artists know how to entice readers into the story, all while moving us emotionally with an ominous cliffhanger.
Revenge of Wonderland makes returning to the nightmare a joy to acknowledge, even as we watch our heroines attempt to move on with their slightly damaged lives. To know the sardonic attitudes of mother and daughter are intact only makes the journey all the more blissful, knowing they have not forgotten their history, even as the gentle lunacy of the past creeps forward, threatening to eclipse normalcy by some mushroom laced dementia. But as brilliantly understated artwork lures readers back into familiarity, we cannot wait to see how Wonderland takes a domineering step forward, even as Calie only wants to appreciate what they had before, while Violet tries valiantly to forget. Although the battlefronts may ultimately clash, I for one appreciate the anticipation, for it only makes this appetizer all the more savory to goad us for what is to come.
Grade: A+
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: July 18, 2018
MSRP: $3.99