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Wonderland.
Kovac, Tommy (author). Illustrated by Sonny Liew.
Mar. 2009. 160p. Disney, hardcover, $19.99 (9781423104513). Grades 4-8. 741.5.
REVIEW. First published May 15, 2009 (Booklist).
With so many reimaginings toying with the conventions of Alice's adventures, it's awfully refreshing to have one steal it right back into the delightful nonsense it so rightfully deserves. Riding in the wake of the "Alice monster" and her upending of Wonderland, this graphic novel-originally published as a six-part comic by SLG and collected in this handsome volume by Disney-follows a minor character from the original, the White Rabbit's maid, Mary Ann. All of the classic folks figure into this story, from the near-psychotic, head-offing Queen of Hearts to a grandly refigured Cheshire Cat, who seems to play an almost Machiavellian role in the bizarre court intrigue of Wonderland. By imbuing Mary Ann with a dazzlingly prim sense of tidiness, decidedly at odds with the hopeless messiness of her absurd world, Kovac creates vast spaces for humor and imagination, and packs them full of weirdness and whimsy. Liew's gorgeous and lovingly crafted panels, almost quivering with frenetic exuberance, provide effervescent lift to the story, which doesn't so much ape the original's literary nonsense as much as it uses it as an excuse to take full ownership of its own nonsensical leaps. Readers who get nervous without a strong, coherent plotline to hang their attentions on should probably look elsewhere-though who looks to Wonderland for something as drab as normalcy? Just fantastic, in all senses of the word.
— Ian Chipman
Kovac, Tommy (author). Illustrated by Sonny Liew.
Mar. 2009. 160p. Disney, hardcover, $19.99 (9781423104513). Grades 4-8. 741.5.
REVIEW. First published May 15, 2009 (Booklist).
With so many reimaginings toying with the conventions of Alice's adventures, it's awfully refreshing to have one steal it right back into the delightful nonsense it so rightfully deserves. Riding in the wake of the "Alice monster" and her upending of Wonderland, this graphic novel-originally published as a six-part comic by SLG and collected in this handsome volume by Disney-follows a minor character from the original, the White Rabbit's maid, Mary Ann. All of the classic folks figure into this story, from the near-psychotic, head-offing Queen of Hearts to a grandly refigured Cheshire Cat, who seems to play an almost Machiavellian role in the bizarre court intrigue of Wonderland. By imbuing Mary Ann with a dazzlingly prim sense of tidiness, decidedly at odds with the hopeless messiness of her absurd world, Kovac creates vast spaces for humor and imagination, and packs them full of weirdness and whimsy. Liew's gorgeous and lovingly crafted panels, almost quivering with frenetic exuberance, provide effervescent lift to the story, which doesn't so much ape the original's literary nonsense as much as it uses it as an excuse to take full ownership of its own nonsensical leaps. Readers who get nervous without a strong, coherent plotline to hang their attentions on should probably look elsewhere-though who looks to Wonderland for something as drab as normalcy? Just fantastic, in all senses of the word.
— Ian Chipman
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Tommy Kovac is also interviewed about Wonderland at The New Straits Times, a Malaysian newspaper.
On the non kids-friendly front, Tommy's Skelebunnies has also been reviewed recently, by the print magazine Booklist. Review Ray Olson writes:
"One pretty day, two sassy li’l bunnies scamper out to play. Just too cute! So a demon sent by Satan barfs acid on them, dissolving their flesh. Presto, they’re skelebunnies! Soon, they’ve agreed to work for Satan. Their task: “KILL anything cute and furry.” “Like mold?” the boy skelebunny asks, indicating the kind of minions they intend to be: mouthy, annoying, perverse, unreliable. But so what? Waited on by the Woobies (teeny doughboy-like critters that come in three varieties: mushroom, bat, and devil) and Pretty-Pretty Pony Macabre, the marvelous flying unicorn zombie, they don’t need Satan. And, besides, Satan’s gay. But boy skelebunny’s gay, too. And Kovac makes three. While it helps to know and appreciate bitchy gay humor, all you really need to fall for the skelebunnies is the same wry tolerance for perverse silliness that other bad-boy comics require. Meanwhile, Kovac’s graphic style, detailed and busy but completely legible, is as masterly as Satan tries to be with all the Super-Handsome Fantasy Lads he conjures up to really serve him."
- JdG
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But Dorothy -- you look so lonely and forlorn, dear! You know, I know another girl who needs cheering up. I'll introduce you, and I'm sure you'll be great friends because you seem to have a few things in common.
Oh, no, don't worry Mary Ann. You're not that nondescript. In fact, I find you very distinctive. Mary Ann, just think of yourself as an inspiration.
(Thanks, Ben!)
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The first is a review of Wonderland by Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew, a comic that can cure the too-tired-to-live blues if ever there were such a comic. At Comic Related, Peter Simiti gives Wonderland an 8.5 out of 10, noting that the story "is highly entertaining with a few plot twists and turns that should keep just about anyone interested. Kovac’s writing is easy to read and Liew’s art has a great story-telling quality to it."
Sonny's working on the final issue now, so look forward to that in the new year!
Sonny is the Eisner-nominated artist on Wonderland, as well.
We'll start with the most recent and work our way back, 'kay?
Jellyfist by J. Vasquez and J. Goldberg
48-page color thingy, $8.95
Yes, after the shock of crappy printing, the razing of forests, and a long-ass wait, it's finally in stores. The price is higher than it was originally, as the necessary materials to make it look uncrappy cost a pretty penny, let me tell you. I'd like to say that I've seen it, but despite my pleas, the printer has deigned not to send us preview copies. I can only hope all is well with this printing--the sample pages and proofs looked fine.
Jellyfist features a series of strange short stories with commentary by the creators about the creative process that reveals their inevitable slide into insanity. Wieners. Pigs. Blobby stuff. You'll love it.
Igor: Fixed by Frankensteins by Chris Reilly and Chris Grine
72-page graphic novel, $5.95
What can one say but "Salieri"? Actually, no, that has nothing to do with this book. Here's this book: a hunchback, cringe-inducing scenes with broken glass, vomit, rats, old war movies set in the trenches. It's a truly rousing and at times baffling adventure that is somehow charming. Igor is drawn by Eisner nominee Chris Grine and has an introduction by Batton Lash.
Wonderland #5 by Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew
24-page full-color comic, $3.95
Wonderland remains delightful as the prim-and-proper (except for the occasional sailor-worthy spate of swearing) Mary Ann meets some extraordinarily cute animals who have started an Alice cult. They want to give the royals what's what, they do, and they think Mary Ann is just the girl to help them!
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24-page full color comic, $3.50
Mary Ann and the White Rabbit, along with the King and Queen of Spades, have escaped the treacle well with the help of The Butterfly. The disparate companions crash the Mad Tea Party (literally), and are welcomed by the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, until it is revealed that the White Rabbit is wanted by the Queen of Hearts for treason. Tensions and scrub brushes bristle, personalities and patterns clash, and the Queen of Spades whisks her charges off to Sir Edward the Tailor. A nicer dress and a few giant moths later, Mary Ann finds herself sneaking into Looking-Glass House, to try and get a glimpse of the “Alice Monster.”
Recently, he did some sketches of characters appearing in future issues Wonderland, and I just couldn't keep them to myself. Click to see larger versions!
Wonderland #4 will be in stores soon. It's approved and at the printer.
Various critters from Lewis Carroll's poems. Tommy Kovac declares he does not like The Walrus and the Carpenter. They eat all those little oysters! Sawdust restaurants with oyster shells...
And the poor Mock Turtle and the Gryphon (the illustrations on the site I link to used to be so much clearer! It's a shame) -- I always found it grotesque that someone would make mock turtle soup.
( More sketches! )
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Wonderland #3 is available now at SLGcomic.com! Remember, if you enter the coupon code TAXTIME at our site you'll get a 10% discount through April!
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Weeeee! Wonderland #3 will be out next month.
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I seem to always have something to say about reviews of Wonderland, big mouth that I am, and this line caught my eye: "While Kovacs' [sic] story is quite solidly done, this being comics, it's artist Sonny Liew whose work makes the most impression." Why is that so? True, art makes the most immediate impression in comics, but if you see good art but one reads comics, one doesn't just look at them, right? That means story and art should get equal attention.
And art doesn't always make the most impression. Witness the recent hullaballoo about a comic called How to Make Money Like a Porn Star, which seems to be nearly universally despised by those who have read it because of its writing. The writing, in this case, made the most impression, not the art (which many people say is very good). One of my favorite classic SLG comics is Longshot Comics by Shane Simmons, in which the art consists entirely of dots talking to each other.
Of course, I come from a literary background, so from that perspective, story does make the most impression. Once, a classmate of mine wrote a review of the excellent graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, and I pointed out that he never once mentioned what the art looks like. So it isn't "this being comics, the art makes the most impression"; it's "I being the kind of reader I am, the art makes the most impression."
Just thought I'd point that out.
Johanna Draper Carlson posted a review of Wonderland #1 recently at Comics Worth Reading, and while I appreciate one of our comics being deemed "worth reading," I did a double take when I read her assertion that "The story isn't really the point." Excuse me? What is that kind of assertion based on? What a dismissive thing to say! Tommy Kovac has put a great deal of effort and devotion into writing Wonderland, and the fact is that if there were no story, there would be no art. And thank goodness there is story because Sonny Liew's work is beautiful. But it still stands: The story IS the point, and so is the art. The two exist because of and for the other.
There are reviews of both Wonderland #1 and Tron #1 at Land of Frost Reviews at PopThought. (Scroll down a bit.) Alex Ness's verdict on Wonderland: "...fans of the original as well as anyone with an appreciation for fantasy without elves or dragons or dwarves will find this to be a quality and important addition to the library of works considering Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass." And on Tron: "This work is more than simple nostalgia, it is a long awaited development of the ideas found in the original work."
There are surprisingly few reviews of Gargoyles #1, considering its first printing flew off stores shelves faster than anything we've published before. Here's one at Captain Comics, and another in Spanish at Comics Verso (scroll down a bit). I can read the first sentence, which has to be tweaked a little to have the same impact: "Ahhhh! It's the return of the villain Lex Luthor wishes he could be... David Xanatos." And then there's some stuff about having watched the show on TV as a kid... and then my head got tired from trying to pull out a bunch of Spanish from its data archives.
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Hurrah.
This review of Wonderland comes at a time when the use of other writer's creations in comics has come under much scrutiny, with Alan Moore's Lost Girls (published by Top Shelf), in which three characters from classic children's literature--Alice, Wendy and Dorothy--are shown grown up and getting it on. A Times Online article noting that Great Ormond Street Hospital, which owns the rights to J.M. Barrie's characters until 2008, objected to the depiction of Wendy from Peter Pan was the jumping-off point for discussion of the topic, and it was soon picked up by the Associated Press.
The legal issue is a tangled one, as most legal issues, and I'm not equipped to discuss it without a true grasp of the facts. What I'm interested in is the artistic issue -- what artistic ends are there when an artists uses another author's characters or world in his or her own work? What is artistically effective when doing this? Please note that I have not read Lost Girls, though I intend to, so I have no real answers to these questions as far as that work is concerned.
Neil Gaiman's review of Lost Girls describes a work in which characters who have become part of the cultural consciousness are suddenly sexualized and given a host of problems that befall adults. It's obviously an appropriation of the characters meant for adults--it uses recognizable characters to give its treatments of sexuality and identity an added sense of recognition, characters that are familiar but acting in a way that is jarring (though the theme of nascent and undeveloped sexuality in the original Peter Pan cannot be ignored).
However, our depiction of Wonderland and its inhabitants for our series is for completely different artistic ends--above all, to entertain and delight, of course. As Greg points out in his review, there have been many "adaptations, unofficial sequels, and works inspired by Carroll's creations," so our purpose was to make a comic that does not simply adapt the story already in place but seeks to continue it in a spirit that is true to the original.
What is most true to Carroll's legacy, I think, is the whimsical treatment of a land that is the creation of a young Victorian girl's subconscious--there, all of Aice's fears and conceptions of the real world come to life, intermingled with fictional stories fairy tales and the maddening logic of dreams. (I'm somewhat terrified by Alice's conversation with Humpty-Dumpty in Through the Looking Glass, especially here: "When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.") Tommy's treatment of storytelling in coming issues has just that kind of meaning under the surface that many people sense in Carroll's works--something about the power of words, of storytelling, and about our fear that what we imagine might become real.
By the way, if you have never read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, you can read the whole thing online, with the original illustrations starting here.
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Adam White at ComicCritique.com gives Wonderland #1 five out of five stars. Tommy gets kudos for writing a smart book for kids and Sonny's art is called "wonderful."
Las Vegas Weekly calls Wonderland "wonderful," too, and notes that it has both "the official stamp and indie street cred."
Matt Kamen postively reviews Wonderland at FractalMatter.com, but one cannot expect one such as myself not to reply to his musing "I have to wonder how much involvement Disney have actually had with this and forthcoming licensed titles from Slave Labor." He writes that "Disney's influence is clear" in "the choice of language," noting that while the word "execution" is used, "kill" or "die" are not.
Here's the inside story: I may be wrong or incomplete in my recollections, but I remember that the editor at Disney did ask for one change, and it did not involve any changes to the language. It was a change to a pretty grim visual that was amusing and creepy at the same time to us grown-up types people but probably wouldn't fly so well with part of the audience we're aiming for with Wonderland. Let's just note that in any editorial relationship, the artist takes those suggestions from the edtior that are reasonable and will improve the work and stands his or her ground on those that are not. The existence of such a relationship does not mean that the art or story is compromised, especially if both editor and artist are good at their respective crafts.
In any case, I can't really find a place in Wonderland #1 where the words "kill" or "die" would be elegant choices: their absence is easily interpreted as a matter of good writing (for instance, what fits better--the White Rabbit saying of the Queen of Hearts, "I'd never dream of being late. Or sh-sh-she'd have my head!" or "Or sh-she'd kill me!"?), not of some sort self-censorship.
Also -- Quick! Who wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass?
Today is the monday for SLG, yes, because there are many reviews for me to share with you about our books. First, Michael May of Comic World News reviews Haunted Mansion #3 and gives his opinion of each of the stories found in this issue. You'll have to scroll down to read the review. Over at Pop Thought, Alex Ness gives some very thoughtful reviews of Wonderland #1 and Tron #1. Of Wonderland he says:
"I believe that fans of the original as well as anyone with an appreciation for fantasy without elves or dragons or dwarves will find this to be a quality and important addition to the library of works considering Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass."
And of Tron he says, "This work is more than simple nostalgia, it is a long awaited development of the ideas found in the original work."
Also Neil Kleid has posted an interview with Ed Mathews at Pop Image! in his journal.
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Marc at Unattended Baggage writes that "Wonderland #1 does exactly what Slave Labor’s new line of Disney-licensed comics should do" and calls Sonny Liew "the perfect artist for this story." He gives the comic a four out of five.
I have to point out, though, since the reviewer was not as impressed with Tommy Kovac's writing as with the art, that many people who read comics do not realize how much direction writers give to artists. It varies from writer to writer and project to project, of course, but having read Tommy's script, I can tell you that while Sonny's art is of course the (absolutely gorgeous) realization of this world and characters, their creation was a collaborative effort. Sonny is, as we all know, insanely talented, and the little details he adds give the comic that extra joy that comics should have. In the first panel of the first page, for example, he adds little whimsical creatures hiding in the shrubbery of what Tommy describes in the script as "a pastoral Wonderland setting, with big trees, mushrooms, almost prehistoric-looking curlicue plants, butterflies, etc."
This is something Graig Kent at Chud.com (scroll down a bit) picks up on when he gives Wonderland #1 a five out of five Vikings! He writes of Sonny's art, "the most impressive thing about this book is in his interpretation and flourishes." Of Tommy's writing, he writes: " His clear affinity for both Carroll’s novels and the Disney interpretation shine through in his structure of the story, the portrayal of the characters, and its delightful sense of humor. Kovac manages to successfully expand upon the old while giving it the face and fun of something new."
I'd like to add an apology for forgetting to include in the credits Wonderland's letterer, David Hedgecock. Besides drawing Gargoyles, David is also handling lettering duties for all of our Disney-licensed comics, and doing a wonderful job. He was especially keen to capture the unnique feel of Wonderland. We will, of course, remember to include him in the credits in upcoming issues!
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Disney-licensed Comic Debuts in May
What happens after Alice leaves Wonderland? The appearance and disappearance of the blonde-haired little girl has left the place in a shambles: The courtroom is busted up, the Queen of Hearts is furious, and things are looking very bad for the White Rabbit, whom Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee have implicated in "suspicious dealings with the Alice Monster." The White Rabbit's place as the Queen's herald may end with a single pronouncement of "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!" And there's really no way for a rabbit to be a herald if he has no head. The job involves quite a lot of proclaiming. The white rabbit is in a pickle, and he has only his shy housemaid Mary Ann to help him.
So begins SLG's latest Disney comic, Wonderland, by Tommy Kovac (Stitch, Autumn) and Sonny Liew (Malinky Robot, My Faith in Frankie), a full-color series about the chaos in Wonderland that ensues almost immediately after Alice's departure. For writer Kovac, becoming a part of this world was no great stretch. After reading first the Golden Book adaptation of the Disney Alice in Wonderland animated movie and then the original Lewis Carroll novels, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Kovac says he "became obsessed."
"I learned to play chess against myself so I could feel like Alice," he said. "I had my dad dig me a deep hole in our backyard so I could pretend it was the rabbit hole and I was falling down it to Wonderland. I know that's weird and a little creepy, but it shows how much I internalized these stories."
The premise of Wonderland--a Wonderland without Alice--did present a challenge to Kovac, however. "We've only seen Wonderland through the lens of Alice's dreams. Without her, what is it like there? Whose subconscious is calling the shots now?"
In the original story, we see Wonderland from Alice's outsider perspective, so in Wonderland, Kovac decided to use a resident of Wonderland, Mary Ann, who never actually appears in the books or movie. She's known only by her name, with which the White Rabbit addresses Alice when he confuses her with his servant girl. "I started wondering who this Mary Ann is," Kovac said, "and what her life is like, working for that bossy, fusty little rabbit."
Kovac's clear vision of Wonderland and its denizens, as well as of the kind of story he wants to tell comes through in his imaginative, scrupulously-crafted script. His aim was to keep the characters and story true to the spirit of the novels, the Disney movie and the Victorian period. As important as the story to this vision is Sonny Liew's artwork. His representations of familiar characters like Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee and the Queen of Hearts are lively and expressive, while his coloring is subtle and warm, almost as if filtered through sepia tones.
"It was a bit of a challenge at first to draw in a style that was both recognizably 'Disney' yet different, while trying to capture some of the spirit of the original Alice illustrations," said Liew. "In the end, I realized both versions are bound together by their quality draftsmanship, and my job was to emulate that quality."
Kovac and Liew also understand the import of adding on to a story and world that so many have enjoyed and loved. "It feels like finally getting to play with a toy that's been kept in a locked glass cabinet," said Kovac. "I've been staring at it, admiring it, with my nose pressed up against the glass, but now we get to take it out and hopefully add something new and genuine to it!"
Wonderland will be an ongoing, FULL COLOR comic book. Each issue will be $3.50. Issue one was in stores on May 17 The comic is available at comic book stores, Amazon.com and direct from the publisher at www.slgpublishing.com, where you can also see a preview.
Wonderland is the third of four Disney-inspired comic books from SLG Publishing. The first, Haunted Mansion debuted in October 2005 and the second, Tron, in April 2006. The fourth series, Gargoyles by Greg Weisman and David Hedgecock, is scheduled for release in June 2006.
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There is a preview of Wonderland #1 (featuring pages that are not on the SLG website preview), as well as a great interview with Wonderland's writer, Tommy Kovac. If anyone needed to write this series, it was Tommy.
Wonderland #1 by Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew will be in stores on May 17.
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An aside: There's an interesting thing I've noticed in the few comments on these articles. It seems as if a lot of comics fans cannot compliment something without putting something else down at the same time. What is with that? I think it stinks. Cut it out, comics fans. If you like something, say you like it. It's irrelevent if you don't like something else.
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Written by Tommy Kovac (Autumn, Skelebunnies, Stitch) and drawn by Sonny Liew (Malinky Robot, My Faith in Frankie), Wonderland shows you the tizzy that Wonderland is in after a certain young blonde miss leaves. The Queen of Hearts is enraged, the White Rabbit is nervous, and a little girl named Mary Ann just wants to keep everything nice and neat.
I'm pretty sure this comic book defines the word charming. I feel bad that you have to wait until May to read it! But believe me, it will be worth the wait.
artwork © Disney
