Alice Ever After #1
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Writer: Dan Panosian
Art: Giorgio Spalletta & Dan Panosian
Colors: Fabiana Mascolo
Letters: Jeff Eckleberry
Once I picked this book for this week’s review, I was certain it was going to be yet another Alice In Wonderland reimagined. What I didn’t know was how grim the tone of the book would be, despite Lewis Carroll’s novel being famous for conveying some darker motifs than what was written.
This comic follows an adult Alice dealing with a opioid addiction in order to return to Wonderland. Yeah, this might look sudden in the review, but imagine my face when I read it on the first issue’s second page! From the get go we have an interesting, although not totally new, approach to Alice’s magic world. But this one is portrayed in a more depressing tone, rather than the “psychedelics are cool” road. In the first scene we get Alice’s cats giving us, the readers, the setting for this new story. It’s obvious exposition but the more you think about it, it can just be Alice talking to herself.
Alice then tries to steal something in order to trade for painkillers and gets caught by the store owner. She’s saved by a friend who manages to appease the store owner and then runs off to find her dealer. As the comic goes by, Alice’s life is a mess because of the drug abuse and she doesn’t really seem to care about it, though it is clear, she knows there’s a problem.
Dan Panosian’s approach to the story of Alice in Wonderland is engaging at the beginning. The reader is able to notice some parallels between the real world and Wonderland, as usual, but this time they’re a bit different. We don’t notice stuff from the real in Wonderland, but stuff from Wonderland in the real. It’s a cool twist in Carroll’s metaphoric novel as we now have fiction invading reality.
Nevertheless, as a first issue to a new series, there are some flaws. There are new characters in every page, none of which is presented properly. The whole pacing feels rushed. I suppose it could be conveying Alice’s perspective in which, nothing really matters in the real, except how she’s gonna get her next fix. But as a first issue, it fails to engage the reader in the story properly that, in its turn, fails to sell the next issues of the series.
The illustration styles in this book are pretty good. We get to styles: one for the real world and one for Wonderland – as one does. The real world styling makes things feel flatter and joyless. It’s a dull world with dull or treacherous people in it. The styling in Wonderland fleshes out the elements in the panels better, giving them a more vibrant and exciting feeling.
The coloring beautifully complements both art styles. The lighting is sharper and more aggressive in the real whereas in Wonderland it is much smoother like it’s constantly mid-afternoon. Perfect for tea. The styling for the real world has some minor consistency flaws that may bother the keen eye. There are panels in which Alice’s face just kind of slides down on her head which really took me out of the flow of the comic.
Lettering isn’t anything to scoff at either. Moderate use of sound effects and charming speech boxes for Alice’s cat whilst they narrate the story. Each box contains, besides the text, a small depiction of the speaking cat showing us not only which cat is saying the thing but how it feels about it. It’s a clever way to get us more familiarized with these expositional characters.
This book bears great potential. The premise is engaging and the art is decent. It could develop the story in a brand new way – which is saying a lot considering it’s an Alice in Wonderland adaptation. But the writing needs more engagement, otherwise I don’t believe readers will come back next month.
This book bears great potential. The premise is engaging and the art is decent. It could develop the story in a brand new way - which is saying a lot considering it's an Alice in Wonderland adaptation. But the writing needs more engagement, otherwise I don't believe readers will come back next month.
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