Title: Wonderland

Author: Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew

Publisher: Disney Press 2009

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 5 /5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel; A to Z -- K; Support Your Local LIbrary

How I Got It: Library loan

Among the numerous curiosities that have gone unexplained in the classic tale Alice in Wonderland, perhaps the most perplexing might be who, exactly, is the “Maryann” that the White Rabbit mistakes Alice for at the beginning of the story? Lewis Carroll first made us ponder this and, years later, Walt Disney again made viewers wonder who Maryann might be in his classic feature length film based on Carroll’s book.

Now, the amazingly talented folks at SLG Publishing, through a licensing deal with Disney, have finally answered this age-old question. In their beautifully executed comic book series, WONDERLAND, readers experience Alice’s fantastic world as they’ve never seen it before. Writer Tommy Kovac’s Wonderland is missing Alice herself, but it’s still populated by the other characters that make the world such a curiously exciting place. The Queen of Hearts is present, barking orders to lop off people’s heads, as is the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the rest of Wonderland’s beloved cast. And there are some new faces, too, including the book’s main protagonist, the mysterious Maryann herself. All are beautifully illustrated by Wonderland’s artist, Sonny Liew.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is one of my favorite books.  I love the fantasy element, the absurdity.  I was very excited to learn who Maryann is after all that talk from the White Rabbit.  All the characters from the original make appearances.  My favorite is still the Cheshire Cat.  Although in this volume, he's a lot more funny than creepy.  And we get some newish characters in the Queen and King of Spades found at the bottom of a treacle well.  We even get an appearance by the Jabberwocky.  A definite must for fans of the original Lewis Carroll story.