January 25th marks the launch of Zenescope Entertainment's new GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: ALICE IN WONDERLAND mini-series. ALICE #1 is brought to readers by writer Raven Gregory and artists Robert Gill and Jason Embury. Obviously, set in Zenescope's long running GFT universe, ALICE is a re-imagining of the classic tale, very much in the style of other GFT books. The story is a prequel to other "Wonderland" stories as it begins with Alice's initial journey into the magical realm, essentially an adaptation of the original Lewis Carroll tale into the Grimm Fairy Tales universe. The issue starts off with Alice venturing "down the rabbit hole" at the behest of her grandfather, only to be imprisoned by the Jabberwocky, one of the great magical creatures of Wonderland. The Jabberwocky is holding her hostage until he is able to cross over to Earth.
Gregory's script, while heavy on exposition, does a fine job of introducing the weirdness of the Wonderland realm, including many of the major players. This approach saves readers from needing any prior knowledge of Zenescope's past Wonderland tales (though a few introductory issues are available for free digital download on Comixology). It also prepares readers for the very weird and wild story ahead. Not to mention, gives more substance for your buck.
The story is most aided by Gill's daring layouts and the creepy character designs of the Wonderland inhabitants, most notably The Cheshire Cat. One disservice the art does to the story is the cheesecake depiction of Alice once she's an adult. Granted, this is the style one should expect from a Grimm Fairy Tales series, but cheesecake should not come at the expense of consistent character portrayal. It is particularly offsetting here because literally from one panel to the next, Alice ages from approximately an 8 year old girl in the classic blue dress to a grown adult in some sort of sexy French maid Halloween costume. Worsened by the fact that Alice's mentality does not appear to change from one point to the other. If one wants the story to be treated credibly, the story, characters and art should all work together, rather than going for cheap thrills. It also shows a lack of depth if each character looks and dresses nearly the same. Done more sparingly, the cheesecake moments could more serve the characters and story.
GRIMM FAIRY TALES PRESENTS: ALICE IN WONDERLAND #1 is in stores January 25th at Philadelphia area comic book stores. To find a shop near you go to www.comicshoplocator.com.
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