‘Alice Ever After’ #1
Written by Dan Panosian Art by Giorgio Spalletta and Dan Panosian Review by Krystal Moore I read an excellent graphic novel called “Cheshire Crossing” by Andy Weir, in which Alice, Dorothy and Wendy Darling all find themselves teaming up against all the villains from their fanciful stories. It was such a fun read that when “Alice Ever After” came in, I picked it up expecting something similar. Well, I guess you could call it similar, but certainly a totally different story. In this book, Alice is all grown up, but she’s not the determined young woman we see in “Cheshire Crossing.” This Alice is more of... an addict. It seems she feels the pull of Wonderland all the time, but can only get there by taking a pill she buys from an unsavory character who is using Alice as much as she is using him.The art is absolutely gorgeous in this book, showing the beauty of Alice’s world as well as the dark side. The style changes as the scene does. When she enters the tawdry alleys looking for those who can sell her the gateways to her fantasy world, the colors go all gray and steel blue, while the house she lives in and the other places she visits are a warmer hue.
There are a few characters we’re not sure to trust, including her family. When Alice is sent to a place they say will help her, we see a familiar person making us wonder, is Alice a troubled soul, or is she a victim of a real, live place and people and beings who want to use her for their own ends? I guess we’ll find out!
‘Break Out’ #1
Written by Zack Kaplan Art by Wilton Santos By Krystal Moore This is just a normal world for teenagers, you know, school shootings, wildfires, pandemics, too much homework. In this story, however, something new is added to the mix. All over the world, huge hovering cubes have appeared in the sky. At first, the powers that be are greatly concerned. The military is called in and sadly, the cubes seem impervious to any weapons. If looming geometric spaceships aren’t scary enough, abductions start happening. But, not to worry, only young people are taken. Make it to 20, and you’re home free. Thus, not too long after the abductions start, they begin to become the new normal.When the brother of one of the main characters goes missing, he decides to take action. With the help of his friends and the Dark Web, he hopes to find a way to do the impossible and get his brother back, and maybe save some of the other young prisoners as well.
Writer Zack Kaplan explains that he wrote this book with today’s youth in mind. Never before has a generation of kids dealt with climate change, insane social media and the myriad of other worrisome modern issues facing them, all while just trying to grow up. Inspired by their resilience, “Break Out” is a story of hope and determination. Let’s hope our heroes can make a difference and save their friends and family as well as strangers equally deserving of saving by taking action rather than turning away and avoiding the problem facing them. We have four issues to find out!
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