MYTHS & LEGENDS QUARTERLY: WONDERLAND, from Zenescope Entertainment on August 31st, 2022, recounts the quest of Queen Evelyn to rid the realm of Wonderland from the infectious madness of the Jabberwocky.
The Details
- Written by: David Wohl
- Art by: Hakan Aydin, Allessio Mariani, Allan Otero, Dario Tallarico, Alessandro Uezu
- Colors by: Leonardo Paciarotti, Maxflan Araujo
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Cover price: $8.99
- Release date: August 31, 2022
Is It Good?
MYTHS & LEGENDS QUARTERLY: WONDERLAND treats readers to a fairytale of realm-shaking proportions as we learn how Queen Evelyn fared after the demise of her sister, Adalaide, and the challenge she undertakes when the madness infection returns to Wonderland. The last time we saw Evelyn and Adalaide, we learned how Adalaide had become possessed by Jabberwocky’s spirit to sow madness through the land like a virus. Does this continuation of Evelyn’s story improve on the original? Mostly, yes.
The highlight of this quarterly is the pacing from Wohl to keep a long story moving at a reasonably steady clip. That may not sound like much of a compliment, but when you consider the density of the story, it’s quite a feat to keep the reading experience moving. To be clear, this is a fairly dense comic with a lot happening (which leads to a minor down point we’ll explain in a minute), so the worst thing that could happen is to trip over lulls in the story.
The central premise revolves around Queen Evelyn, her daughter Adalaide, and the realization that Jabberwocky’s maddening influence isn’t entirely gone. There are plenty of twists and turns to reflect a creative plot, Evelyn’s journey is fraught with peril and discovery, and the ending strengthens the heart of the quarterly, emphasizing the loving relationship between mother and daughter.
There are two down points you should consider before you decide to pick this up.
First, the pacing is great, but the story lacks natural breaks between acts, so it feels like you’re reading a continuous stream of events without stopping. For some readers, that non-stop flow of developments can come across as overwhelming because there’s no natural rise and fall to the plot.
Second, the art is generally good, but as you can see from the credits, there’s a small army of artists on this issue. When the artist handoffs happen, they don’t feel natural, and the styles are significantly different. In other words, the art style jarringly changes at random points, and it almost feels like you’re reading a different comic. The visual story is present, but the jarring artist switches will throw you off.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a prologue about Queen Evelyn. Her subjects love her, Wonderland enjoys prosperity and peace, and with the help of magic, she was able to conceive a daughter, Isabel. The madness that threatened the land years ago is long gone, paid for with the life of Evelyn’s sister, Adalaide.
Now, a lone subject storms the castle walls, and he’s infected by the Jabberwocky’s madness. Palace guards kill the subject, but it’s clear the madness has returned, so Evelyn sets out on a quest to rid Wonderland of madness forever by finding its source and destroying it.
Evelyn’s researchers discover a temple containing the answers in the middle of the Desert of Despair, but she chooses to seek out the temple alone to prevent the chance of the madness spreading any further. Evelyn endures sea monsters, talking tigers, and insane oracles to find the power needed. We conclude the quarterly with a lesson in power, a secret river, and a mother’s sacrifice.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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MYTHS & LEGENDS QUARTERLY: WONDERLAND is a dense but interesting tale about the tragedy of Queen Evelyn and her quest to rid Wonderland of madness. The amount of story you get may seem overwhelming, but the masterful pacing keeps the pages flying. However, the small squad of artists used had significantly different styles, and the handoff from one artist to the next was jarring.
Related Information
What is the real meaning of Alice in Wonderland?
Alice in Wonderland contains multiple messages, but the primary theme revolves around a young person’s confusion and struggles interacting with adults in a world with rules that don’t make sense. Every challenge Alice encounters involves adhering to nonsensical rules or the unintentional breaking of rules, sometimes by simply being present. Conversely, the story is a statement about achieving peace and stability in life when approaching conflicts with childlike simplicity.
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