WONDERLAND ANNUAL: OUT OF TIME, from Zenescope Entertainment on 10/25/23, takes Calie Liddle and her daughter, Violet, on a time-hopping adventure to end Jabberwocky’s madness.
The Details
- Written by: Raven Gregory
- Art by: Oliver Borges, Massimiliano La Manno, Giulia Pellegrini, Allan Otero
- Colors by: Robby Bevard
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Jeff Spokes (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover price: $7.99
- Release date: October 25, 2023
Is WONDERLAND ANNUAL: OUT OF TIME Good?
Get ready for a trippy adventure through Time and Space when Raven Gregory sends the Liddle women (*heh*) on a quest to stop the Jabberwocky and its infectious madness before it starts in WONDERLAND ANNUAL: OUT OF TIME. Gregory’s meaty annual delivers nailbiting fights, surprising time travel twists, and a wholly unexpected ending.
Gregory’s script centers on Calie Liddle and her daughter Violet as they embark on a quest to use Bunny’s watch and hourglass amulet to travel the slipways of Time and Space. They visit multiple points in history where Jabberwocky’s influence created breaches between Earth and Wonderland that allowed Jabberwosky’s madness to grow and spread. Unfortunately, Calie’s mother is hot on their trail to claim the Jabbercky’s power for herself.
If the names and situations don’t sound familiar, it will help greatly if you go back and pick up a few of the previous Wonderland one-shots and annuals to get your footing. The context of the Liddle women’s mission is not set up, so you’re dropped into the action cold. This issue is absolutely not a good jumping-on point.
What’s great about WONDERLAND ANNUAL: OUT OF TIME? Raven Gregory’s pacing and knack for adventurous storytelling are kicked into high gear in this annual. Calie and Violet hop from one situation to the next to stop the Jabberwocky at multiple points in t history, but the narrative never feels rushed or confused. It’s a solid read all the way around.
What’s not so great about WONDERLAND ANNUAL: OUT OF TIME? There’s a subplot involving Violet’s “future daughter” that doesn’t get enough development and winds up as confusing. This subplot may be a situation where a prior issue’s backstory would have informed what’s going on, but here, it comes out of nowhere. Also, the ending is a “What the…?” moment that doesn’t appear to lead anywhere.
How’s the art? The art is better than average considering the number of artists tapped to get this annual finished. You can definitely see where the handoffs take place, but the styles are complementary enough not to pull you out of the story.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s WONDERLAND ANNUAL: OUT OF TIME About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a figure in the shadows torturing Bunny for the location of his magical timepiece. He refuses to give up the information, but time and pain eventually make him spill his guts (literally).
Elsewhere and elsewhen, Calie Liddle and her daughter Violet prepare to take a time travel journey to various points in the timeline where Jabberwocky influenced humans to spread his madness and do his bidding in exchange for personal power. The mother/daughter team stopped at a cult gathering in 1970, their family estate in 1864, a million years in the past, and decades in the future.
We conclude the issue with a banished grandmother, a beheaded daughter, and everything old made young again.
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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WONDERLAND ANNUAL: OUT OF TIME takes a fast-paced and exciting trip through Time as Calie Liddle and her daughter Violet visit every major event to stop the Jabberwocky’s madness before it starts. Readers get plenty of adventure for the cover price, and the art is above average for the typical Zenescope annual.
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