WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #1, by Zenescope Entertainment on 11/22/23, continues Violet Liddle’s adventure as a new “mother” when a dark force seeks to claim children for itself, including a de-aged Calie Liddle.
The Details
- Written by: Raven Gregory
- Art by: Giada Belviso
- Colors by: Robby Bevard
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Al Barrionuevo (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: November 22, 2023
Is WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #1 Good?
More horror than fantasy, WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #1 dives into the maddening worry of families, particularly women, who fear losing their children. Raven Gregory’s unsettling tale about a dark force who steals children just may have you hugging your little ones a bit tighter.
Gregory’s story centers on a mother reeling from her grief over a recent stillbirth. As her depression deepens, strange voices coming from the storks near her home cox the mother into doing the unthinkable. Meanwhile, Violet Liddle searches Wonderland for a cure to her mother’s condition that changed her into an infant, not realizing that the child-stealing monsters set their sights on Calie Liddle.
For readers who are squeamish about violence towards children, fear not. The violence in this issue is directed towards the adults, and any suggestion of harm towards children is suggested off-panel.
What’s great about WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #1? A creative team’s primary job in a horror comic or comic with horror elements should be to inspire fear or, at the very least, unsettle. Gregory succeeds on that front, with dialog and plot developments designed to make the characters (and readers) question what’s real.
What’s not so great about WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #1? Madness done right should unsettle the reader, but madness mixed with ambiguous suggestion can create confusion. There are a few spots (not many) where Gregory suggests or implies something happened, but the nature of the scene is steeped in surreality, so it’s hard to know for sure what happened.
How’s the art? Giada Belviso’s art is excellent. Belviso’s inking detail is impressively sharp, and Robby Bevard’s coloring application is outstanding. As a plus, the monster designs are truly creepy in a Junji Ito kind of way.
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What’s WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #1 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Koko Palatino in labor, about to give birth to her third child. When the child emerges from her womb, she can hear it crying, but she’s the only one since the child was stillborn. Later, Koko stares at the waters of her lakeside home as her husband and sister discuss Koko’s despondent behavior. The adults inside are oblivious to the whispering storks speaking to Koko outside. Soon, Koko’s husband and sister race outside when Koko’s other children are missing, and they find a hybrid horror waiting for them.
In Wonderland, Violet Liddle sets a trap for a huge brute called One-Eyed Jack because Rabbit recalls how the brute’s eye will reveal the answer to any questions its holder seeks. Violet kills the brute and takes its eye to ask how her mother, Calie, could be restored to an adult. The eye shows her an unsettling vision of stork monsters and missing children.
We conclude the issue with a playdate, an attack, and a restoration.
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: CHILD OF MADNESS #1 is an unsettling mix of surreal imagery and horror when a dark force mutates a mother and her children into monsters. Gregory’s script successfully taps into the fears of parents who worry for their young children, and the art is impressively crisp.
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