WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #2, by Zenescope Entertainment on 12/27/23, relives the angst of growing up when Calie Liddle’s run-in with a bird creature transformed her from a baby into a teenager.
The Details
- Written by: Raven Gregory
- Art by: Julius Abrera
- Colors by: Robby Bevard
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: December 27, 2023
Is WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #2 Good?
There’s nothing quite as special or infuriating as teenage angst, and Violet Liddle is about to learn that lesson firsthand in WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #2. Raven Gregory’s tale of woe reminds you why being a teenager is hard and why being the parent of a teenager is harder, especially if Wonderland monsters are after you.
When last we left Calie and Violet Liddle, a strange stork-woman began a child kidnapping spree around the city, killing any parent who got in her way. When the stork-woman came for baby Calie Liddle, Violet stopped the monster, but the experience aged Calie from a baby into a teenager.
Now, Calie’s memory returns in snatches and snippets, but her desire to return to normalcy means trying out High School just to get out of the house. The experience leads to bad influences, bad choices, and a very bad encounter with the villain behind the Liddle family’s latest troubles.
If you’re wondering why the stork-woman isn’t mentioned much in the recap, she only appears briefly in this issue. Almost the entirety of WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #2 focuses on the growing tension between Calie and Violet Liddle in role-reversed mother/daughter angst of the teenage variety.
What’s great about WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #2? If you take a perverse pleasure in remembering the frustration, anxiety, and disappointment of being a teenager or the parent of a teenager, this comic will be the scariest thing you read all week. Plus, the villain behind the stork-woman and the Liddle’s pleasant troubles is a formidable new character.
What’s not so great about WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #2? If you’re not enthralled by the idea of an oversized issue focusing on mother/daughter teenage angst, you’re in for a rough time. Calie and Violet’s relationship goes through quite a trial, but it’s not particularly fantastical or any more interesting than a sub-par soap opera episode. The Wonderland aspects come in toward the end to save the day, but most of the middle verges on boring.
How’s the art? Julius Abrera is one of the best artists on Zenescope’s roster, and it shows here. The line work, figure work, facial acting, and panel compositions are rock solid. Plus, Robby Bevard’s coloring is excellent.
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What’s WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #2 About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our WONDERLAND: CHILD OF MADNESS #1 review to find out how close Calie came to meeting her final fate.
We begin with Violet helping Calie recover from her encounter with the stork woman. The experience aged Calie to a teenager, which helps their communication, and some of Calie’s memories have returned. In the days that follow, Calie and Violet start to go stir-crazy in the shelter of their home, so Calie proposes an idea.
Reluctantly, Violet agrees to let Calie attend High School for lack of something to do without getting spotted by somebody they both know. Quickly, Calie falls into a crowd of students who are bad influences, creating friction between Calie and Violet over the latter’s need to keep them both safe.
We conclude the issue with deadly slugs, deadly flowers, and a tempting offer.
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 #2 enters the next trial for Calie and Violet Liddle’s relationship with an angst-heavy reliving of Calie’s High School years. Gregory creates an authentic mother/daughter experience between Calie and Violet, but their angst-ridden bickering takes up most of the issue for an unentertaining reading experience.
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