Graphic Novel Review: TALES from WONDERLAND Vol. 3

The final volume of short stories collecting the one-shots from comic book publisher Zenescope Entertainment's World of Wonderland series is here '" "Tales From Wonderland: Vol. 3." This volume continues to tell stories about the origins of characters from the Wonderland world including "The White Knight," "The Red Rose," "Queen of Hearts Vs. The Mad Hatter," and "The Redemption." If you are a fan of the series (which includes the graphic novels "Return to Wonderland," "Beyond Wonderland," and "Escape From Wonderland") then there will ultimately be very little here for you as these final four stories don't really add much to the mythos of the franchise. Instead they give a quick glimpse into specific characters my favorite of which was "The White Knight" which depicts the rise and fall of the White Knight and is in a way the story of a King Arthur type character. The knight is at first honorable and wanting to fight the good fight trapped in Wonderland with all its many horrors but soon he becomes disillusioned with the way in which the world operates allowing the evil of Wonderland to corrupt his soul and ultimately turning his evil.



The story "Queen of Hearts Vs. The Mad Hatter" is entertaining but that is about all '" as most "vs." stories tend to be. There is nothing new here. "The Red Rose" is a story about revenge as befits many of the characters in the Wonderland universe and has a very dark sense of humor (as many of the stories in this universe tend to have) and last but not least is "The Redemption" which is a dramatic story about Charles Dodgson who is responsible for all the events in the Wonderland universe. This story will ultimately be the most rewarding to fans of the series as it adds the most to the overall enjoyment of the Wonderland universe. I found the story over long but there is no denying that it enables readers a deeper understanding of the Wonderland world.



As a whole the book is uneven but it does offer readers a few great things. The stories by Raven Gregory and Troy Brownfield are extremely well done and the artwork is always a beauty to behold (artists Tommy Patterson, Mike DeBalfo, Martin Montiel, and Ian Snyder all contribute excellent work) and the rest of the production staff is at the top of their game (as all the books from Zenescope Ent. continue to be).



Also for readers is collection of the covers from the one-shots and a timeline for all the stories in the Wonderland Universe and as an added bonus there is also a preview of the company's latest acquisition television's Charmed.