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Publication Date: October 15, 2009 Publisher: Automatic Pictures Author: · Frank Beddor · Liz Cavalier · Sami Makkonen Related Sites: · Explore the world of The Looking Glass War yourself at the official website! · Keep an eye on Sami Makkonen's career at his official website! Grade: B+

Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland is deservedly a beloved classic. Classic works are often imitated but never duplicated, as the cliche goes. But where a modern writer can make their own mark on a classic is to take an element of the original tale and explore it in new ways. That's what New York Times bestseller Frank Beddor is doing with his trilogy The Looking Glass Wars, and with his graphic novel spin-off series featuring Hatter Madigan, the erstwhile Mad Hatter.

In Hatter M, Volume One, Beddor focuses on an Hatter Madigan's quest to find and safeguard Princess Alyss Heart, aka Alice Liddell. This quest is only touched upon in the novels, but is explored in detail in the graphic novels. Mad With Wonder continues where Hatter M left off, with Madigan doggedly tracking the lost Princess through our "real" world. As his quest takes him from London 1864 across the Atlantic and to America during the Civil War, Madigan explores every lead and plausible possibility. Along the way he meets an odd assortment of downtrodden souls and sinister oppressors, which he battles for and against respectively. The journey is punctuated by flashbacks that give glimpses of Hatter Madigan's origin and training. One of the more interesting people Madigan encounters is a man named Elijah who Madigan calls a vampire (despite the scene near the end of the chapter where we see Elijah outside during daylight). Elijah is drawn as a tall, thin man with ghostly pale skin, a long, slender nose, and a wide smile, clad in a purple suit. Does that sound like anyone you might have heard of?

Speaking of the art, there is a mild shift in the style from Hatter M to Mad With Wonder, as acclaimed artist Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night) has departed the series, passing the pen and ink to Finland-based artist Sami Makkonen. Makkonen's style fits perfectly with the tone set down by Templesmith in the first volume, and yet stands sufficiently unique on its own. The linework is a bit more rough than what you'd typically see in a superhero comic such as Amazing Spider-Man, but works to great effect here. The mood is dark, the locales harsh, and the characters -- if I may borrow from Lewis Carroll myself -- are all slightly mad here. Beddor and co-writer Liz Cavalier keep the story moving, and offer glimpses of Wonderland to remind the reader that there's more going on than just the story contained in this volume.

I am particularly impressed with the overall packaging of this hardcover book. It's essentially a "Director's Cut" book, as there are numerous extra features including background information on the locations and players in this tale, loads of additional art, and a glimpse at the third volume of "The Looking Glass Wars" novels. The prose that accompanies the additional features is written "in character" and helps make these extra pages feel more essential to the overall story.

While I found the overall package to be outstanding, I also felt that the story itself doesn't quite accomplish much. Yes, Hatter Madigan's background is developed here. And I acknowledge that the quest for Alyss, according to The Looking Glass Wars lore, takes thirteen years. But at times it feels a bit like a Victorian Batman tale, a dark defender of the defenseless complete with a Joker stand-in. The grand concept is sound though, and the atmosphere Beddor, Cavalier and Makkonen create makes exploring this twisted take on Alice In Wonderland a pleasure. I think when the series is complete, the story will feel more cohesive.