Real Life Horror Highlights Zenescope's Alice in Wonderland Tenth Anniversary Special

While Zenescope's WONDERLAND may focus on Calie Liddle, the White Queen, the series began with a lot more horror -- and with the one and only Alice Liddle, who was imprisoned in the madness realm for years as a child.

But Alice wasn't always alone. Over a period of years, she was visited by a young boy, J.W., who was initially rescued by Alice from a pair of cannibal twins. After making a promise to the Jabberwock, young J.W. is sent back to the real world, but he continues to visit little Alice over the years even as he ages into an adult.

Donald Joh's story takes the reader on a trip to the madness of an abused boy whose life of disappointments leads ultimately toward mass murder. And when the grown-up J.W. returns to Wonderland to find it bereft of Alice, he makes yet another deal with the Jabberwock: find Alice in the real world and return her to Wonderland!

The savvy reader will twig to the real-life events quickly, which doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the blood-soaked story. Gregbo Watson captures all the twisted gore with some tight pencils and expressive character profiles, placing the reader right there beside J.W. and all his failures -- and his pivotal role in the life of Alice Liddell.

The ALICE IN WONDERLAND TENTH ANNIVERSARY ONE SHOT gets back to the roots of the series, with chilling horror delivered in exquisite beauty. That oxymoronic coupling makes this a welcome and compelling single-issue story that shouldn't be missed.