Alice Never After

by Dan Panosian, Giorgio Spalletta (illustrator), Francesco Segala (illustrator)

Alice finally got her wish. Wonderland is her new home, but the mad residents of a moonstruck world have turned against her. As Alice’s sister Edith and her childhood friend Earl fight for a way to bring her back, Alice has to contend with whether or not her torment is due to her father, herself, or maybe a curious combination of both. Alice has been crowned the new Queen of Hearts, but the position seems to come with more obligation than power. Though all of Wonderland's citizens profess to love her, Alice is beginning to wonder if she needs more than friends. Perhaps she needs a family. Superstar writer Dan Panosian (Unkindness of Ravens, Black Tape) and artist Giorgio Spalletta (007: For King & Country) explore the morbid side of escapism in this twisted tale that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Even if Alice escapes Wonderland and makes it back home, would it even be the home she remembers? Collects Alice Never After #1-5.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published May 7, 2024

Reviews

[Chanel Chapters · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s giving: trauma coping mechanism

[April Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Reading this right after Alice Ever After just highlighted some of the difference in story telling. The story filed wasn’t anything unexpected and followed a lot of the standard horrors and treatments of the time. I missed some of the cut cat sketches that brought a little whimsy and light to the story.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off decent and devolved into absolute nonsense. I feel like there's an interesting story to tell here but this just didn't make the mark for me, ended really abruptly too.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For this, it feels like the author took Alice in Wonderland and matched it together with the dark concepts of Wizard of Oz. How all the characters of Wonderland are people in Alice’s everyday life who have been helpful or harmful to her while she is in a state of mind that’s not fully there. This all comes after an experimental medical procedure. The story is told in two timelines: one in wonderland, one in the real world. It’s dark, it’s grainy, and if there is a section 2 or a book 2 I’m curious if we would find out that Alice was abused by her father physically, mentally, and sexually. You can’t tell from this first book, but that’s what it leads to reader to belief. This book was very dark. The artwork was fine, but I did not enjoy the storyline. Part of me wants to know if there’s a book 2 and part of me wants to go back to when Alice was light and fluffy.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy the broad premise of Alice being on drugs, psychological play etc. The art is good, especially from Spalletta. This whole part of the story was pretty boring though. Nothing interesting happens. It feels like an in-between two other stories that actually are the ones that matter. It also doesn't seem to have decided what the target audience is. In the first volume, from what I remember, and also in parts of this one, the target audience is obviously older and mature. However, much of it is like a kids episode of Alice that 7 year olds might enjoy.
I had some high hopes for this one. Unsure if I will continue reading, if they decide to do more

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice Ever After left a bad taste in my mouth given the ending, but Never After goes a little way to restore my faith.

I'd have liked a bit more interplay between the Real and Wonderland worlds like the first mini-series, especially since most of the Wonderland sequences involve Alice bickering with everyone without actually doing anything. She complains a lot about not having any agency, and then stands around for four issues not doing much of anything anyway.

Still, this feels unfinished. Maybe there's an Alice Forever After in the works?

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's essentially a REALLY dark Alice in Wonderland tale with Alice's creepy father the root of all her problems. It's implied that Alice was institutionalized, then lobotomized(?) and hasn't been right since.....hence Wonderland. When she's brought home, what's first thought as illness is the early stages of pregnancy.

Her sister, knowing how bad her father is, begins to try and talk Alice out of her fugue and back to the real world.
=====
Bonus: Did I say this was dark? Because it's dark
Bonus Bonus: Oleander tea will kill you.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a dark version of Alice in Wonderland. Like Alice Madness Returns (though I still think that ones darker in a lot of ways).
This is what if her father was the root cause of her trauma. Seeing the character change was really creepy. There's a lot of implications that make this pretty disturbing, too, but the ending is really good. I enjoyed the line about the previous Queen of Hearts being like Alice once upon a time.

[Jennifer Sahms · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started off strong and introduced some really intriguing ideas. I especially liked the concept of Alice undergoing a procedure and being left in an incapacitated state which added a lot of tension and potential to the story.

However, the ending felt rushed and a bit off. Alice’s escape from her condition didn’t feel fully developed, which took away from the impact of the conclusion.

[Jordan Read · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really vibrant art work, interesting concept but the story seemed a bit all over

[Yuiko · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like it much

[Nora Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5🌟

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, love the artwork! This story was a little more depressing but had a better ending.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and twisty spin on Alice in Wonderland. This follow-up ties up some loose ends but leaves things open for more. We'll written with stellar artwork.

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very twisty take with some dark underpinnings

[Stefanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally 2
Technically 2
Beautiful art
Some plot holes?

[Anwar Vázquez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nuevamente un sinsentido. La historia floja lo llega a consolidarse, solo crea caos y cabos sueltos que no resuelve.

[Dan Patmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Across both alive ever after and this volume is felt the stories were rushed and the malevolence skipped. I would have preferred it darker and slower. But a big fan of the concept

[cheese · Rating 2 out of 5]

Original review: The art was nice for the most part (I didn’t like Alice’s Queen of Hearts dress but that’s really the only art thing I disliked). The art contrast between Wonderland and the real world was fun. Her dad being a dentist was an interesting twist. But, overall it felt average (at best) and like it was missing a lot of needed character development and background information. I feel like if you want a “dark” Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland retelling, Alice: Madness Returns (the video game) is better.

Update: realized this is a sequel(?) to Alice Ever After. I’ll give it a read when I have the chance and see if it changes my opinion of this

Update 2: I read the first one. It’s made me even more confused about the Alice-being-pregnant plot. Definitely did help with the feelings I’d had of missing context (obviously lol).

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A richly imagined and artfully drawn take on Alice's story after the classic narrative.