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Wanderland: The Journey of Life
WANDERLAND is the incredible, true-life adventure of William Messner-Loebs, the creative genius who breathed life into Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Jonny Quest, The Maxx, and his own beloved series, Journey: The Adventures of Wolverine MacAlistaire. Known for his warm, witty, and human touch in bringing iconic characters to life, Bill has crafted countless stories, but none more captivating than his own.
His right arm amputated at birth, Bill was left-handed by necessity -- and destined for a lifetime of left turns. From comic book fame to everyday struggles, his life unfolds with the whimsy of a Monty Python sketch and the epic scope of a hero's journey.
Join Bill on his quest for glory, creativity, and -- well, rent money! You won't want to miss this wild, heartfelt, and inspiring ride through the life of one of comics' most original voices.
Start reading WANDERLAND and enter the extraordinary world of William Messner-Loebs.
His right arm amputated at birth, Bill was left-handed by necessity -- and destined for a lifetime of left turns. From comic book fame to everyday struggles, his life unfolds with the whimsy of a Monty Python sketch and the epic scope of a hero's journey.
Join Bill on his quest for glory, creativity, and -- well, rent money! You won't want to miss this wild, heartfelt, and inspiring ride through the life of one of comics' most original voices.
Start reading WANDERLAND and enter the extraordinary world of William Messner-Loebs.
148 pages, Paperback
First published July 6, 2025
1 person want to read
About the author
William Messner-Loebs
435 books38 followersWilliam Francis Messner-Loebs (born William Francis Loebs, Jr.) is an American comics artist and writer from Michigan, also known as Bill Loebs and Bill Messner-Loebs. His hyphenated surname is a combination of his and his wife Nadine's unmarried surnames.
In the 1980s and 1990s he wrote runs of series published by DC Comics, Image Comics, Comico, and other comics publishers, including DC's superhero series Flash and Wonder Woman among others. Additionally he has both written and drawn original creator-owned works, such as Journey: The Adventures of Wolverine MacAlistaire.
In the 1980s and 1990s he wrote runs of series published by DC Comics, Image Comics, Comico, and other comics publishers, including DC's superhero series Flash and Wonder Woman among others. Additionally he has both written and drawn original creator-owned works, such as Journey: The Adventures of Wolverine MacAlistaire.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 21, 2025
Throughout the 1970, my primary comic book genre was, of course, Superheroes. Specifically, Marvel Comics. But as the Seventies came to an end, Marvel Comics started to decline in quality. To me, anyway. DC had a few interesting titles, but in the main, I was starting to lose interest in Superhero comics.
And then I discovered "Cerebus the Aardvark". From that point on, my primary choice in comic book literature was Alternative Comics. Among the titles I read and loved was a comic I discovered through "Cerebus" - "Journey: The Adventures of Wolverine MacAlistaire" by William Messner -Loebs. Throughout its run "Journey" was my second favorite comic book series.
I absolutely loved Messner-Loebs' artwork, his writing, the humor that permeated "Journey". That's why when earlier this year I discovered that Messner-Loebs had published this book, "Wanderland", I was eager to acquire and read it.
For thwose who don't know, William Messner -Loebs and his wife, Nadine, have suffered multiple setbacks and hardships, much of which had to do with multiple health issues. Using the comic book format, Bill relates his life story: how he coped with having lost one arm why he was a baby, his struggles breaking into the comics field, how he went from writing five DC Comics titles a month to losing them all, how he and his wife had become homeless, etc. It's a story told with the same humor I enjoyed when I was following "Journey".
In the first half of the book, Messner-Loebs talks about how he was always fascinated with the Frankenstein Monster, to the degree the creature is his PP imaginary friend. While the creature, called "Frank" appears throughout the first half book, and seems to be an important aspect of Bill's life story, it vanishes after Messner-Loebs becomes a comics professional and is never referenced again.
There are also some things I wish Messner-Loebs had addressed. "Journey" was initially published by Aardvark -Vanaheim, the company that published "Cerebus", but then midway through "Journey" moved over to Fantagraphics. In one of the multiple forewords, "Cerebus" and Aardvark -Vanaheim president, Dave Sim indicated that he and William Messner-Loebs had a falling out. "Wanderland" not only fails to mention the falling out, but it doesn't even reference the change of publishers.
Nor does "Wanderland" mention the sequel to "Journey", "War Drums" and why it only lasted two issues. Or why the Image Comics titles, "Bliss Alley" published two issues. Were these dropped by health issues? By the demise of the Comics Speculation Bubble? Poor sales? Trouble with the publishers?
For a brief while, William Messner -Loebs had a successful career in the comics industry. Reading this, I'm left wondering why he's not getting any work on the comics industry. It is well-known that Bill and Nadine have had a lot of hard luck over the years. Is there a reason he's not getting work in the comics industry?
Still, overall "Wanderland" is a fascinating look at the life of a comic book creator. Messner-Loebs uses the combination of words and cartooning to tell his story. I just wish I had gotten the hardback edition. The paperback is smaller, making some of the writing hard to read.
And then I discovered "Cerebus the Aardvark". From that point on, my primary choice in comic book literature was Alternative Comics. Among the titles I read and loved was a comic I discovered through "Cerebus" - "Journey: The Adventures of Wolverine MacAlistaire" by William Messner -Loebs. Throughout its run "Journey" was my second favorite comic book series.
I absolutely loved Messner-Loebs' artwork, his writing, the humor that permeated "Journey". That's why when earlier this year I discovered that Messner-Loebs had published this book, "Wanderland", I was eager to acquire and read it.
For thwose who don't know, William Messner -Loebs and his wife, Nadine, have suffered multiple setbacks and hardships, much of which had to do with multiple health issues. Using the comic book format, Bill relates his life story: how he coped with having lost one arm why he was a baby, his struggles breaking into the comics field, how he went from writing five DC Comics titles a month to losing them all, how he and his wife had become homeless, etc. It's a story told with the same humor I enjoyed when I was following "Journey".
In the first half of the book, Messner-Loebs talks about how he was always fascinated with the Frankenstein Monster, to the degree the creature is his PP imaginary friend. While the creature, called "Frank" appears throughout the first half book, and seems to be an important aspect of Bill's life story, it vanishes after Messner-Loebs becomes a comics professional and is never referenced again.
There are also some things I wish Messner-Loebs had addressed. "Journey" was initially published by Aardvark -Vanaheim, the company that published "Cerebus", but then midway through "Journey" moved over to Fantagraphics. In one of the multiple forewords, "Cerebus" and Aardvark -Vanaheim president, Dave Sim indicated that he and William Messner-Loebs had a falling out. "Wanderland" not only fails to mention the falling out, but it doesn't even reference the change of publishers.
Nor does "Wanderland" mention the sequel to "Journey", "War Drums" and why it only lasted two issues. Or why the Image Comics titles, "Bliss Alley" published two issues. Were these dropped by health issues? By the demise of the Comics Speculation Bubble? Poor sales? Trouble with the publishers?
For a brief while, William Messner -Loebs had a successful career in the comics industry. Reading this, I'm left wondering why he's not getting any work on the comics industry. It is well-known that Bill and Nadine have had a lot of hard luck over the years. Is there a reason he's not getting work in the comics industry?
Still, overall "Wanderland" is a fascinating look at the life of a comic book creator. Messner-Loebs uses the combination of words and cartooning to tell his story. I just wish I had gotten the hardback edition. The paperback is smaller, making some of the writing hard to read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review