Alice Ever After

Alice Ever After #1-5

by Dan Panosian, Giorgio Spalletta (Illustrator), Cyril Glerum (Illustrator)

Z Alenky je dospělá žena a říše divů, kterou navštívila ještě jako malá holčička, pro ni představuje jediný únik před neúprosnou realitou jejího života ve viktoriánském Londýně. Ale na takovou cestu si musí dát ždibec něčeho silnějšího než kouzelné houby. Jenže sehnat prostředky k uspokojení rostoucí závislosti je čím dál složitější a Alenčin otec ani sestry její jednání rozhodně neschvalují.

V nouzi se rozhodne stát se chovankou sanatoria U Nejsvětějšího srdce, kde, jak doufá, nalezne nový domov a především stálý přísun léků, jež potřebuje k výletům za Šklíbou, Kloboučníkem a ostatními přáteli. Brzy však zjistí, že v sanatoriu na ni nečeká nic dobrého. Jaké hrůzy se skrývají v jeho temných zákoutích? Zůstane Alenka raději v říši divů až do smrti? Anebo najde odvahu čelit démonům skutečného světa?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Horror, Retellings, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

128 pages, Paperback

Published February 21, 2023

Reviews

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This became much darker than anticipated 😨

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I worried that this would wind up being another too-oblique graphic novel, but was pleasantly surprised by how well fleshed-out the story ended up being, and the excellent illustrations are a highlight as well. Don't expect Disney's "Alice" here--this is a dark take on Wonderland that explores the ways in which trauma and addiction--particularly when experienced by women--have historically been dealt with.

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was terrible. Alice has grown up and we discover her adventures in Wonderland were drug induced. Now she's an adult who commits herself to a Sanitarium where she meets analogues of all the terrible characters from Wonderland. The whole thing is depressing, flat, and pointless. Could have been a one-shot dragged out to 5 issues.

[April Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story followed a lot of the familiar story lines and tropes of a wonderland/asylum plot. I enjoyed seeing how the art changed from the “real world” story line to the “wonderland” elements. I was very much reminded of “Sucker Punch” through this read.

[Odo · Rating 2 out of 5]

4.5/10

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that I have absolutely no idea what I expected of this graphic novel. I saw Alice in Wonderland, grown up and finding a way back to Wonderland and I was like: I need to have this for my Alice in Wonderland collection. It took ages before the book arrived, but today I could finally pick it up and I decided to start reading right away.

I'm not entirely sure what to think of this story. I liked the cleverness of it. How real life characters mimicked the Wonderland characters. It was easy to recognize which characters were mirroring who. However, I'm not entirely sure what I think of the whole "Wonderland is basically one big drug trip" idea this book runs with.

However, the drawing style was lovely. I also loved how the artist played with color. The Wonderland pages were vibrate and colorful and really bright. The asylum pages were dark and filled with shades and almost muted colors. Just like the expressions on the faces really told their own kind of story and were worth reading.

So, I will find a nice place in the bookcase for this book, but it's not really a must read. I've read romance and YA novels with better adult Alice plots ;-) (Some including asylums!)

[Mohan Vemulapalli · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Alice Ever After" is a graphic novel that extends Alice's adventure beyond the event of the original two novels but fails to produce a compelling story that will be appropriate for most audiences. The book itself is creepy and not a little bit gross while also being fairly derivative. Alice is portrayed as an opioid addict whose father disposes of her by placing her in a mental institution that is scary and sinister even by Victorian standards. The final resolution of the story arc is straight out of the 2011 film "Sucker Punch" and can be seen coming for several chapters. On a slightly positive note there are some great scenes in Wonderland, but knowing what Alice has to endure to get "there" does tend to take a lot of the joy out these scenes. Finally, this is definitely not a book for children, - or most adults for that matter.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of like a Wizard of Oz(the movie ending of real people who were in her fairytales) and Hook(going back to Fairyland) take on Alice in Wonderland by way of the grittiness of Fables. I don't think the story ever got to heart of Alice as a character, I really didn't feel anything for her. Wasn't sure of the narrator cats either. Really liked setting of at the sanitorium. It's a quick read and it built some tension in the last couple of issues.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Yikes, that was bleak.

[Maxine · Rating 1 out of 5]

The cover art bewitched me, but this was really un-creative, unoriginal drivel.

Maybe I'm just tired of seeing "Alice in Wonderland" misinterpreted as being about a mentally ill woman on a drug trip. 🤷‍♀️ At any rate, I didn't enjoy it.

[Hazel Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine, nothing too unexpected a nice take on a classic

[Stefanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally 2
Technically 2.5
Beautiful art!

[Alejandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A too dark tale about Alice!


This softcover TPB edition collects “Alice Ever After” #1-5.


Creative Team:

Writer: Dan Panosian

Illustrators:

Dan Panosian (Wonderland scenes)

Giorgio Spalletta with Cyril Glerum (London scenes)

Colors: Fabiana Mascolo

Lettering: Jeff Eckleberry


CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER

I found out about this comic book miniseries too late, so instead of getting it in single issues, I got the TPB edition but luckily I was able to get the issue #1 with variant art by J. Scott Campbell.

This graphic novel is a sequel to the events of the original book where Alice is already a grown-up woman in her twenties (I believe). She is addicted to drugs (some pills and liquid heroine) that she employs to go back to Wonderland, and once she is back to a very dark and grimm reality you can find that several “real life” characters have their Wonderland counterparts. That’s not that inspired since this is like taking Wizard of Oz and the sequel film Back to Oz merging those mentioned elements to the story of Alice in Wonderland, even you can think about Bridge to Terabithia since here Wonderland isn’t real and the story have a very sad ending.

Alice is addicted to drugs but you’ll find out that she isn’t guitly by herself for her condition since there is a very dark family secret that Alice was unlucky to find out and now she is suffering because of that.

All that said, I enjoyed the development since it was quite creative how all those new elements were used to tell this extension of the story of Alice, however I didn’t like at all how the story ends (no, I won’t spoil it, but be warned).

Maybe the ending isn’t that sad taking in account the inner desires of Alice, but if the graphic novel would have a different closure, certainly I’d give it 5 stars without thinking, but since it wasn’t the case, I thought that the fairest thing to do was taking out a star, even I was considering to give it only 3 stars, but at the end I decided not to punish it that much since only the ending was what I didn't enjoy, the rest of the story is quite an interesting experience.

I want to mention (that I think it can be considered as part of my problems with the ending) that I don’t like that taking in account that the story have a lot of villains, not single one pays for their crimes, and I don’t find that fair, maybe real life isn’t fair but this isn’t a real life story, this is a book (actually a comic book) therefore I would like to see the criminals to be accountable for their sins and the victims to find justice.

Still, the comic book is quite well written and wonderfully illustrated, so if you’re fan of Wonderland stuff, you might find worthy to take a look to this graphic novel.

[Marsha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the stranger and curiouser takes on Lewis Carroll’s story of a young girl who fell down a rabbit hole. The idea that grown-up Alice is a drug addict who takes refuge in pills so she can “visit” her Wonderland friends is novel and is handled here with style and verve. It plays in well with the original tale where she was constantly eating and drinking things that changed her size and perspective.

The graphic novel doesn’t shy away from the questionable elements that made up Mr. Carroll’s original tale. In his story, there was a walrus that ate the oysters keeping him company, a Mad Hatter who stuck the sleeping Dormouse into a pot of tea (to drown, perhaps?) and the irascible Queen of Hearts who was always bellowing for people to be decapitated.

Here, the mad denizens of Wonderland are mirrored by the equally deranged people Alice meets in an asylum. The illustrations are lurid with candy-coated hues and the characters are as individual as Wonderland’s creatures are. It’s a terrific graphic and one that I couldn’t help reading repeatedly, hoping to catch some detail I’d miss.

This will gladden the heart of anyone who’s fond of Mr. Carroll’s two most popular fictions. But be warned. It’s not for the children.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review is 3.5 stars. I have always enjoyed different interpretations of classic novels, and when I saw this graphic novel at my local comic book shop I knew I had to buy it. This story is dark and instantly hooks you. Alice is much older in this part of the story, and how she experiences "Wonderland" by taking drugs that instantly put her to sleep. Her father is a well-known royal family dentist, giving her unlimited access to this medication. Unfortunately, this causes her need for the medication to become an addiction, which puts her in a mental institution. The artwork in this book is beautiful, and it is pretty easy to determine which people in Alice's life represent the characters in "Wonderland." I was happy to see additional volumes as there is much more to tell of Alice's story.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've seen the whole "Alice is actually crazy" story play out a few times in different media now, to various levels of success. Alice Ever After is a decent addition to the attempts, as Alice deals with being incarcerated while her family and friends both in and out of Wonderland try and save her.

It's kind of depressing in the real world, which makes the Wonderland sequences feel even more light, almost to the point of whiplash, which is obvious the whole idea. My biggest problem with this story is the ending, which is...well, without spoiling it, we'll go with 'unsatisfying'. But, Boom! have just announced a sequel series, Alice Never After, which gives me hope for the future.

Your mileage may vary, just don't expect a happy ending.

[Brianas_best_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌼Review🌼

ALICE EVER AFTER is the first graphic novel I’ve read and I really enjoyed it. It’s a dark spin on Alice in Wonderland and was quite the twisted story.

This edition collects #1-5 and I loved them all equally. The illustrations are absolutely stunning and my favorites are the ones where Alice is in Wonderland. I’m obsessed with the colors used!

If you’ve ever wanted to read a twist on this classic story, look no further than ALICE EVER AFTER for a dark, edgy, and unexpected tale.

4/5 ⭐️

[Ed Erwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lovely art makes me raise my rating, but I still can't go above 3. Dark versions of Alice are my cup of tea, but this story doesn't work. Alice is teen-aged and can still enter Fairyland, but only by taking drugs. She is addicted in part because of childhood trauma of seeing her father (Mr. Lutwidge!) removing her mother's teeth in order to make dentures. (He also robs graves.) Alice commits herself to an asylum in order to get closer to a source of drugs. She barely escapes a lobotomy. Blech! But, lovely art! And the story is partly told by cute kittens!

[Rachel Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Loved the art and illustrations. Love Alice in Wonderland. Fun concept of Alice resorting to drugs, resulting in addiction, so that she can continue to travel to Wonderland as an adult. Love an asylum setting. But it was ok. I understand it's more of a dark take on the classic story-- kinda wanted more of that Wonderland whimsy (which I totally acknowledge is a "me" thing since the disappointment came from a place of personal want and expectation.

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, the coolest thing about this was the art style. I loved how each page had its own color scheme, and the wonderland style was slightly different than the real world style.

This had the potential to be a really interesting spin on the Alice in Wonderland story, but I wasn’t that impressed by any of the plot elements. Some parts were a bit dark for mostly shock factor (the scene with her mom’s teeth….*shudders*). Not exceptionally groundbreaking though.

[Mandy Crumb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are all lovely with slightly gritty undertones. They were my favorite part.
There is a dissonance between the illustrations and the language which is very jarring. The scene is past London but the language is very much current day Americanized English.
I felt like I fell down the rabbit hole and missed the beginning of the story. It has promise but I won't be continuing on.
Trigger warning for drug abuse, harming a corpse and mental health.

[Bekka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review meant for the entire run, not just this issue.
This was just alright, I wanted a lot more from this story, especially as Alice is surrounded by people who are clearly based on Wonderland characters in the real world, but it didn't go anywhere. Also I wasn't entirely sure what the ending meant at all.
TW for ableism, drug abuse, death, blood, stabbing, physical abuse, mental health issues.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is great. The story is not great. We return to find our Alice a grown woman with an addiction, very sad. Alice only wants to be in Wonderland but her family has had enough of her foolishness. She ends up in an asylum where they conduct certain... procedures and all does not end well for our Alice.

This volume leaves wanting more but leaving you with what you got.

[Danii Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was actually really good, so much better than I expected.
Alice in her adulthood continues to struggle with opiates and delusions brought on by her childhood trauma, and she ends up in even darker places than before.
The ending was messed up, but I liked it. I anxiously await the new comics coming out soon. ♥️

[Cailyn L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark Alice in Wonderland retelling that leans heavily on the original Victorian setting and avoids leaning too heavily on gore and dark colors. I always find myself searching for books with an asylum setting, and this one scratched the exact itch.
The coloring was thoughtful and well executed. The art was clean and looked great, as well as conveying the story beautifully.

[adaynasmile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ah. It was okay. It wasn't fleshed out enough and it was a bit confusing. I think that it could have been really interesting and the mental illness could have been played with more. But it was alright. I did like the images though.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reimagining of the Alice in Wonderland story where Alice is a patient in a mental hospital, and her trips to Wonderland are drug-induced.

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

[Jourdy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like dark graphic novels and Alice retellings this is 100% for you, the art is beautiful, the story is like a penny dreadful and like Alice you’ll start to question what’s best, and what’s real.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down

Art was very pretty and Edith rapidly became one of my favorite characters.

Unfortunately, some of the chatacter motivations made little sense to me. Maybe that'll be explained more in the second series.

[David Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retelling je to upřímně spíš banální (wow Wonderland byly drogy, no teda), ale má to pár kvalitně nečekaných a zlých twistů, umí to i solidně poděsit a navrch k tomu všemu je kresba skutečně výtečná. Solidní 4 z 5, rád jsem početl, další dám určitě.