Rolling out of the pages of Age of Darkness comes this unconventional entry into the Grimm Fairy Tales sagas.  The farther that the stories get away from the shared universe, the stronger that they tend to be, and that is the case here.  In the first issue, the Dark Queen was introduced into Calie’s world and despite her inability to control Wonderland she proved quite capable of controlling Calie.  After all it was only the Dark Queen that controlled the one thing that could kill Violet.  This second issue picks up from there, and while it doesn’t necessarily go in the direction that one might think, it still builds well in the path that it chooses.

Early into the issue, there is a strange recollection by Calie of a childhood dream where she met the Dark Queen.  This is a bit of retroactive continuity for a character that was made into the Queen of Wonderland more as an afterthought after her own struggles, but aside from this literary shortcut, the entire issue works well.  At one point the Trickster lines up a myriad of foes against Calie, but the battle is not shown, rather only the victorious cutaway afterwards.  While some might feel cheated out of the fight, it also fits in a difference sense, as the real fun in this story is when Calie manages to summon the spirits of the previous rulers of Wonderland, and the creative teams deserves credit specifically for its presentation of the Jabberwocky, both in the art but especially in the speech.

This is a short series, with the following issue being the last,but it has been unexpectedly entertaining in its relatively short run.  The character are not written for depth, but they don’t really need to be as they are well established elsewhere.  Instead it is the concept which drives the interest here, and it works.  It might not if it were drawn out longer, but in this shorter version, the miniseries manages a better focus.  By the end of this issue it is well set up for a showdown in the final issue and it looks equally as fun.

Story: Troy Brownfield Art: Luca Claretti
Story: 8.1 Art: 8.1 Overall: 8.1 Recommendation: Read

Zenescope provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review