That the world of Wonderland is intricately layered should not be confusing.  The series is after all based on the somewhat drug-fueled dreams of Lewis Carroll, and involved a land of whimsy and fantasy.  The modern adaptation of this featuring heroine Calie Liddle has vacillated between different inspirations, especially since the takeover of Wonderland by Calie, and the handover of the creative duties to a new creative team.  This essentially caused that it become a new series, one focused on pretty much anything, and one which has moved away from the madness inducing realm that it had started as.  Sometimes the focus on more of a sword and sorcery fantasy, and sometimes it is closer to Carroll.  The previous story arc involving the Squire and the En Passant was much more like the sword and sorcery inspiration, but the Carroll inspiration also usually remains.

This is the follow-up to the previous arc, and while it essentially continues the same story, it is evidently also somewhat different, and worthy enough to start its own story arc.  With the Squire implicated in the escape of the Terror, she decides to keep her silence.  Meanwhile other forces, these closer to the original source material, are at play in the effort to take out Calie from play.  The resulting confusion is one which no one can seem to figure out what is happening, and where the Cheshire and Calie cannot comprehend the actions of the Squire, who had apparently become their new ally.

If the series seems to be somewhat convoluted, it is because it is.  The story in this first issue of this new story arc continues what came before, but also throws it away.  The Terror was a villain that had to be dealt with, but his role seems to be relatively unimportant here.  Still this story deserves some benefit of the doubt.  After the series writer Erica J. Heflin has somewhat of a pattern by this point of creating a puzzle for herself to start with and then to sort through it carefully and meticulously by the end of a story arc to produce another stunning victory.  Such would seem to be the case here as all the pieces are in play for another amazing story, just that it is not clear how that will play out yet.

Story: Erica J. Heflin Art: Marc Rosete
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5  Overall: 8.5  Recommendation: Buy