Ta-Dah!
I hadn't been to the comic book store for a month and a few weeks, so I was greeted with a hearty stack of comics. Among those issues was this beauty. I have loved this playful series and I'm glad to say it continues to be good.
Carol Cameos
Right off the bat I want to talk about the antagonist of this issue. In this series, Roger Langridge has introduced us to familiar characters we all know and love, which he has "snarkified" and made his own. Previously, seen the assassin-version of The Gryphon and the pirate-versions of the Hatter and the White Rabbit (among others) from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland (from which this series is somewhat based). In this issue, Mr. Langridge does not disappoint. He presents us with an unexpected villain for this issue in the form of the Dodo.
This is not Lewis Carrol's extinct bird. It does have some similarities, but it is a very distinct character. For those a little rusty on Alice and Wonderland, the Dodo appeared mainly in chapter 3 of the book. He would initiate the satiric "Caucus-Race" where Alice and the Dodo's fellow birds would "run in patterns of any shape, starting and leaving off whenever they like, so that everyone wins" (to quote Wikipedia's description of the events). This character is believed to be Carol himself based on illustrations and possibly based on the fact he sometimes pronounced his real last name--Dodgson--as "Do-do-dodgson" thanks to his stutter.
Langridge's version is slightly different. First off, this creature is actually evil and displays characteristics of the classic savage caricature. This version also has an unique speech pattern which can only be interrupted by Clyde McDunk. Whether this is a reference to Carol's stutter is unclear, but I will say it is amusing.
Art and Writing
I have to say the art is very youthful; almost cartoonist. I do love Mr. Langridge's whimsical style and combined with Lisa Moore's colors the art really seems to jump off the page. The stories are fun and present lots of comical moments great for young and old readers.
conclusion
I do really like this series and I look forward to reading more adventures. It's a great series; very clever. I definitely recommend it to those who can pick it up.
