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Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars #2
Review posted: 28 Mar 2006
Writer: Frank Beddor, Liz Cavalier
Artist: Ben Templesmith
Publisher: Image/Desperado
5.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by John L. Daniels, Jr.
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This series written by Frank Beddor from his acclaimed novel The
Looking Glass Wars shines with brilliance. The saga continues in
issue #2 as Hatter M is on the trail of the missing Princess Alyss
of Wonderland. Now he is teleported into the mysterious land of
Budapest, Hungary. While Hatter M is walking the streets he hears that a child
was found wandering in a field, and that child is now playing strange
music at a theater.
As Hatter M slips into the theater he sees the young child on stage
playing the violin. Before he can get a good look at her, a giant man
pops up from a trap door on stage and kidnaps her. Someone in the
Hatter M #2 is an outstanding
follow up to the first issue.
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crowd yells, “The Gypsies have the child!” Waiting in the
back alley the Gypsy orders his pets, a bear and a monkey, to attack
whoever follows. The cutlery starts to fly and his top hat whizzes as
Hatter M fends off the Gypsy’s ferocious pets. The panel of the
crazed monkey ready to attack Hatter M is a great scene (it also
resembles the cover page). The monkey is wearing an adorable fez while
fighting Hatter M as the small primate claims (in monkey language of
course), “You want some of this, Hatboy?” Needless to say,
the simian gets its monkey butt whipped.
Then a new nemesis, the mysterious Baroness Dvonna, enters the
picture. She kidnaps the child from a lair of vampires. The Baroness
also has plans for Alyss. Elsewhere, Hatter M may have gained a new
ally on his remarkable quest to find Alyss: she is the adventurous Ms.
Magda Pushkin, a reporter from the St. Petersburg Star.
Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars #2 is an outstanding follow
up to the first issue. The title draws the reader into the world of
the Looking Glass Wars more and more. The grandeur and creative
writing skills by the team of Frank Beddor and Liz Cavalier is a great
blend in this second issue. Ben Templesmith’s artistry brings all the
images from Beddor’s novel to life. The detailed panels and
characterizations are alive with emotion, hilarity, and horror. The
historical and geographical references by the historian and
cartographer Greg Gook are exact and noteworthy learning for any
reader.
I give Hatter M a resounding 5+ stars for the narrated
first-person content, and a refreshing and thrilling read. Hatter
M would make an incredible saga for the silver screen. This could
truly be a great visual epic on film. As I stated in a previous
review, Frank Beddor’s company Automatic Pictures has “a
franchise in the making.”
Be sure to check out John's interview with Frank Beddor!
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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