Wonderland by Tommy Kovac Illustrated by Sonny Liew

Standalone. Disney Press (2008) Library

Among the numerous curiosities that have gone unexplained in the classic tale Alice in Wonderland, perhaps the most perplexing might be who, exactly, is the "Maryann" that the White Rabbit mistakes Alice for at the beginning of the story? Lewis Carroll first made us ponder this and, years later, Walt Disney again made viewers wonder who Maryann might be in his classic feature length film based on Carroll's book. 
In their beautifully executed comic book series Wonderland, readers experience Alice's fantastic world as they've never seen it before. Writer Tommy Kovac's Wonderland is missing Alice herself, but it's still populated by the other characters that make the world such a curiously exciting place. The Queen of Hearts is present, barking orders to lop off people's heads, as is the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the rest of Wonderland's beloved cast. And there are some new faces, too, including the book's main protagonist, the mysterious Maryann herself. All are beautifully illustrated by Wonderland's artist, Sonny Liew.

I've never read the original story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so I never knew that she was once mistaken for a girl named Mary Ann. For those who love the original tale and those who are curious about how its story is retold in a different perspective you might like Wonderland.

Mary Ann happens to be the maid for the White Rabbit. She has a duster that talks and complains about being overused. Mary Ann loves to clean so it's only natural that she cleans everything around her no matter how long it takes. She ends up being late in meeting the White Rabbit who tells her all about Alice and how he thought it was her who was wandering around Wonderland. Apparently this Alice has been giving the people of Wonderland a tough time namely the Queen of Hearts.

Poor Mary Ann feels down about people not recognizing her. She loves what she does but is sad that no one knows who she is. In Wonderland she carves out a path for herself meeting new people and getting into new, unusual situations just like Alice. Alice in the meantime is around but her name is in passing. I liked this new retelling of Alice's Adventures in in Wonderland from a different perspective. I especially loved the illustrations. It's what made this book amazing. It showed the goofy and wacky side of Mary Ann and Wonderland (although Wonderland is already on the wacky side). Through the illustrations and writing I was able to get to know and like Mary Ann and her obsessive ways to clean everything. 

This might seem like of course it would happen but I didn't really see an cohesion with the story. It didn't feel like it was going anywhere at times. It just seemed like events and obstacles were just added on without any set direction. Thinking back on this book it actually makes sense because after all nothing in Wonderland is exactly normal or perfect. I don't know about that though with this book. I did enjoy reading the story. I especially enjoyed all the art. I think I stared more at the art than anything. Mary Ann also is quite the unexpected heroine. I like how she makes her mark and stays the same while others perception of her change.