saavybookworm's review against another edition
3.0
The artwork wasn't too my liking - it looked really sloppy compared to the artwork of other graphic novels I have read. But the story was pretty cool.
fernthepanda's review against another edition
3.0
Has nothing on the Looking Glass Wars series, but it is always nice to see Hatter Madigan.
dtaylorbooks's review against another edition
2.0
This was probably my least favorite for the series so far, mainly because it made me cringe with how stereotyped everyone of non-white ethnicity was. From the very stereotypical Chinese/Japanese accent to the mystical Japanese girl functioning solely to bring the white man to enlightenment, it was all so . . . stereotypical. It really clouded the story for me to the point where I’m having a hard time remembering around the stereotypes.
The thing is I’m not even sure if this sidetrack storyline was even necessary for the story arc itself. It just seemed like a way for the author to jaunt through history to a self-serving time period to mix things up a bit. This was more about Hatter trying to find himself, but I feel like there are better ways he could have done that. Or at least ways that didn’t employ Long Duk Dong-level stereotypes coupled with Matt Damon’s The Wall/white savior elements.
ZEN OF WONDER doesn’t really add much to the whole storyline so if you’re looking for one to skip, this would be it. It’s not like there’s any Hatter growth in it at all. It’s just all rather pointless.
2
The thing is I’m not even sure if this sidetrack storyline was even necessary for the story arc itself. It just seemed like a way for the author to jaunt through history to a self-serving time period to mix things up a bit. This was more about Hatter trying to find himself, but I feel like there are better ways he could have done that. Or at least ways that didn’t employ Long Duk Dong-level stereotypes coupled with Matt Damon’s The Wall/white savior elements.
ZEN OF WONDER doesn’t really add much to the whole storyline so if you’re looking for one to skip, this would be it. It’s not like there’s any Hatter growth in it at all. It’s just all rather pointless.
2
anna_hepworth's review against another edition
Normally, I love a transformative story based on Lewis Carroll's 'Alice In Wonderland', but this one just did not catch my attention. The idea of the lost princess, and the Hatter bodyguard seeking her has so much potential, but in the 60 pages or so that I read, there were multiple gory fight scenes and very little story holding them together. Too brutal to keep my attention.
roseplantqueen's review against another edition
1.0
The art isn't my cup of tea, pun unintended. That's the nicest thing I can say about this book. It does require knowledge of The Looking Glass Wars (the book) to understand parts of this graphic novel. But that flaw isn't as huge as the shifting POV and tenses throughout the graphic novel, how characters inexplicably know things only the reader would know, and translated monkey gibberish (seriously), among other things. Carroll's Hatter lost in the modern world is a great idea for a graphic novel. Carroll's Hatter, turned into some try-hard Gary Stu pseudo-superhero type by a guy who inexplicably bashes Carroll and his works throughout the Looking Glass Wars series, not so much.
lovelylibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I plan on re-reading this at some point. I thoroughly enjoyed it, the problem was that I didn't finish reading all of the novels, only the first one. I feel like if I make the time to get fully involved in the novels then reading the graphic novels will be more enjoyable. A very well done comic though. Beautiful artwork!
princessnomi's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked this book it's the best one so far. The Asian influences was really great. I really liked the incorporation of zen and it's importance.
jennyanydots's review
3.0
First, a disclaimer that I don't usually read graphic novels, so I'm comparing this against more substantial books rather than within genre. I'd enjoyed Frank Beddor's Looking Glass Wars series though, and thought it would be fun to read more about Hatter's time looking for Alyss in our world. The art work was quite dark, actually in both senses of the word, and I wouldn't recommend it for readers as young as those of the Looking Glass Wars, but I was slightly disappointed by how little story there was. A lot of the first section was simply a rethrash of what we'd already learnt in the main series, and brief fight scenes were effectively drawn in slow motion. I know it's setting the scene for the series to continue, but it felt like as though the plot would have fitted into about half a chapter, and there wasn't enough there to draw me in further. 3 stars because it's not for me, but is well-executed.
shadrachanki's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting companion work to Beddor's Looking Glass Wars which does not necessarily stand so well on its own merits. The art is sketchy and atmospheric in nature, and this can make following the story confusing at times.
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