Hatter M – The Looking Glass Wars – Volume One by Frank Beddor with Liz Cavalier illustrated by Ben Templesmith

I had just finished reading Alice and Wonderland when I saw this book, Hatter M The Looking Glass Wars Volume One in the Graphic Novel Reporter newsletter. I was intrigued on what twist they would do on the original story and from the cover; it also looked like great eye-candy.

The premise for the story is great. In this version we have Hatter Madigan, who is a loyal bodyguard to Queen Genevieve (the White Queen) and one of the fierce blades men of the Royal Wonderland Millinery. He wears a magical hat that is just as deadly as his blades. Queen Genevieve’s palace is under attack by Queen Redd and her forces. Queen Redd is Genevieve’s sister, who of course wants to off everyone’s head. To save her child, Princess Alyss, Queen Genevieve orders Hatter Madigan to take the little girl to the world on the other side of the looking glass keeping her hidden from the evil Queen Redd. However in transporting through the portal, Hatter M becomes separated from Alyss. Now in a strange world he must find the little girl before darker forces do and then find their way back to Wonderland before Queen Redd destroys it. The only thing he has to go by is his sixth sense of being able to see imagination’s glow and hoping that light will lead him to Alyss. However, he soon finds that imagination in this world is a precious sought out commodity with a high price tag and that dark imagination also exists.

Again, loving the premise, especially that we have a glowing imagination ora, but I will admit I thought the story started out a bit disjointed and hard to follow. I also found myself wanting more story and less sword fighting. I haven’t read Frank Beddor’s books, The Looking Glass Wars and Seeing Redd, and reading them might provide a better reference point for the graphic novels. But with that said, I am hooked and will be moving on to Volume Two.

I also found interesting the introduction and back section of the book from the Hatter M Institute for Paranormal Travel, a mixture of fact and fiction, or is it? Ben Templesmith’s illustrations were luscious as well as the book’s set up. A 5-star for eye-candy.