Hatter M, Vol. 1: The Looking Glass Wars (Hatter M Looking Glass Wars)
In Beddor’s novel The Looking Glass Wars (2006), Princess Alyss was exiled from Wonderland, forced to putter about Victorian London for 13 years until she was rescued by the Royal Bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, and returned to Wonderland to reclaim her throne. Beddor followed up on the premise with Seeing Redd (2007), and fans waiting for the final volume in the trilogy can whet their appetite with this graphic-novel parallel that follows the brutal but relentlessly loyal Hatter Madigan during his 13-year quest to find Alyss. Neophytes, however, will likely be almost entirely baffled by the whole thing. With a story that lies somewhere between convoluted and barely graspable, its the visuals that ensure pages will keep turning. Unsettling and magnificent in equal measure, Templesmith’s artisty imbues a darkly surreal atmosphere to nineteenth-century Europe, leading Hatter Madigan’s quest into the realm of Victorian horror, complete with vampires, zombies, and worse. The creepy color palette, starkly drawn lines, and heavily blurred action are effectively terrifying and exhilarating. Fans of Beddor’s twisted take on Wonderland should clamor for this. Grades 8-12. --Ian Chipman