Willow: Wonderland #1

Written by: Laura Hong-Tuason, CC2K Comics Editor

Are you looking for a light and quirky read about witches, magic, and alternate dimensions? Better yet, are you a Joss Whedon or Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan? If you are, you may like “Willow: Wonderland #1”.

Writer: Jeff Parker
Artist: Brian Ching

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never read a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” comic book. I have however, watched a bit of the TV show and seen every episode of Angel. I’ve also read two volumes of “Angel: After the Fall”. Other than that, how the storylines in the Buffyverse have progressed today is beyond me, and anyone just jumping into “Willow: Wonderland”. Fortunately for new readers, writer Jeff Parker briefly recaps all we need to know in the Buffyverse to follow along.

In this first ever series starring Willow Rosenberg, Willow is determined to bring back magic to her world. All channels connecting magic to Earth, and apparently other worlds, have closed. Why this is, Parker never explains. Hopefully this is something that will be elaborated on. Why magic would make the world better is not answered either, but perhaps it’s simply because magic is too cool NOT to have around. With help from Angel and Buffy’s scythe, Willow is able to cross over into another dimension: Wonderland. Thus begins Willow’s journey in returning magic back to Earth and meeting allies and enemies along the way.

“Willow: Wonderland #1” was a delightful read. It’s like Wizard of Oz meets Alice in Wonderland, with the latter being quite obvious. The initial page starts off a little slow as I found Willow’s narration to be awkwardly phrased. I had to stop and reread a few times to figure out Parker’s intended intonation, although that’s just me being picky. However, as the story progresses, the writing becomes seamless. I could actually hear Alyson Hannigan’s famous portrayal of the character in my head.

I personally liked Brian Ching’s art and his interpretation of Willow. While she doesn’t look at all like Alyson Hannigan, she still looks pretty awesome. Perhaps not the shy and kindhearted Willow we knew in the TV series, but her intelligence and determination is still written all over her face. Her attire shows she’s not exactly a fighter, but an adventurer. It’s going to take wits, not violence to reach her end goal. On a related note, the cover art by David Mack is just stunning.

Overall, this was a good start to a new series. It’s fun, it’s adventurous, it’s Willow!