Alice in Sunderland (First Printing)
Category: Books,Comics & Graphic Novels,Graphic Novels
Alice in Sunderland (First Printing) Details
From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. Talbot's freewheeling, metafictional magnum opus is a map of the curious and delightful territory of its cartoonist's mind, starring himself in multiple roles. The starting point is the history of his hometown, the northeast English city of Sunderland, along with his lifelong fascination with the myths and realities behind Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland—potentially dry material, but Talbot pulls out all the stops to keep it entertaining. He veers off on one fascinating tangent after another. The book encompasses dead-on parodies of EC horror comics, British boys' comics and Hergé's Tintin, walk-ons by local heroes like Sidney James, extensive analysis of a couple of William Hogarth prints, a cameo appearance by the Venerable Scott McComics-Expert and even a song-and-dance number, drawing a three-dimensional web of coincidences and connections between all. It's also a showcase for the explosive verve of Talbot's protean illustrative style, with digital collages of multiple media on almost every page: pen-and-ink drawings in a striking variety of styles, photographs, painting, computer modeling, and all manner of found images. The book's only real weakness is its scattered focus, but Talbot is a remarkable raconteur, even if what he's presenting is more a variety show than a story. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Read more From Booklist *Starred Review* Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking Glass(1872) have had an immeasurable impact on children's literature and, indeed, the entire spectrum of popular entertainment, with Carroll's absurdist wordplay and surreal scenarios inspiring artistic visionaries from Salvador Dali to John Lennon. Of English writers, only Shakespeare is more frequently quoted. Such interesting literary tidbits as those abound in Talbot's lavishly illustrated graphic "entertainment" tracing the historical and cultural influences behind Carroll's masterpieces. The launching pad for Talbot's alternately fanciful and didactic exposition is the Empire Theatre in Sunderland, a former shipping port in northeastern England and a favorite Carroll haunt. Talbot's chosen stage manager-narrator is his own illustrated doppelganger, who takes the Empire stage for an audience of one and proceeds on a breathtaking tour through Sunderland's colorful history. Along with insights into famous battles, bridges, and ghost-infested castles, Talbot provides updates to Carroll's biography via recent information concerning his controversial relationship to the "real" Alice, Alice Liddell (1852-1934). Talbot's talented team of collaborating illustrators weaves a rich tapestry of artistic styles, ranging from superlative pen-and-ink drawing to colorized faux photography. They make a beautiful coffee-table volume of what may come to stand with Martin Gardner's The Annotated Alice(1960; rev. ed., 1990) as an indispensable trove of Wonderland lore. Carl HaysCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more
Reviews
This is a marvelous "little" book, packed full of cartoons, collages, photos, poetry, and an off-kilter exploration of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson's (aka Lewis Carroll) "Alice in Wonderland" & "Through the Looking Glass", and it's roots in Sunderland in NE England. It's a merry visual chase to pinpoint various features and events that may have inspired one of the world's most cherished modern fairy tales. This ISN'T linear story telling and certainly not your run-of-the-mill historical graphic novel (as much as I enjoy those also); it leaps from this modern period to Carroll's era to ancient history, and explores and reviews various mediums of art related to "Alice".I first encountered this book at my local library while browsing in the comics, TPB and graphic novels section, and ended up paying large overdue fines because I reread it over and over. When I saw this on Amazon, I knew I had to own it. There's always something new to encounter that you may have missed before, when giving it a reread. It's a smart book that requires smart reading; go in with your heart open and your mind ready to be engaged, and you won't be disappointed.
