I'm all a-quiver at the thought of soon starting to read Bryan Talbot's recent release, Alice in Sunderland. It's a 300-page hardcover comic that's been getting a lot of critical acclaim, as his work often does.
I first experienced Talbot's unique style in the 80s, when I tried to wrap my brain around The Adventures of Luther Arkwright. That particular series of comics, telling a complicated and incredibly-dense story involving multiple realities and British intrigue, was such a challenge to get through - because of how much was going on in it, not because it was bad! - that I've been on the lookout for more Talbot ever since. He eventually did a sequel to it, called Heart of Empire, that didn't really match the original in depth, but was still a fine read. He's also written and drawn some mainstream DC books, always to good effect, and produced The Tale of One Bad Rat, a heart-rending story about child abuse, that's just excellent.
All of which has prepared me to be amazed by whatever he's come up with this time. I know next to nothing about Alice in Sunderland, because I'd rather be surprised. I do know that the reviews have been very positive, and it was just nominated for some sort of genre award. I may be setting myself up for a big disappointment, but I guess that's a chance I'll have to take.
I also got a great deal on the book itself, through my local comic store. It's marked as $29.99 US, but I got it for $24 CDN. I asked Vicki what she thought it had cost me, after she saw the size of it... "$100?" she asked. Being able to tell her it was only a quarter of that felt pretty good. I hope by the time I'm done the book, I'll think it would've been worth that C-note!
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