Did you know that Alice from Wonderland was the daughter of Dr. Moreau? Or how about a team up between the Wicked Witch of the West and Dr. Jekyll? And did you ever wonder how Mowgli could speak to the jungle animals? Maybe he was part Doolittle? These are only some of the wickedly inventive crossover tales found in The Weirding Willows, a new graphic novel being released by Titan Comics by writer Dave Elliott. Like The Avengers movie, Alien vs. Predator or even Once Upon a Time, Elliott has written the king of all crossovers starring a wealth of characters from classical 19th century fiction. Alice in Wonderland, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Wizard of Oz, The Wind in the Willows; even Peter Rabbit makes a guest appearance in this clever comic, the hardcover collection of which is due out July 1.

The first volume of The Weirding Willows seems to be just the tip of the iceberg of this hugely imaginative story. Elliot fills each chapter with cameo after cameo, presenting an intricately woven tapestry of adventure starring some of literature’s most favorite characters.

Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.

Alice is the star of this series, presented as a no-nonsense teenage girl who has discovered more than just a portal to Wonderland out in the woods surrounding her house. The titular Weirding Willow actually contains portals to all manner of fictional lands, including Oz, Pellucidar (Journey to the Center of the Earth) and NeverNeverLand. But Elliott’s story is not just about doorways to all of these worlds. The characters and creatures of fiction already seem to live in and around the Willows, and many already have a long history of working together. Alice is the daughter of Dr. Philippe Moreau, because why not? It’s not like we ever knew Alice’s last name in the original Wonderland stories (did we?). And Moreau is an old friend of Morty Doolittle, son of the famous doctor (not the Eddie Murphy version). And the Wicked Witch of the West wants both of them to help her build an army of flying monkeys. Moreau’s scientific specialty is making freaky hybrid animal monsters, is it not?

But while that evil is afoot, Alice is tasked with helping the White Rabbit and his bunny friends defeat a monster who has invaded their little bunny homes – Frankenstein’s Monster! Also there’s at least one T-Rex.

Join me after the jump for the full review! And the hardcover is available for pre-order on Amazon.

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