Animals of Wonderland #3: Walrus and Oysters
Deciding to not have the carpenter in this scene was a wise choice by my daughter. Lana wanted to focus on the series’ animals, so here’s her vision of the Walrus and Oysters. She chose a quote for the back of the painting by Lewis Carroll that reads: “Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.”
What are some of your favorite characters in Wonderland?
![IMG_E2814[1]](https://scryptcomics.files.wordpress.com/2019/11/img_e28141.jpg?w=590)
Animals of Wonderland: #2 The Caterpillar
My daughter painted another in her Animals of Wonderland series. The Caterpillar was her focus this time, and she included her initials “LRP” in the hookah smoke. A quote by Lewis Carroll is on the back of the painting that says, “One of the hardest things in the world is to convey a meaning accurately from one mind to another.”
![IMG_2541[1]](https://scryptcomics.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/img_25411-e1569858496382.jpg?w=590)
Animals of Wonderland #2: The Caterpillar – by Lana Rose Pipito
Review: Alice Through The Looking Glass
In the second of my two reviews I felt it necessary to write this one for two reasons… 1) I don’t understand the critics of this film, and 2) Lewis Carroll was a huge inspiration in my own writing career.
That being said this review won’t have spoilers, but will be brief and to the point. Critics have panned this movie so hard, and I just don’t get why. Did they go into it thinking it was going to be an interpretation of the novel “Through The Looking Glass” and came out realizing it was nothing like it and had an older Alice? Did they not see the previous movie and understand that Wonderland is supposed to be a little bit weird?
That’s exactly what this movie is. It’s weird. It’s strange. It’s colorful. The original two novels were all of that and more. This isn’t the second part of Alice’s story, it’s the 4th. This and its predecessor are sequels to the original novels where Alice is grown up now. I give Hollywood credit for making an original story, and I can honestly say this was refreshing.
Would I see I again in the theaters? No. Would I tell you to see it in the theaters? no. But I do think anyone who enjoyed those stories growing up should rent it when it comes out on dvd and blu ray. Don’t see it if you haven’t seen the previous movie because it might make you feel as though you missed something. It references the other movie and doesn’t stand on its own if you’re unfamiliar with its predecessor.
I think what made me like this film, other than seeing it with my daughter, is that it goes out of its way to explain why certain characters are the way they are. Why is the Queen of Hearts so bitter? Why is the Hatter so mad? It does this and more while having a good moral to the story.
It isn’t a movie to be taken seriously. It’s a movie about friendship and fun. A movie about dealing with real life stresses and escaping to a fantasy world. It emphasizes that you cannot change the past, but only deal with it, learn from it and make the best of what’s to come. And most of all it teaches that no matter how bad family feuds can be there will always be a way to patch up those things and find a common respect and love for one another.
The novels were better than the two sequel movies, but I feel as though the sequels fit into and respect the source material. I give Through The Looking Glass 3 out of 5 sCrypt logos for decent story, character and visually stunning effects.
Review: Once Upon a Time Second Season and Finale
I can officially review this show now, as it has a graphic novel spinoff coming in the fall, and I’m excited, as it is one
of my favorite shows on TV at the moment… but did its finale work well for the second season? Warning SPOILERS AHEAD!
First off, let me say that Season one was amazing. From start to finish, it had me on edge, wanting to see what was going to happen next. Then the finale came for the first season, and I was even more intruiged. Now let’s get on to season 2.
It begins with Once’s take on the Sleeping Beauty tale. A wraith hunts down Prince Phillip, while Princess Aurora and Mulan are left to fend for themselves. Emma and Snow have arrived here as well in the Enchanted Forest. At first the meeting does not go well between them, but Mulan eventually learns to trust Emma and Snow. With Magic now present in Storybrook, Emma and Snow do what it takes to return there.
Throughout the season we see a theme. During the first half of season 2, Emma and Snow make it their mission to return to storybrooke, even when it means teaming up with the famed Captain Hook and tackling a Giant at the top of a beanstalk. The twisted takes on fairytales continues to excite me throughout the season. Things like Lancelot, and Frankenstein being incorporated into it as well as Cora being revealed to be the actual Queen of Hearts from Wonderland were a lot of fun.
Things I didn’t like too much were the following: Tamara and Greg… Although I liked the reveal that Tamara was Greg’s “her” I feel that these characters were annoying as hell. I was beginning to think that Tamara was really a witch of Oz, but it just turns out she was a pawn of something bigger (we’ll get to that). She was the true bitch of this season. While true evil like Cora is wrong, she is still likeable. Tamara has nothing about her that I like, and Greg is just as irritating. Greg’s father was lost in Storybrooke long ago, yet he doesn’t seem to care at the end. It is all about the mission. Even if Regina did kill his father in the past, it doesn’t matter. A personal vendetta just seemed to be dropped for the twist at the end. I also didn’t like Belle losing her memory. I didn’t feel it drove the story any until she had fallen for bad boy Rumple, but even the effects of that were short lived.
I also felt that this season had no ups and downs. Is this a bad thing? No. It just didn’t have me waiting for the next episode as much as I was in the first season. High points to me were Cora… Regina’s struggles with good and evil… Neil being revealed as Baelfire… and the mystery of other people finding out about Storybrooke.
As for the finale, and inclusion of Peter Pan lore, I thought it was done well. I really like that they are making Pan out to be a bad guy, because in the original novel, he was really a selfish prick of sorts. Not sure to what degree this will hold up, but I can’t wait to find out. The only other complaints I have are that I have to wonder what kind of taser can electrocute a wooden Pinnochio. Also, how does the group know that the magic bean will take them to the realm that they want? Did Rumple control that?
Next season I’m hoping we get a little Mermaid inclusion, but I’m looking forward to seeing Neverland and actually Peter Pan himself, not just his shadow. Rumplestiltkin, the Evil Queen, Emma, Snow White, Prince Charming and Captain Hook are all now teamed up to save the one person that they all care about… Henry. They have no idea if Neal is even still alive, and it appears that they are going to bring Prince Phillip, Mulan and Aurora back into it again.
Still love this series, and am looking forward to the spinoff Once Upon a Time In Wonderland. I’m curious as to whether the writers will do a crossover episode or two. Can’t wait til the fall. Season 2 gets 7 out of 10 stars from me.
Comics for Kids That Adults Can Enjoy
Article by Rick Pipito:
Start your kids off early with reading. With all of the media today, it is difficult to get your kids to read when they can so easily get buried in technology. My daughter is three years old, and my son is almost two. As a writer, I’ve always told them stories and read them books. Then, my daughter’s imagination began to grow, and I had to compensate. I found something that is absolutely great for young children. Graphic Novels.
A man named Eric Shanower, as well as artist Scottie Young, have brought to life one of my favorite series of novels. L Frank Baum’s Oz stories are being published by Marvel Comics. I managed to snag a copy of “The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz,” “The Marvelous Land Of Oz,” and “Ozma of Oz.” Currently in the works is “Dorothy and The Wizard In Oz.” These are the first four novels in Baum’s original series and the stories have been converted faithfully. The character designs are unique, but fitting, and the stories flow well.
As I read the three graphic novels to my daughter (using unique voices for each character) I soon found she wanted more. That is when I searched for Eric Shanower’s other works. Apparently, before he scored a deal with Marvel, he had worked with IDW publishing to do some of the other Oz stories that weren’t full novels. 
“Little Adventures In Oz Book 1 and Book 2” were two others that became a great read.
While waiting for the next full release in the Oz series of comics, I decided to search for other classic tales, and found that Dynamite Entertainment did “The Complete Alice In Wonderland.” This graphic novel is also true to the original Lewis Carroll books. It includes “Alice In Wonderland” and “Through The Looking Glass,” plus has some bonus poems in the back. Although the language is a little more poetic than the Oz works, it still is entertaining for my two children.
I highly recommend getting your kids in to reading in this manner. It expands their imaginations, and you’d be surprised in what they remember. The stories work well for girls and boys, as well as myself as an adult. Although sCrypt Comics is currently portraying horror, there are many other things in the works, including my first children’s book from a few years back called “A Little Girl In The Land Of The Hiccups.” 
Have you found other graphic novels or comics that would be great for kids or that have translated well from the original fairy tales? If so, please comment. I’m always in search for a good recommendation.
sCrypt Publishing 