LOOKING GLASS WARS (book and comic)
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Some people are afraid of spiders, some people are afraid of the dark,
me...I've always been afraid of mirrors. Poltergeist and Alice in
Wonderland were pretty freaky to me as a kid. So when an odd
little book came across my desk one morning, we HAD to pick it up.
Frank Beddor's, The
Looking Glass Wars (see the flassh trailer), is one man's attempt to tell (what he says) is the
true story of "Alyss" in Wonderland. Reinventing, or should we
say reverse engineering, the Lewis Carroll's masterpiece, Beddor traps
you from page one into a world that is 100% original yet familiar as
hell. The premise of book one of a planned trilogy is
outstanding: Alyss isn't trapped in wonderland, she's trapped in
our world. Can she make it back? Well, you'll have to get
through the initial slaughter of the royal court in the first
installment...yeah, it's that cool. This is an absolute must read
for anyone who grew up on the original version, just don't let the kids
near it, we don't want them to grow up like me. (oh yeah...and
did we mention its a kick-#$$ Desperado comic series as well).Recently, we were honored to have the chance to interview Mr. Beddor, a man who instructs up all to FOLLOW THE GLOW.
US: "Hello Frank, this is Will Piniarski from Paraseek.com. Once again great concept, wonderful issue 1 of the comic. I'm hooked personally. Thanks so much for your time. The Looking Glass Wars is an amazing accomplishment and certainly tells a lot about its author. Did any dreams or nightmares of your own inspire Looking Glass Wars?
FRANK: "Not consciously but since you’ve raised the question I do recall a recurring nightmare I’ve had since childhood which is probably quite universal and definitely haunting. It’s a dream of searching for something lost or missing – something I’m unable to even define. This may have unconsciously influenced underlying elements of the lost princess and Hatter’s search. I don’t know.
US: "Yep, I've definitely had those. Are there any aspects of the original A.I.Wonderland story that you avoided?
FRANK: "Beginning with the misspelling of her name and ending with the fact that it was all a lie. I would have to say yes.
US: "Gotcha. Speaking of the world of lies. We noticed in the intro a reference to an "effort to suppress Looking
Glass Wars" by the Lewis Carroll Society. Since there really is such an entity, was this just for dramatic purposes or have you really gotten complaints or actions from LCS?
FRANK: "A word of warning – do not piss off the Lewis Carroll Society. They are real and they are seriously into Carroll’s oeuvre. Complaints and protests were raised by the LCS over the Looking Glass Wars. On a trip to London following publication I was met at Heathrow by LCS protesters chanting, “Off with Frank Beddor’s head”.
US: "I'll have to send them a few queries. Interesting. Well, I can think of worst things to hear at an airport. Any press is good press. Do you think Looking Glass would make a good game or a movie?
FRANK: "Absolutely.
US: "Who would you like to see in it, and where can we invest :)
FRANK: "Somewhere in the world “Alyss” waits and much like Hatter Madigan I plan to crisscross the globe in a world wide search to find her. But instead of returning her to Wonderland. I will cast her in the role of Princess Alyss Heart. We encourage your investment in the movie. For right now, we’re only accepting cash. C-notes are preferable. And, of course, we’re promising all investors producing credit.
US: "One of the coolest characters in the book (and star of the comic btw) is the blade wielding Hatter Madigan, who's hat doubles as a spinning disc-o-death. At any point did you say to yourself, hey maybe too many knives (LOL). Maybe a spoon or fork. Scratch that, maybe a spork?
FRANK: "Expert bladesman Hatter Madigan is a ranking High Cut of the Wonderland Millinery with a career high of 72 cuts in 7 seconds. So you see, it’s really all about the blades and not the sporks
US: "Are you a James Bond fan? And if so does the cutting hat idea draw some of its origins from that franchise?
FRANK: "Big fan of the Sean Connery Bond and the Ian Fleming books but the hat did not spring from Odd Job’s headwear. The Hatters of the Wonderland Millinery are far from being mere henchmen – autonomous in their decision making – creators of their own signature weapons – these warriors go further, farther and faster. Stay tuned for more details.
US: "Seeing your frightening a new generation of Wonderland readers, what are some of the things that frighten you personally?
FRANK: "Warm milk in restaurants. I mean, how long has it been sitting out? Dangerous.
US: "Actually it was my 2 year old's so it could be either fresh or a week old. Think it fell into a puddle portal. Don't touch it.
"I've penned some books in my time. Every writer comes to one point in a book, and definitely a trilogy where they step back and say "hey maybe I can't do this." Some point or chapter there its painful to carry on. When did this occur for you and what helped you through it?
FRANK: "The dark days when the words won’t come and it all seems hopeless. Yes – more of those than I needed – but you just have to push through – get up and walk away from it all and look for signs and symbols. I personally go for a walk and look for inspiring messages scrawled in sidewalk concrete. Like ‘ignore alien orders’ and ‘olivia lives’. A memorable moment of despair while writing The Looking Glass Wars…Alyss’s journey through her Looking Glass Maze…there were so many levels I wanted to communicate.
US: "Are you working on any other related projects?
Currently – just finished Book 2 of the LGW trilogy. Finishing mini-series two for Hatter M comic. And we will be launching the Hatter M card game in a few days on our website. It’s a ccg game and available to play for free at lookingglasswars.com. Please join us.
US: "Our thanks for your time again Frank. We'll keep reading and keep watching. And we'll FOLLOW THE GLOW as long as it burns.
(-William J Piniarski-)
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