Abigail & Rox In The Land Of Enchantment
One-Shot
Story by Joshua Gamon
Art by Adrian Sibar
Lettering by Ed Dukeshire
DigitaL Webbing

Abigail just a normal little girl living in 19th-century London with her grandfather. That is, until her grandfather is given an ancient book called Enchantment. When the book whisks her grandfather away to a magical kingdom, Abigail soon follows with her trusty stuffed teddy bear Rox in tow. Abigail finds herself in a kingdom that appears to be inhabited by characters out of Wonderland. The White Rabbit introduces her to The Queen Of Spades, and it is at this meeting that Abigail finds her grandfather, trapped under the spell of the Queen.

But Abigail is not alone in this strange world, as the White Rabbit becomes her guide and takes her to the Cheshire Den where Rox is. Abigail finds that this enchanted world has brought her pint-sized bear to life, and once joined together, the two become inseparable. When the Queen Of Spades learns of Abigail’s singular task of rescuing her grandfather, the Queen merely captures her, and condemns her to be dinner for the fearsome and uncontrollable Jabberwocky!

Writer Joshua Gamon conjures up memories of early 90’s Vertigo Comics fantasy in this sprawling and magical tale that is fit for all but the smallest child. His version of Wonderland leans slightly more toward the anarchic attitude of American McGee version than the psychedelic mind trip of Disney’s interpretation (don’t worry, Abigail isn‘t armed with a knife). He has created in Abigail a fearless and strong-willed young girl that younger readers can identify with. She has positive attributes that girl readers can connect with, but certainly does not alienate potential boy readers. Gamon doesn’t treat his adult readers with kid gloves though, and in a telling strength to his writing abilities, has created a comic that is indeed for “all readers,” and like a fairy tale, different aged readers will get a different experience out of his tale.

To give visual life to his words, Gamon has brought in artist Adrian Sibar (Batgirl, Planet of the Apes, DWP 28). To further the Vertigo analogy, Sibar’s artwork here is slightly reminiscent of Jill Thompson fantasy-themed work with a dash of Sam Keith’s penchant for rounded shapes and figures. His colors take a small nod to The Wizard Of Oz, as his real-world is filled with drab grays where the only color seems to be purple. But once the transition is made to the Enchanted World, Sibar breaks out a full spectrum of bright and vivid colors. It is a perfect compliment to Gamon’s untamed imagination.

Abigail & Rox is a self-contained one-shot that will be released by Digital Webbing this July. Gamon plans to take Abigail & Rox on further adventures, through two future story arcs which will expand the Wonderland that Abigail begins in, and sets her off into the rest of the Land Of Enchantment that also houses the world of Jack And The Beanstalk, Sleepy Hollow, and Oz. Though this idea is currently fueling the incredible on-going Fables, there is still plenty of room for this take on fairy tale worlds without seeming redundant. I admit not knowing what is currently on the comic book shelves that is geared toward younger readers, but if you have a youngster you’d like to introduce comics to, then Abigail & Rox, with its blend of original and familiar characters, is a great place to start.