space
head
head head head
Home Contact RSS Feed
COMICS   •   MOVIES   •   MUSIC   •   TELEVISION   •   GAMES   •   BOOKS
Comic Review: Hatter M, Volume 4: Zen Of Wonder
space
Maximus Prime   |  

Hatter M, Volume 4: Zen of WonderHatter M, Volume 4
Zen of Wonder
Written by Frank Beddor and Liz Cavalier
Illustrated by Sami Makkonen
Lettered by Tom B. Long
Cover by Vincent Proce
Automatic Pictures Publishing
Release Date: May 21, 2013
Cover Price: $14.95

Hatter M, Volume 4: Zen of Wonder is the latest book in the Hatter M series from Automatic Pictures Publishing. Continuing the saga of Hatter Madigan in his journey through our world in the 19th Century, Frank Beddor, Liz Cavalier and Sami Makkonen manage a feat with this new installment that I had not thought possible: they made me enjoy Madigan’s tale.

It is 1870 and Hatter Madigan has been in our world searching for the lost Alyss””the rightful heir to the throne of Wonderland””for over ten years. Distraught over the fact that he has been unable to find the girl he was sworn to protect, Madigan’s luck is finally about to change. When he meets a mysterious young girl named Nekko who begins to teach him the art of Zen””being content and gaining enlightened understanding””Madigan is led on an expedition that begins with a quest to acquire a Samurai sword with sentimental meaning. This new voyage takes them from San Francisco to the Hawaiian Islands and finally to Japan where Nekko continues her guidance of Madigan. A notion that could be the key to helping him find Alyss becomes increasingly clear to him: “when you seek, you cannot find.” But it won’t all come easily, as Hatter Madigan must fight samurais, best fire breathing chicken demons and elude ghosts from his past if he is ever to reach a Zen-like state.

I will be completely honest and say that I did not enjoy the first three volumes of Hatter M, though each one was a bit better than the first. I found the writing too fast and terribly paced; however, Beddor and Cavalier must have been practicing the art of Zen while writing this one, as Hatter M, Volume 4 fits together beautifully. The flow is excellent and perfectly timed. The story was different””crisp””yet also a natural progression from its predecessors.

I’ve enjoyed Makkonen’s art since he took over illustration duties in volume two. His drawings are weird, creepy and at the same time, oddly alluring. The panels feel effortless yet detailed. The work is sketchy, yet inked purposefully. It is dark, grand and whimsical. Makkonen is able to depict the very peculiar nature of the story through equally strange character portrayals.

Before the story begins, there is a note from the Hatter M Institute””the “real” organization that is researching the “true” events of Madigan and Alyss’ time in our world. At the end of the note, it states, “Read this book for the experience. Do not attempt to understand.” What’s interesting to me is that I finally understood this story. It was clear, concise and interesting, yet perhaps that was not Beddor’s or Cavalier’s intention. Either way, regardless of if you enjoyed the other three volumes in the Hatter M series or not, I would definitely recommend this one.

No Comments »

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL

Leave a comment

space
space
Previous Article
space
Next Article
«
»
space
space
space
Amazon.com
space
You may have noticed that we're now AD FREE! Please support Geeks of Doom by using the Amazon Affiliate link above. All of our proceeds from the program go toward maintaining this site.
space
Geeks of Doom on Twitter Geeks of Doom on Facebook Geeks of Doom on Instagram Follow Geeks of Doom on Tumblr Geeks of Doom on YouTube Geeks of Doom Email Digest Geeks of Doom RSS Feed
space
space
space
space
The Drill Down Podcast TARDISblend Podcast Westworld Podcast
2023  ·   2022  ·   2021  ·   2020  ·   2019  ·   2018  ·   2017  ·   2016  ·   2015  ·   2014  ·  
2013  ·   2012  ·   2011  ·   2010  ·   2009  ·   2008  ·   2007  ·   2006  ·   2005
space
Geeks of Doom is proudly powered by WordPress.

Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press

Geeks of Doom is designed and maintained by our geeky webmaster
All original content copyright ©2005-2023 Geeks of Doom
All external content copyright of its respective owner, except where noted
space
Creative Commons License
This website is licensed under
a Creative Commons License.
space
About | Privacy Policy | Contact
space