Renowned Alice in Wonderland expert Beddor sat down with Lumino Magazine recently to discuss the fascination that is Wonderland.
You’ve always had a passion for Alice in Wonderland. When did that start?
The ‘passion’ first ignited as a childish rage when my grandmother (named Alice by the way) insisted we read the book together one particularly hot summer afternoon when I was 10 and everybody else was in the swimming pool.
What is it about Alice that speaks to you?
My adult passion for Alice came upon me suddenly when I was visiting the British Museum during a business trip to London about 10 years ago. Down one rather deserted corridor I saw an exhibit of ancient cards. For instance, Napoleon hired artists to hand paint depictions of his many victories in battle. But what caught my attention, at the very end of the exhibit, was an incomplete deck of cards illuminated by an unusual glow, almost as though they were alive. I was intrigued by the exhibit and captivated by the images on the cards. This was a very, very different version of Wonderland.
For the remainder of my trip I was preoccupied with the images and told several friends, one of whom suggested I meet with an antiquities dealer he knew who specialized in collecting all sorts of ancient playing cards. The next morning, on the way to the airport, I stopped at the dealer's shop. When I told him about the unusual exhibit, he revealed that he in fact owned the cards missing from the deck. I was stunned. He brought out this old, worn leather box filled with cards and told me the story as he flipped one card over at a time, revealing the saga of The Looking Glass Wars. It was a darker Alyss from a darker world and I knew I was meant to tell the story. Once I discovered the truth behind the deck of playing cards it soon became clear that Lewis Carroll had changed everything.
I began putting all the pieces together and weaving the revelations of just how different the real Wonderland and its inhabitants were compared to the children's lite version the world had known and accepted for nearly 150 years. Carroll's choices in how he changed Alyss's story were so fascinating (he even changed her name!) - the monsters and heroes of her lost world became these cheery reinventions. It was such a betrayal on Carroll's part and was in fact, the reason for the rift that eventually occurred between the writer and his muse. For instance - the characters we know as the White Rabbit, the Red Queen, the Cheshire Cat and of course, the Mad Hatter all appear in The Looking Glass Wars as they were intended to by Alyss when she told Carroll her harrowing tale.
The White Rabbit was in fact Bibwit Harte, the six foot tall albino royal tutor for all Wonderland Queens (Carroll had anagrammed his name to create the White Rabbit), while the Red Queen was in truth Alyss's Aunt Redd, the revenge maddened usurper to the throne ably assisted by her top assassin, The Cat, a man size feline who morphs from adorable kitten to giant mutant feline when called upon to kill.
So you see, there was a lot of truth to be uncovered and this is when I became passionate about telling the story of Alyss of Wonderland.
You’ve expanded Lewis Carrol’s Wonderland universe immensely in your books and graphic novels. What were your inspirations outside of Carroll?
In terms of creative ambition and scope I was certainly inspired by fantasy authors like Tolkien, Rowling, Lewis and Pullman who were able to construct such vast and believable worlds. But science fiction authors like Frank Herbert also inspired me. So my inspiration came from both fantasy and science fiction and I think that is reflected in the LGW and Hatter M series where you will find steampunk conventions and holographic billboards as well as the conjuring power of Imagination and singing flowers.
You are a skier and film producer as well. What drove you into the world of books and graphic novels?
I found a story I wanted to tell. At the same time I wanted to be a creator and not just a facilitator for other people’s creative visions which is what I did as a producer. So I started to create my own worlds and characters and these became the Looking Glass Wars trilogy and Hatter M graphic novels.
As you know Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” is in theaters and is a huge hit. As both a film producer and Alice in Wonderland expert, what are your thoughts on the venture?
Without having seen the movie…the incidental similarities are that she’s the same age as my lead character, she’s going to marry a man she is not in love with, she returns to Wonderland not remembering that, in my case, she’s from there or in Tim Burton’s case that she had been there at an earlier time. She’s destined to banish the Red Queen, in my case Her Imperial Viciousness aka her aunt Queen Redd. And it takes place in Wonderland with lots of big mushrooms. What’s different in my story is that Alyss did not go to Wonderland…she was born in Wonderland and Lewis Carroll chose to change her harrowing adventure into a whimsical, nonsensical fairytale. As I said, I haven’t seen the film but my sense is that Burton was dealing with the issue that everyone has had with the book – Lewis Carroll’s story is very episodic with a passive protagonist which does not make for big cinematic films so he had to find a way to make the book into a movie.
Tell me about your latest project, the Hatter M series.
The graphic novels are not an adapatation of the Looking Glass Wars trilogy. What they are is an extension of the prose series – much like a parallel story – that unfolds through Hatter Madigan’s point of view as he searches our world for 13 years looking for Wonderland’s lost princess. While the Looking Glass Wars is told primarily from Alyss’ point of view – Hatter M lets us experience his adventure as he searches for Alyss.
Royal Bodyguard Hatter Madigan is a top ranked blades man with a unique signature weapon – a Hat that goes airborne and contains razor sharp swirling blades. Despite the fact he was first introduced in the prose series, the character is so visual and dynamic it fast became obvious to me that if I were to follow his solo adventures graphic novels would be the ideal way to go.
Anyone who has read the Looking Glass Wars or even the introduction to the first comic book knows that Hatter is eventually successful in finding Alyss and bringing her home. NO mystery there. But at the heart of Hatter’s search there is a mystery. As Volume 2 of the graphic novel series unfolds readers should start to realize that the mystery of this planned 5 Volume parallel series is the path that Hatter follows both consciously and unconsciously. Before he can master the final challenge of finding the Princess he must first, like all of us, realize there is something he must learn from his ordeal. Operating from the metaphysical rule stating: Everything Happens for a Reason we have begun to track and will eventually reveal this mystery when Hatter finds Alyss. I enjoy the tone and humor of doing the comics. Comic books are not expected to lay it all out in a linear fashion like most novels do. My favorite comic books relish interrupted plotlines and mysterious characters and the fun of an off kilter, freewheeling, unexpected universe.
Do you think you will continue to stay in the Wonderland universe?
Because of the Looking Glass Wars trilogy and Hatter M graphic series I am fairly certain I will always have a home in Wonderland. A home, but not a prison. At some point I may wish to pack a bag and wander to distant lands in search of new adventure and unsolved mysteries. The future is unknown.
Powered by AkoComment 2.0!
