Grimm Fairy Tales Wonderland Annual 2011 (Zenescope – Tedesco / Gregory / Chen)

When a group of teens become the latest victims of the House of Liddle, a brilliant young boy will make it his personal mission to insure that the house never hurts anyone else again. But does the boy have what it takes to stop the house where madness lives and no one gets out alive? Don’t miss this final chapter of the House of Liddle!

Well, I very much doubt this is the last time Zene-fans will see the House of Liddle… at least I hope so.  The series of Wonderland Annuals, while originally seen to support the underpinnings of the original Wonderland mini, have evolved into a fantastic venue for the story-tellers at Zenescope to present some shorter one-shot stories that aren’t necessarily pivotal in the bigger Zene-story arcs, but are enjoyable to the horror fan all the same.

This ish starts off with the premise that most comic readers have heard before – a coed group of uppity, sassy young adult teen types who have their minds in the gutter think they will enhance their evening of debauchery by partying in a real haunted house.  While, I’m not saying that idea will always end in tragedy – in most horror tales it will, especially if the house they pick happens to be under the domain of Wonderland’s own maniacal bad boy Johnny (the Mad Hatter).   While this is a plot that most have driven down before, Mr. Tedesco and his creative team put a fresh set of tires on it (mostly through the personality, taunting and methodology of the sociopathic Hatter) and made it enjoyable.

While it is a “Wonderland” Annual and certainly does tie-in to the overall Zene-saga – giving some back ground with the house’s history, Johnny, the Liddle family, etc. – This easily can be read as a stand alone.  Without hesitation, I think a book like this shows that Zenescope could pull off a monthly horror anthology under the “Wonderland” brand.

This is a great horror short story and would be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a little scare and likes a little sweat down their back.

The Bottom line:  Another fantastic tale from Zenescope – reminding me of a modern version of the iconic “Tales From the Crypt”