Are You Alice? Vol. 1 TP (Manga)
Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: May 28, 2013
Price: $11.99
Creator(s): Ai Ninomiya (writer), Ikumi Katagiri (artist)
Format: 192 pgs., B&W, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-3162-5095-5
Age Rating: Older Teen
ICv2 Rating: 2 stars out of 5
 
A man arrives in Wonderland and immediately meets the Cheshire Cat who dubs him 'Alice'.  Not having any memory of who he actually is he denies the name but eventually is forced to go along with it after he meets the Mad Hatter and is brought before the Queen of Hearts and given an ultimatum: kill the White Rabbit or die. Confused yet?  Not  half as much as I was when I read this first volume I bet.
 
It's not that this first volume is really bad.  The artwork makes heavy use of shading and shadows which adds a real air of mystery and intrigue to the book and the character designs are quite striking to look at.  Combine this with a lot of foreshadowing and intrigue and you have a not entirely bad first volume which appears to be going somewhere.
 
The problem here is that it "appears" to be going somewhere without ever giving any real indication on where "somewhere" is.  It could be a dead end in the middle of nowhere or it could be somewhere grand.  I really can't say but honestly at this point, it's hard to say that I care much either.  The foreshadowing will pull in some readers but others are going to left in the cold wondering when the series is ever going to get to the point and somewhere around chapter three I shifted from the former category to the latter.
 
There are some very interesting concepts within the book including not being able to look behind oneself lest the regrets kill you (literally).  The regrets are shadowy monsters which will destroy people who look behind them) but other than that there isn't a lot here in terms of real hooks.
 
Mystery enthusiasts are going to enjoy this book but how much they enjoy it is going to hinge entirely on how much foreshadowing you're willing to put up with.  If you're looking for a book that spells it out for you or gives you strong early hooks, this isn't the book for you.  If you're willing to wait it out, you might find something worthwhile here.
 
It's hard to recommend this book to anyone but hardcore mystery buffs who want a challenge.  If you're looking for something simple though, move along because there's nothing to see here.

--L.B. Bryant