The Weirding Willows is a universe spawned from a mash-up of a hundred different well know characters from fiction all integrated into new story lines where anything can happen but for many their destiny's have already been written, we just didn't k...
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I must have been five or six years old when I first received my introduction to the world of mythology. No it wasn't tearing the pages out of my parent's copy of Bullfinch's Mythology, it was discovering Jack Kirby's version of the mythical character THOR from Marvel Comics. He then went head to head with HERCULES for a smack down in Hades. It would be two more years before I would find out these stories were based on old myths and legends and would influence my writing for the rest of my life.
And yes, a quick heads up that both Thor and Hercules will be turning up at some point in The Weirding Willows. If you've already read the first volume then you'll have already seen the first character to originate from Asgard (he's well hidden).
In creating The Weirding Willows I didn't set out to create a book that could be read in schools, I was too busy having a great time playing with these characters. I knew I wanted to do a project that would resonate with a larger audience and something my own daughters would be happy to read. Yet as it came together I had to decide where in each of these characters histories they would intersect with the others. I've taken some liberties where the writing allows it (and even a little where it doesn't) and layered these characters and their histories over one another.
Most books I've read from that period focus on the story being told and leave character histories up to the reader. That includes many characters with no first or last names. Doctor Moreau is one example and Alice is another.
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Art by Sami Basri and Jessica Kholinne
So let's take those two characters. The Weirding Willows opens 7 years after the events of 'Through The Looking Glass' with Alice at 18 years old. By now I imagine her to be well at home going back and forth to Wonderland. She'd know the people and creatures there very well and discovered a lot more. For Doctor Moreau his adventures on his island are yet to happen, but what makes someone go that far away from civilization and where did he get the financing from to buy an island and all those animals? After all, it would be a huge undertaking.
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Art by Sami Basri and Jessica Kholinne
Anyone reading this series can find out more about these characters by reading the original books. Moreau's assistant Montgomery who brings him the animals to test on would be able to do what he does easily if he was a Doolittle. What was his father like? There are 12 books chronicling the adventures of Doctor John Doolittle, first generation, Montgomery is second and Mowgli is third. Three different characters histories are interwoven (with a little imagination) seamlessly.
I'm also avoiding many of the perceptions that came with books written in that era and the illustrations that accompanied them. There is no reason Wonderland should reflect Victorian England if it is not the imaginings of a young 9 year old girl. These worlds are going to be very different versions from what you have seen before and I encourage any reader to try their own hand at playing with these characters. Re-envisioning old characters is a great way to have fun and experiment with ideas. Many writers over the years have used the characters from Alice in Wonderland, so I am not the first and I won't be the last. What I am creating is something new from something old and Alice will only play a small part in this larger universe.
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I have a history for this world that expands far beyond the confines of the late 19th century in the original works. We'll travel from before the creation of the Earth to the year 802701 AD and beyond. Some will be familiar and some won't. As with Montgomery Doolittle, many of these characters will have family that lives far into the future. There will always be life and there cannot be a celebration of life without death.
Life will always be a struggle, for without the struggle you won't get the joy of appreciating your successes and the joy and heartbreak of knowing the same struggles await your own children.
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Art by Barnaby Bagenda, Dave Elliott and Ifansyah Noor
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Art by Dave Elliott and Ifansyah Noor
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