Web Comic Namesake Enters Wonderland in its Third Year Online

Alice and Cheshire Cats by Isabelle Melançon

If you’re a fan of web comics and graphic novels, and you’re not already aware of the web comic Namesake, then this post is for you!

Created by Isabelle Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton, Namesake is a clever, serialized riff on popular tales including The Wizard of Oz, and the Alice books.  We posted when the project went live back in October of 2010, but as Namesake has recently passed its third anniversary (congratulations!), it seemed like a good time to mention it again.  The storytelling makes free with many characters you know and love, along with introducing a boatload of memorable original characters.  I will note that there is occasionally some web comic violence, so it is not for the very young.  (What happens to Edith Liddell is even more unpleasant than what happened to her in real life, as just one example.)

While elements of our favorite tales are everywhere, the storytelling and images are entirely new.  Megan and Isabelle make a formidable (and entertaining) storytelling team. The first couple of years focused primarily on an Oz-themed storyline, with only the occasional teasing reference to the world of Lewis Carroll.  But now we are seeing more of a certain Alice character, and starting to hear about her unique background in this alternate universe.  And yes, there is more than one Cheshire Cat.  To find out why, you’ll need to read Namesake.

Since the story is serialized and somewhat complex over time, I would strongly suggest that if you’re new to Namesake, you should follow the King of Hearts’ advice: Begin at the beginning.  (You can also buy the first part of the story as a published book in their online store, if you prefer.)

To enter the world of Namesake, click me.

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