Summary
AUTHOR: Talbot, Bryan
ARTIST: Bryan Talbot (illustrator); Jordan Smith (cover artist)
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
FIRST BOOK PUBLICATION: 2007
"Alice in Sunderland: An Entertainment" by Bryan Talbot is a graphic novel that artfully blends history, myth, and storytelling. Talbot takes readers on a whimsical journey, exploring the influences behind Lewis Carroll’s beloved Alice tales while weaving a rich tapestry of Sunderland’s own storied past. Through a creative narrative style and diverse artistic techniques, the book serves as a unique homage to the enduring power of narrative.
Publication History
Bryan Talbot embarked on his comics journey in the early 1970s by delving into the world of underground comics. Despite working with a variety of publishers such as DC Comics, Tekno Comix, and Paradox Press, his creations have consistently exuded an independent spirit. As he entered the 2000s, Talbot’s published work became less frequent as he dedicated himself to developing Alice in Sunderland.
The inspiration for the book struck Talbot during a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake at Sunderland’s Empire Theatre. Alice in Sunderland evolved into a "dream documentary," exploring storytelling as both entertainment and a means of shaping personal and collective histories. The narrative draws from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, expanding those ideas to illustrate how stories metamorphose over time, influencing individuals to reframe their own life narratives.
Talbot devoted several years to crafting Alice in Sunderland, which made its debut nearly simultaneously through Dark Horse Comics in the U.S. and Jonathan Cape in the U.K., followed by translations into several other languages. For the third U.K. printing, Talbot took the opportunity to refine his work by correcting typographical errors and making slight visual adjustments.
Plot
The tale commences with the Punter wandering into the Empire Theatre, aimless and seeking to pass time. The Performer soon appears on stage, weaving the history of the Empire Theatre with its singular production, a 1970 musical inspired by Carroll's Alice books. The narrative expands to encompass Sunderland’s history, its inhabitants, and Carroll’s creation of the Alice stories, with the Performer challenging the audience to discern which story is fictitious among his accounts.
Tracing Sunderland’s timeline from 674 AD and the construction of St. Peter’s Church to 2007, the Performer highlights the region’s evolution, including contributions from artist Colin Wilbourn and writer Chaz Brenchley. He also touches upon the historic rivalry between Sunderland’s Mackems and Newcastle’s Geordies. The Pilgrim shifts focus to Carroll’s publication journey, detailing his collaboration with John Tenniel and the eventual delivery of a bound Alice book to the real Alice, despite her mother’s intervention.
During the intermission, the Punter puzzles over the truthfulness of the stories, with the ghost of actor Sid James urging him to discern fact from folklore. As the performance resumes, Sunderland’s stories are continually interwoven with Alice’s adventures, sometimes tenuously connected, exploring how narratives both mythical and historical endure and influence culture.
The Performer ultimately confesses that all his tales bear truth as far as can be ascertained, concluding with an extravagant finale of music, fireworks, and a parade of historical figures, before bidding the Punter farewell. Talbot awakens in the theatre, bewildered amidst applause, as his wife chides him for dozing through Swan Lake.
Characters
- The Punter: Initially introduced as an everyman, he is past his prime and somewhat disheveled. He represents the reader and engages with the Performer, voicing potential criticisms and questions from the audience.
- The Performer : The charismatic host of the narrative, he captivates the Punter with theatrical flair, guiding him through Sunderland’s storied past while donning eccentric costumes like a...
(This entire section contains 1138 words.)
Unlock this Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
- white rabbit mask.
- The Pilgrim: In contrast to the Performer, the Pilgrim provides factual context with a more subdued demeanor, contributing insights projected on a backdrop yet seamlessly sharing the storytelling duties.
- Bryan Talbot: Appearing as himself, Talbot reflects on his creative process, occasionally grappling with existential dilemmas. The characters mirror facets of Talbot’s personality, blurring together throughout the narrative.
Artistic Style
In Alice in Sunderland, Talbot employs a myriad of artistic techniques across the narrative. The principal storyline unfolds in black and white, depicted in a classical comic book style. As the Performer narrates, Talbot integrates collage, combining photographs and drawn elements, further enhanced by image filters to maintain visual coherence.
In discussing various artists, Talbot temporarily adopts their styles, such as Tenniel’s or McCloud’s, to underscore their contributions. Although the art style shifts frequently, it effectively complements the storytelling, ensuring a fluid narrative progression.
Talbot also intersperses self-contained comic stories within the main narrative, adapting the art style according to the subject. For instance, a ghost story about a haunted castle is portrayed in a manner reminiscent of 1950s EC Comics horror tales.
Themes
The overarching theme of Alice in Sunderland is the essence of storytelling. Rather than focusing on the mechanics of narrative construction, Talbot demonstrates how stories originate and evolve. He broadens the concept of storytelling beyond traditional media to include personal narratives shaped by individual experiences and actions.
Talbot also delves into themes of cyclical renewal in storytelling. He illustrates how certain narrative elements are reused across different contexts, enabling the Alice stories to be retold in numerous forms. The tales Talbot recounts extend to unexpected realms, influencing language and culture in unpredictable ways.
Sunderland and Carroll frequently serve as examples to explore these ideas. By drawing from a wide spectrum of related stories, Talbot provides a rich array of examples of narrative and its cyclical nature, while grounding the reader with the familiar Alice stories.
Impact
Talbot’s Alice in Sunderland ambitiously chronicles Carroll’s life and literary impact. While others have examined Carroll in detail, Talbot situates him within the broader landscape of storytelling. He emphasizes the vast array of works inspired by Carroll's tales, from direct adaptations to cultural references like Carroll's image on The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover.
Talbot places particular emphasis on comics, drawing influence from artists like Scott McCloud. McCloud's presence is felt not only in thematic elements but also through a cameo that revitalizes Talbot’s dedication to his work. Talbot embraces McCloud’s definition of comics, likening modern art installations to narrative forms.
Further Reading
- Carroll, Lewis, Leah Moore, John Reppion, and Erica Awano. The Complete Alice in Wonderland (2010).
- Gaiman, Neil. The Sandman: Fables and Reflections (1993).
- Talbot, Bryan. Grandville (2009).
Bibliography
- Brooker, Will. Alice’s Adventures: Lewis Carroll in Popular Culture. New York: Continuum, 2004.
- Carroll, Lewis, John Tenniel, and Martin Gardner. The Annotated Alice: “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking-Glass”. New York: Norton, 2000.
- McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics. Northampton, Mass.: Kitchen Sink Press, 1993.
Alice in Sunderland: An EntertainmentCritical Survey of Graphic Novels: Independents & Underground Classics Bart H. Beaty Stephen Weiner 2012 Salem Press
