Alice in Sunderland" is a graphic novel like no other. Bryan Talbot takes the city of Sunderland & the story of Lewis Carroll & Alice Liddell (the 'real' Alice) as the spine of his story & around them spins a spectacularly diverse range of different stories. He explores Carroll's links with Sunderland & shows how the city inspired his masterpieces. He delves into the city's history from the Venerable Bede to George Formby from its heyday as the greatest shipbuilding port in the world to its present multicultural mix. Talbot's artwork is a spectacular mixture of different styles: black & white ink line & pencil drawing watercolour collage & digitally manipulated photographic artwork. His stories are told from the stage of the Sunderland Empire theatre an Edwardian music hall & the book is a genuine variety performance. In " Alice in Sunderland" he shows
- triumphantly
- how local history is national history in microcosm how one story begets another. The result is a landmark book in the graphic field."