Posted in: Comics | Tagged: boom, boom studios, jackie ball, maddi gonzalez, welcome to wanderland

Jackie Ball and Maddi Gonzalez Explore "The Most Truly Magical Place on Earth" in Welcome to Wanderland

Published Mon, 11 Jun 2018 22:07:21 -0500

Last updated Mon, 11 Jun 2018 22:08:29 -0500

BOOM! Studios has announced Welcome to Wanderland, a four-issue mini-series by Jackie Ball and Maddi Gonzalez about a girl who finds herself transported to a real-life version of her favorite theme park. But once there, she learns, a press release reveals, that "fairy tales aren't exactly a dream come true."

Bellamy Muñoz knows everything there is to know about Wanderland Park. She knows when all the most iconic rides were built, all the shortcuts around the park, and all the secret lore behind Old West Town, Space Age Metropolis, and New Princesston. So when she winds up in the REAL version of Wanderland, with real princesses and adorable talking woodland creatures, Bellamy is sure that she has GOT this…that is, until it starts to become clear that this magical land isn't much like the real world park at all, and the characters she thinks she knows aren't at all like she'd imagined.

Says writer Jackie Ball:

WELCOME TO WANDERLAND is inspired by my career in theme park design, and the wonderful, passionate weirdos who work in that world. One of my best friends grew up in Orlando, and he used to go to the parks after school to do his homework. It just painted such a picture of what it was like to grow up so constantly immersed in this rich other world, and so that's where Bel came from: a kid who spends all her time in a park and is passionate to a fault about a place that's going to seed a little bit, despite being run by a massive corporation with deep pockets. It was important to me that it didn't come off as making fun of Bel for caring so much, because being a passionate, detail-oriented nerd can be a wonderful gift as a creative person. But it can be all-consuming, especially when you're a teenager, and that can blind you to things like other people's feelings. That's something Bel's going to have to wrestle with.

And artist Maddi Gonzalez:

I'm super psyched to get to work on WELCOME TO WANDERLAND! It's such a cool concept, and as someone who adores the wonder of theme parks and magical realism, I'm excited to help bring to life this new world full of fantastical elements and big personalities. Bel and Riot have been some of my favorite characters to design so far!

BOOM! is spotlighting the young adult comics on its BOOM! Box imprint with a special promotion this week they're calling BOOM! Box Jam all week. We'll have to wait and see what else they have planned.

Look for Welcome to Wanderland #1 in stores in September.