Alice in Comicland – interview with comic book historian Craig Yoe

Mark Frauenfelder 10:49 am Tue May 13, 2014

Lewis Carroll’s beloved Alice is well known for her colorful adventures in Wonderland. But it wasn’t until she graced the pages of comic books that her experiences became truly bizarre.

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For many years, comic book historian Craig Yoe has been cataloging comic book depictions of Alice. Alice in Comicland is the fruit of his research. Yoe has discovered comic book stories in which Alice rides in a flying saucer, meets Santa Claus, undergoes a sex change, and stars in banned 1950s horror comics. These stories were written and drawn by some of the best comic book artists in the industry, including Walt Kelly, Alex Toth, Dan DeCarlo, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis, Dave Berg, and Jack Kirby.

Why is Alice a perennial star of comic books? Two reasons: first, she is as internationally famous as Mickey Mouse, and second, she’s in the public domain, so there are no licensing hassles. I expect Alice will be part of comic books for as long as comic books are around. Enjoy this conversation with the delightful Mr.Yoe.

See pages from Alice in Comicland on Wink.

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