And Then I Read: ONCE UPON A TIME MACHINE

Image © Andrew Carl and Chris Stevens, illustration by Farel Dalrymple.

I lettered one story in this thick anthology, but it’s taken me a while to read the rest of it. As anthologies go, this one is impressive physically: 432 pages on high-quality glossy paper, square bound and about an inch thick. There’s an excellent wraparound cover by Dalrymple, and the contents are impressive, too.

The theme is in the title, but it takes a little while to sink in. Think of lots of favorite and perhaps less known fairy tales (the “Once Upon a Time” part) imagined in a futuristic setting, often with science fictional elements (the “Time Machine” part). There are twenty-five such tales here, plus many single page images between the stories. As in all anthologies, the variety of material means not everything is equally good, or will appeal to every reader, but as in all GOOD anthologies, most readers will find things they like here. One of my favorites was the very first story, a new version of 1001 Nights written by Tara Alexander, art by Nelson Evergreen. It’s a story set in a future publishing business where comics are about to be made obsolete, until the young daughter of a former comics legend comes to work there and is asked to pitch her new ideas for the market. A great idea, well executed, and the self-reference to comics makes it all the more fun. Lots of others I enjoyed, some more than others. Many of the tales used an older tale as a mere springboard for new things, and that worked most of the time. A few of the stories had art styles that didn’t appeal to me, but that’s to be expected.

Chris Stevens is the co-owner of the Locust Moon comics shop in Philadelphia, and his own story for this book was the one I lettered, at his request. I’m happy to be among good company in this anthology. Check it out at your own shop, or library, it’s worth a look. Recommended.