Grimm Fairy Tales (comics)

Grimm Fairy Tales is a dark fantasy comic book series by Zenescope Entertainment that presents classic fairy tales, albeit with modern twists or expanded plots. It began publication in June 2005.

Each issue of Grimm Fairy Tales has two parts: a frame story and a fairy tale. The frame story revolves around Dr. Sela Mathers, a professor of literature with the supernatural ability to help people to avoid bad life decisions by subjecting them to visions, in which they see themselves as the protagonists of allegorical fairy tales. As the series progresses, she struggles with the fact that several people ignore her lessons and ruin their lives anyway, and begins using her ability to dispense justice instead. Sela's nemesis is Belinda, who has the same ability as Sela but uses it for evil.

The other portion of the story is a twisted version of a classic fairy tale. The fairy tales are often violent and usually end in depressing ways, warning the readers to change their lives or suffer a similar (or sometimes worse) fate.

It is later revealed that Belinda is working for the Dark One, a Satan-like demon who is seeking to conquer not only Earth but four other worlds which the fairy tales come from. The worlds include Wonderland, Oz, Neverland, and Myst. The series gradually begins to revolve around Sela herself, as she discovers that she has become a major player in an ancient war between the Dark Horde, led by the Dark One and his allies, and the Guardians, leaders of the worlds the Dark One seeks to conquer. Already Wonderland and Neverland have fallen and are now ruled by the Dark One's allies, the monstrous Jabberwocky and the soul-devouring immortal Pan, respectively.

After Volume 15 concluded, a new Zenescope comic event, "The Age of Darkness", began. It spans in every comic related to the Grimm Fairy Tales series. There are major tie-ins and things especially related to major worlds in Grimm Fairy Tales. These worlds are Oz, Myst, Neverland, Wonderland, and Earth. The event happened in 2013–14 heading up to the 100th issue of Grimm Fairy Tales.

After the milestone issue, issues #101–125 are the "Arcane Acres" storyline.

Starting in May 2007, a Grimm Fairy Tales spin-off and limited series called Return to Wonderland debuted. Written by Raven Gregory, the series tells the tale of Alice Liddle, the heroine of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and her teenage daughter, Calie Liddle (an anagram of "Alice"). Alice is no longer the little girl who fell down the rabbit hole and discovered Wonderland. Now an adult, she once tried to commit suicide by slitting her wrists. Mentally disturbed and in a dreamlike state, her only link to reality is the disturbing white rabbit that she clings to. Calie, not wanting to deal with her mother's mental illness, is now a substance-abusing, alcoholic, promiscuous party girl. The series deals with the entire Liddle family, Alice's childhood, and Calie venturing into a darker and more frightening Wonderland than the one her mother knows. The characters in Return to Wonderland are the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, the Caterpillar, the Carpenter, the Walrus, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the Jabberwocky, the March Hare, and the Cook.

Tales From Wonderland, a three-part prequel to the Return to Wonderland series, was released in 2008, which included The Queen of Hearts, Alice, and The Mad Hatter, followed in June by #0 of Beyond Wonderland, the sequel to Return to Wonderland. The series returned for a third time in the summer of 2009 with another sequel Escape from Wonderland and Tales From Wonderland Series 2, which includes The Cheshire Cat, The Red Queen, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and The Mad Hatter #2.