Shakey in Wonderland by Antonio Carter

Number of Pages: 84
Size: 27 x 20cm square 
Paper colour: White
Paper surface: Smooth 
Paper thickness: Average
Linework: Fine/Medium​ 
Perforated: No 
One sided: Yes 
Binding: Glue 
Drawings go into the spine: Yes ​
Waterbased pen bleed: Slight 

Last week I brought you Escape to Wonderland, and now I have a very different twist on the classic Lewis Carroll tale, told from the perspective of Blast Avenue's resident crackhead and fallen diva, Shakey!

"Huh?" I hear you exclaim. Well, Blast Avenue is a web comic created by Antonio Carter and Hugo Camancho, bringing you weekly tales from 'the hood', specifically the ficticious Blast Avenue and its inhabitants. Shakey in Wonderland follows one particular character who, from her home in a urine-soaked cardboard box, travels down the dumpster rabbit hole to Wonderland. There she meets not the Mad Hatter but the Mad Pimp, dripping in bling with the most fabulous collection of hats, a giant bong-smoking caterpillar, and a selfie-obsessed grinning cat. There are light-hearted drug themes throughout so it really is an adult colouring book that shouldn't be shared with the kids. That said, it is a very fun and fresh book (and to be honest, Alice in Wonderland does rather seem like a drug-addled dream in the first place!). Have a look through this alternate land of Rasta insects and giant 'mushrooms'...

This rather odd but endearing collection of characters is so tongue-in-cheek and unique that it can't help but draw your attention. The hand drawn, cartoon-style artwork is really interesting on the eye, and despite the grungy theme there's a lot of fun to be had when colouring this! It's nice to suspend reality for a while and be a big kid for a while- after all, isn't that one of the reasons we colour?

Here's my finished picture of Shakey falling after the white rabbit, completed with Promarkers.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. You can find it on Amazon, here:

Shakey in Wonderland: Coloring Book for Adults: Volume 1 (Blast Avenue)