Wonderland, Part Three

Wonderland, Part Three
Publication	January 2, 2013
Length	24 pages
Willow: Wonderland #3
← Previous	Wonderland, Part Two
Next →	Wonderland, Part Four
Publisher	Dark Horse Comics
Writer(s)	Jeff Parker Christos Gage
Penciller(s)	Brian Ching
Editor(s)	Scott Allie
Cover artist(s)	David Mack Megan Lara
Inker(s)	Jason Gorder
Colorist(s)	Michelle Madsen
Letterer(s)	Richard Starkings & ComiCraft's Jimmy Betancourt

"Wonderland, Part Three" was the third issue of the Willow: Wonderland comic book series.

Synopsis

At the Wellspring in Wonderland, Willow was extremely disappointed when she was unable to open a portal to Earth. Marrak, full of anger, grabbed the Scythe from her, telling her that she, as a woman, was doing it wrong. But the witches intervened and exiled Marrak from the Wellspring. Later at night, Aluwyn comforted Willow saying that the pain of her loss would slowly subdue and that if anyone could find a way back to Earth, it would be the coven which had they had gathered.

The next day, three witches showed Willow the goddess gem, which was sevenish-feet tall gemstone that offered visions for the future. In her vision, Willow saw Marrak walking through a wasteland. That was it. The witches explained the gemstone was not always straightforward. Afterwards, an amphibious witch asked Willow to come with her.

At that time, Marrak was indeed walking alone through the wastes of Wonderland. Suddenly, he was attacked by Blackbirds. At first he tried to get away, but then he thought up a scheme

Meanwhile, the amphibious witch led Willow to a body of water and had her dress in dress made from giant pufferfish. She enchanted Willow with gills, to allow her to breathe underwater for a limited time. Underwater they swam toward a gargantuan tentacled thing, from which Willow could hear voices. When she touched it, it showed her more images and spoke to her profound words which allowed her to understand her place in the universe, which included her dark side. But when it ended, she could not remember. At night she told the other witches of her experience at a campfire and together they celebrated the friendships they had found with each other. Aluwyn explained that the witches had come to the Wellspring for different reasons, but they found each other and they had stayed together and finally, she offered Willow a place in the group.

The next day went to the ocean that lay at the centre of Wonderland. She spotted adorable flying octopi and ran after them in hopes of catching one. Aluwyn joined her and they struck up a serious conversation and Willow wondered if her quest had more to do with her own sense of being incomplete than her friends actually needing magic back. And she wondered exactly how her dark side fitted into the picture. Then the octopi began joining together and they transformed into a giant octopus. It attacked them, but together they used magic to scare it away. At night they camped out on a beach, discussed their victory, made out (maybe more), and slept.

Willow dreamt that night and in her dream she was spoken to by a blackbird with the face of Marrak. It turned out that Marrak had captured one of them in order to speak to her. He told her he had found a font of magic in the wasteland. Marrak further explained that being in the coven was like being high, she was doped up on the magic of being together and that it caused her to forget why she had come there in the first place. He accused the witches of wanting her to join and never leave. She told him he was a liar and with that she woke up. But it seemed he had made her doubt some thing.

Continuity

The story was set after "Family Reunion", but before "The Watcher".

• Willow stated she was a one-woman woman, but then retracted that statement by saying when she was not screwing up. This could be a reference to her cheating on Kennedy and Aura, in both cases with Aluwyn.
• Willow mentioned she felt part of her old life was disappearing, but that she still remembered Buffy and Xander, hinting at Dawn's fading essence.
• Willow wanted to name a flying octopus Mr. Octopus Fantasticus, a reference to her cat named Miss Kitty Fantastico.
• Willow wonders if Aluwyn is lying to her, despite both having previously stated that Alyuwn would indeed always be lying.

Appearances

Individuals

• Willow Rosenberg
• Aluwyn
• Marrak
• Buffy Summers (Only in visions)
• Xander Harris (Only in visions)
• Dawn Summers (Only in visions)
• Angel (Only in visions)
• Rupert Giles (only mentioned)

Species

• Human
• Unidentified Demons
• Blackbird
• Aero-Ceph

Locations

• Wellspring, Wonderland
• Earth (Only mentioned)
• Unidentified Dimensions

Weapons and Objects

• Scythe
• Goddess Gem

Behind the Scenes

Collections

• Willow: Wonderland

Pop Culture References

• When Willow's vision was suddenly cut short, without much of an explanation, she said the series finale of The Sopranos was more satisfying.
• Willow compared her underwater experience to the submarine ride at Disneyland as well as referencing IMAX.
• The giant octopus made from aero-ceph reminded Willow of Cthulhu.
• Referring to herself as the "Sorceress Supreme" may be Willow making a nod towards Marvels Doctor Strange.

Quotes

Willow: "I can see ... something. A harsh place. Like the end of the world.  I feel ... darkness. An empty space that can never be filled. Is ... is this what happens to Earth if I fail? Wait, there's someone there ... a man. He's steeped in magic. A teacher ... my teacher. Giles? Marrak? He hasn't taught me anything except how to piss off entire dimensions. What could I possibly learn from -- (vision suddenly ends) Hey! That's it? The finale of The Sopranos was more satisfying!"

Aluywn: "In all seriousness, Willow, we are here for you. Always. That is what holds us together. Most of us came here searching for answers. Running from something ... or to something. Varied goals and winding paths led us to this land. I don't think any of us found what we sought. Instead ... we found what we needed. A community that understands us as no other could. A place to belong. As you say, no pressure. As long as you wish it, we will try to help with your quest. But whenever you choose ... whenever it feels right ... we would love for you to stay, if you would have us."

Willow: "I'll have you know I was thinking about how awesome I am. And how I desperately need a roly-poly little living tub toy. And maybe just a couple of sads. My friends still need me."

Aluwyn: "I think the aero-cephs live over there."

Willow: "At least, I keep telling myself they need me. The truth is ... when I think about it now, they seemed to be doing fine. I'm the one who was falling apart. Without magic, I'm back to being part hacker, part hostage, while my superpeeps kick evil's butt. I was so convinced the world needs magic. That life on Earth is fundamentally missing something. But maybe ... maybe it was just me."

Willow: "How dare you? Get out of my head, you-- you dream peeper! "

Marrak: "Please. Even enhanced by wishful thinking you haven't got anything I'd suffer through this to see."

Willow: "I am not abusing magic."

Marrak: "You don't have to. There's so much flying around you. You keep each other doped around the clock. A self-sustaining contact high. Remember them? The people you said needed your help? The planet that was supposedly dying? Seems like that's the dream, doesn't it? A dim memory. They used to be so important. But now .. screw 'em. You got what was really important. What you really came for."