Comic Review: The Legend Of Oz-The Wicked West (mini-series)

Big Dog Ink started their ongoing The Legend Of Oz-The Wicked West comic first as a 6-issue mini-series. Writer Tom Hutchison took the idea of the original WOZ book, along with some influence from the 1939 movie, and put them together to a new Weird West version of the classic story.

Here, Dorothy is sent to Oz by a twister along with her horse Toto, and the Munchkins tell her to "follow the Yellow Brick Road" to find the Wizard to send her back home. Unfortunately, Dorothy ends up trotting along the desert for the next three years looking for the darned road, partially because people keep stealing the yellow bricks which are actually made of gold. However, when she came to Oz, she took the Wicked West of the East's ruby spears and guns, that come in real handy when she mozies on in to a small town that is inhabited by winged apes that can disguise themselves as human. Dorothy slaps leather with them, and frees a lion that they had imprisoned in their saloon. The local lawman, who here is the Tin Man(original idea?), follows her along with the Scarecrow, a mute "native" girl who appears to be some kind of straw golem. The Lion helps fend them off some fearsome Kalidahs, and they all eventually find their way to the Yellow Brick Road, all while the more lone gunman version of the Wicked Witch of the West dogs them to get her sister's swag. The road leads to a lone farmhouse where they run across Scraps the Patchwork Girl and her "father", Dr. Pipt. His house leads into the Emerald City, which is a huge underground mining community where they dig for emeralds. The Wizard is a large head that tells them to waste the remaining Wicked Witch, and then he'll send Dorothy home. Dorothy and the others travel to the Witch's castle, and Dorothy is carried away by her monkey militia. Dorothy and the Witch are sent to some dream version of the Gale farm in Kansas, where Dorothy deluges the Witch by shooting down the water tower on her, then somehow appears back in the Witch's castle and her followers declare her to be the new Witch of the West.

This is shaping into being a fantastically new take on Oz, with Old West merging with a fantasy adventure, similar to Wild Arms. The regular ongoing series continues with most of the other characters like Tin Man and Scarecrow, with new takes on Pip, Jack Pumpkinhead, Sawhorse, and Jinjur. Writer Tom Hutchison does a great job adapting the original stories into a fresh new western, and artist Alisson Borges seriously brings her A-game with the dynamic character designs and backgrounds. There's also a 2-issue mini-series spinoff telling of the Scarecrow. Each comic of this series has multiple variant covers, but only worth collecting for the collector's sake. The trade paperback graphic novel collecting the entire first mini-series is now out, with the other volumes to collect the ongoing series.

Oz Video Of The Month: The Magic Of Oz

This was a black & white cartoon was done as a poorly animated look at Dorothy's first contact with the Cowardly Lion.

Comic Review: Dorothy And The Wizard In Oz (Marvel Comics)

Marvel went a fourth round with the original Oz books. Based on the L. Frank Baum book of the same name, Eric Shanower returns to adapt it, and Skottie Young comes back to do the enchanting artwork.

Dorothy is still in California on her trip with her Uncle along with her kitten Eureka(no mention of where she came from since Ozma Of Oz, and visiting her cousin Zeb. While Zeb's horse Jim pulls them back to Zeb's place, an earthquake occurs, and our heroes fall threw a giant crack in the Earth. Floating softly to the inner world of the Mangaboos, Dorothy is reunited with The Wizard who shows up in his old balloon. After messing with the Mangaboos' monarchy musical chairs game, they enter the Valley of Voe to meet invisible citizens and ghastly gargoyles. One of the more interesting anomalies they run into is a nest of young dragons waiting for their mother to return. Eventually, Ozma uses the Magic Belt to wish all of them to Oz, and makes The Wizard her official Court Wizard, meaning she allows him to use magic. After a very silly trial were Eureka is accused of eating one of the Wizard's piglets he uses in his magic act, Dorothy and Co. are sent back to America.

Like the previous three Marvel adaptations, this was pretty close to the original source material. They seemed to not go into the detail that the novel did in regards to some of the Wizard's origins, plus how he spirited Ozma as a baby away to the care of Mombi. The extended cast of Oz gets some good scenes in this too, like the Sawhorse having a race with Zeb, and the Wogglebug in his court wig is especially funny. Even the brief cameo of the Gump's head is welcome.

After this, Marvel seemed to discontinue it's standard 8-issue run as their version of The Road To Oz is a 6-issue mini-series. This might be due to to the fact that the story has less content than the other books, or it might be a change in their format. Anyway, you'll be more than satisfied with this romp with The Wizard!

Oz Video Of The Month: Oz The Great And Powerful on Movie Surfers

Disney Channel recently posted this interview with two of the stars of the upcoming movie, Oz, The Great And Powerful

Oz Mythbusters: It's Not Easy Being Green

One of the more popular misconceptions as far as the original Oz books were concerned was that the Wicked Witch Of The West was green. It was only in the original 1939 Wizard Of Oz movie that we first see her as having green skin. However there, the Witch's Winkie guards were also green. This would mean that by the movie's standards, everyone from the Winkie Country would have green skin, just as the regulars of Munchkin Country would all be short.

However, in Gregory Maguire's Wicked book series, as well as the Wicked stage musical, it is revealed that the Witch(Elphaba)is the only girl in Oz born with green skin, aside from the possibility of some of the elves briefly mentioned. This is mainly attributed to her true heritage, which also possibly includes her mother's ingestion of a magic elixir by the illustrious Wizard of Oz. Years later, Elphaba's granddaughter Rain was also born with green skin, as well as her family's talent for magic.

New Dorothy Of Oz interview

A brand new interview with the creators of the upcoming Dorothy Of Oz animated movie.

Oz Video Of The Month: Oz Rap

A very bizarre Israeli music video based on WOZ by Kele-6.

Happy Lurlinemas

Wicked Witch in Famous Monsters

Famous Monsters Of Filmland will feature the Wicked Witch of the West in their upcoming Febuary 2013 issue. This will cover the character in the original MGM movie, plus in the Baum books.

Elphaba arrives!

A new poster featuring the Wicked Witch of the West for the upcoming Oz, The Great And Powerful movie has been released.

Oz Video Of The Month: Wizard Of Oz On Ice

This ice skating performance of WOZ that was a TV special that premiered on CBS in 1996.

The Steam Engines Of Oz

Arcana Comics has released a press statement about their upcoming addition for Free Comic Book Day 2013(even though the press statement says 2012)titled The Steam Engines Of Oz. This will be a new steampunk-themed version of Oz set 100 years after the death of the Wicked Witch of the West, and a rebellious Victoria Wright tries to free the land from a former hero turned despot. This FCBD edition will be a preview of the graphic novel which will be released later in 2013.