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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Comic Review: Oz #1 by Joe Brusha

Oz #1 Cover B (ArtGerm)
Oz #1 by Joe Brusha
Zenescope 

At long last the last realm of power in the Grimm Fairy Tales universe is revealed…and there’s never been an Oz quite like this. This modern take on the story reimagines the classic fairy tale in the classic Zenescope style. The Witches of OZ are searching for a lost weapon of power known as the Veridian Scepter. Their quest leads them to the most unlikeliest of places…the farmlands of Kansas and the home of the unlikeliest of heroes…Dorothy Gale. With incredible cover art by superstars J Scott Campbell, Artgerm, EBAS and Ale Garza! The epic Oz adventure starts here.

Set in Zenescope's surprisingly vast Grimm Fairy Tales universe, which includes a bloody, bawdy version of Alice in Wonderland, Oz is a new six-part series. And in this one, Dorothy is all grown up--and out.


A far cry from Judy Garland, this version of Dorothy looks more like the kind of farmer's daughter you'd see in a Playboy spread. As for Toto, the little terrier has been traded in for a giant wolf that shows up wounded one night outside Dorothy's bedroom window.

Oz #1 Cover A (J Scott Campbell)
The first issue does a fair job at incorporating Dorothy and the Kansas backdrop into Zenescope's big picture, starting off with the wolf and its master on the run with a horde of some nasty-lookin', sword-wielding demons. As the master falls, he passes a package to the wolf and sends him on his way from the fantasy world--not sure if it's Oz--into the real world. There's no mistaking Oz when Dorothy and Toto are hurled there though, as the Munchkins appear in a macabre funhouse-mirror version of themselves, with a Victoria's Secret incarnation of the Wicked Witch of the West there to greet Dorothy.
Some of the artwork felt a bit uneven. The opening sequence was great with the tension and mysterious nature of the chase, then Dorothy's introduction came and she looks just really awkward with so many lines used in drawing her that she looked a little haggard.

Like the other Zenescope titles I've checked out, the artwork goes for a titillating approach, the dialogue plays it straight. You might expect it to come off as tinny, but it's done well. Over the top, sure, but it's a fantastical story, so you need some melodrama to get it across. Overall, a good start to this series, and has me very curious to see how one of my all-time favorite stories from childhood will be re-imagined in the other five issues.


3 1/2 sheep





Guest Reviewer: Gef Fox

1 comment:

  1. I like my fantasy stories over the top! And the gals have a lot of "va-voom" going on for sure! Sounds like a good read from the folks at Zenescope!

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