The Marvelous Land of Oz (Marvel Classics) (original 2010; edition 2010)

It took me forever to read this, not sure why. Good art and I assume it follows the original story but I don't know, I haven't read it. ( )

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

Another absolutely fabulous rendition of an OZ book by Shanower and Young. This is actually only as far as I've read of the original novels and I am inspired to start reading them now so that I can have read the book before continuing on with the next graphic novel. I own a gorgeous collection of the Baum books. This story only brings back a few old friends from our first encounter with Oz namely Scarecrow and Tinman and briefly for the last chapter Glinda. Otherwise the story centers around a young boy, Tip, an old witch whom he runs away from, Mombi, and Tip's two companions, Pumpinkhead and Sawhorse. They set off on their own adventure to Emerald City and meet many strange people or dangerous circumstances along the way. A jolly, rollicking fun story.

I really enjoyed Shanower's detailed essay introducing us to the circumstances under which the original book was written. Baum's motives, his state of mind and the times in which he was living add a certain look at the story through fresh eyes with this understanding. I really enjoyed this adaptation and will say I even enjoyed it more than the book for one particular reason, The Woggle-Bug. The highly magnified bug who has been thoroughly educated is a conceited know-it-all who talks on and on, full of puns and word play, facetious and self-centered. He drove me absolutely bonkers in the book! Sometimes his dialogue would go on for more than a page and I just wanted to throttle him, not finding him the least humorous at all. However, Shanower's adaptation, has taken him into small doses which are easy to take and I find it hard to say, but I actually enjoyed his part in the story this time. Of course, the illustrations are pure joy. I sincerely hope this team manages to stay together and find the time to at least adapt Baum's original 14 books if not the entire Famous Forty! ( )

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first one, the characters weren't as enjoyable or as engaging though that is most likely due to the source material though I can't say as I've never read the original book. I did love the introduction of the Highly Magnified Woggle-Bug though and would like to see more of him.

While the art style was the same the use of color was different, bolder and somehow less whimsical, I found the palate distracting this time around. My favorite parts of the book were the Highly Magnified woggle -Bug and the Mouse Queen, they seemed to capture the original sense of whimsy and creativity from the first book for me.

Again the back included additional art pages and characters sketches which were a nice touch.

The first book made my wish list, I'm not so sure about this one. While it was enjoyable the only pages I felt compelled to reread had the woggle-bug and Queen Mouse in them and that's not enough for me to want to buy it. Perhaps as more books come out I feel the need to have the compete set but not so far. ( )

I bought this book the day I started reading Marvel's comic adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I was not disappointed. Shanower has taken the original Baum book and mixed in a little bit of the Baum play (particularly with H. M. Woggle-Bug's lines), and has produced a book that stands up next to its predecessor without being a weaker sequel. The returning characters and true to their original form, and the new characters, designed by Young, fit the world as well as any other.

Several scenes, all of which dealing with new characters, had me laughing out loud, such as Jack Pumpkinhead meeting the Scarecrow, the Wooden Horse's self-introduction to the Gump, and the scene in which the party tries to develop a win-win solution with the usurping General Jinjur.

If you are like me, and are a rabid fan of Oz, then you will almost certainly love this book. I know I did, and I am eagerly anticipating the next volume, and all the rest (I hope) of the Famous Forty adapted by this wonderful team. ( )

Fans of Eric Shanower and Skottie Young's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz will not be disappointed by this pair's most recent graphic novel publication. The Marvelous Land of Oz is a beautifully done graphic novel version of Frank Baum's story that was originally publsihed by Marvel as a comic book series. Skottie Young's illustrations uniquely bring to life Baum's familiar story. Pip is a young boy whose guardian is a wicked witch. He creates a man made of wood with a pumpkin for a head. Jack Pumpkin Head is intended to scare the witch, but instead she brings Jack to life with a powder and a spell. Jack and Pip run away from the wicked witch and live the adventure of a lifetime with Dorthy's companions from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Young and Shanower are currently working on Ozma of Oz, a new series for Marvel. ( )