Review: OZ: Road to OZ

Cover

The sweetest Marvel book out there is back for another adventure. Eric Shanower and Skottie Young transport yet another heart warming L. Frank Baum book to sequential art format.

This is the fourth adaptation of Baum's books. At this point, Baum's approach is a bit formulaic, something transports Dorothy and Toto to the Land of OZ. There they meet a bunch of strange an quirky characters and make a journey in search of something that will enable them to return.

And, like previous stories, its the not the end that's the point to all this, but the journey.

This time Dorothy and Toto gather the company of the Shaggy Man, a lovable homeless man, Button Bright, a little boy that is very intelligent but doesn't seem to know anything and Polychrome the daughter of the Rainbow.

Dorothy's companions

As previous stories, Dorothy's journey is a plot crutch to talk about about overcoming personal limitations, fears and just becoming a better person. Her companions are the story. Its almost like Doctor Who. Dorothy and the Doctor are the vessel through with the story is told, but the companions set the mood and add the substance.

In this book there are some truly terrifying imagery. Skottie Young does a terrific job bring Baum's words to life. Young creates beautiful character models, gorgeous landscapes and his characters are very expressive. The art alone is a reason to buy these books, and Road to OZ is no exception.

Eric Shanower's adaptations make for some great reading experiences, even if you don't have kids to read to. Of course the original work is very good, but he does a great job adapting it to the comics format. I'm loving the ride, and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys comics.

King Dox

Publisher: Marvel Comics
Year: 2013
Pages: 136
Authors: Skottie Young, Eric Shanower
ISBN: 0785164057

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