Writer/Artist: Eric Shanower
Company: IDW Publishing

Everyone’s seen MGM’s classic Wizard of Oz musical, right? Lesser known is the fact that Frank Baum, author of the book on which the movie was based, would go on to write 13 sequels to his original story between 1904 and 1920. The 1985 movie Return to Oz (starring a pre-scary Fairuza Balk) was an amalgamation of two of those books, but put off audiences with a decidedly scary tone not present in the books. That same year, Eric Shanower published the first in a series of five Oz graphic novels, collected for the first time under a single cover in IDW’s stunning Adventures in Oz. Decidedly more in line with Baum’s books, these stories nevertheless reflect a gravity and emotional resonance that Baum never attempted. It’s a compelling balance and makes for my favorite Oz stories after Baum’s own.

First things first: this is a big honkin’ book! Oversized and clocking in at 258 pages of stunning Shanower art and story (328 if you got the extras-laden hardcover like me – yoink!), the barest flip-through should tell you it’s something special. Shanower brings believability to the unbelievable, from candle-men to glass cats to giant whirlpools circling the walls of hollow mountains. It’s a detailed, realistic approach descended from the tradition of classic American illustrators, especially John R. Neill, who provided art for nearly all of Baum’s original books. I also see in Shanower’s elaborate architecture and backgrounds the genius of Winsor McCay, whose Little Nemo in Slumberland could almost have slipped into Oz continuity. Echoes of McCay, too, in the vibrant watercolors that bring Shanower’s Oz to life. They offer all the atmospheric richness of modern computer coloring, none of the cheesy airbrush gleam.

The first story, “The Enchanted Apples of Oz,” teams series hero Dorothy with the Scarecrow and talking hen, Billina, a semi-regular from the books. They’re out to keep all the magic in Oz from being leeched away by the Wicked Witch of the South (nope, Dorothy didn’t off all the witches in the original story). This was Shanower’s first Oz outing, but it contains the template for all the qualities to be found in the subsequent stories: Dorothy as the plucky hero; a sense of exploratory adventure; a villain whose villainy is more the result of circumstance than inborn evil; new and clever creatures (in this case, Drox, a flying swordfish); last-minute escapes; and, yes, a few dark turns, as when a regretful villain considers offing himself by walking into the insta-death desert that surrounds Oz. Rest assured, the story ends on a happy note, but there’s a tinge of melancholy – like that of Stuart Little or Charlotte’s Web - that I suspect will give it resonance with younger readers.

“Enchanted Apples” is followed by “The Secret Island of Oz,” which Shanower cites as his least favorite for its plotlessness, but it actually tops my list. Chock full of clever ideas, cool locales, great escapes, a creepy encounter with a giant snake and frog, and a wryly humorous ending sure to leave a grin, it’s about as close to pure fun as you can get. And, hey, lots of Baum’s stories were plotless too, but with Oz, half the fun is just exploring the place. “Secret Island” also wraps with a poignant lesson about friendship, simple but heartfelt.

Next up is “The Ice King of Oz,” my second favorite of the series and source of some of its finest visuals. This one involves Dorothy and friends trekking to magical wastelands of ice to rescue Oz’s ruler, Ozma, from the clutches of Shanower’s best villain – the Ice King. Great sense of “place,” great new supporting player in Flicker the candle-man, and another touching finale.

Rounding out the collection are two stories which seriously up the emotional ante. “The Forgotten Forest of Oz” revolves around a wood nymph who betrays her people so deeply that her only source of solace is erasing her memory with water from a magical fountain. Adult readers might get more out of this than young ones, with the waters easily subbing in as a metaphor for the escape of drugs or booze. Of course, there’s also a giant bat and a troll army and dragons, but the overriding theme of dealing with past mistakes runs deep. Darker still is “The Blue Witch of Oz,” a tale of divided families, lost children and profound regret. Again – talking foxes, birds made out of bushes, and crocodile logs – but parents reading these excellent stories to kids might want to hold off on this one till they’re a bit older. It’s certainly beautiful, though, with Shanower’s artistic skill culminating in the amazing splash page of the Great Gray Gillikin Swamp.

If you do happen to buy the uber-hardcover, you get some of the best extras to ever grace a fancied-up comic collection (over 70 pages!). There’s Shanower’s student art, pages from unfinished Oz projects, character studies, cover galleries, script excerpts – all tied together by Shanower’s reminiscences, including the acknowledgment that “Blue Witch” marked the story where he realized he needed to move on from Oz. Which he’s done quite stunningly with the ultimate Trojan War comic, Age of Bronze, but that’s another review for another time.

Fancy hardcover or just the standard edition, Adventures in Oz is, without a doubt, the best all-ages comic collection of the year. It proudly continues the legacy of Baum’s distinctly American fairy tale, and lives up to the praise that Gore Vidal once offered up to Baum’s work:

“The land of Oz has continued to fascinate each new generation…the Oz books continue to exert their spell…and those who read them are often made what they were not – imaginative, tolerant, alert to wonder, life.”