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REVIEW: Oz: Kingdom of the Lost #1
3.75/5.0 Stars
Rating if the Book Were a Movie: PG-13
Creative Team:
Story: Dave Franchini and David Wohl
Writer: David Wohl
Artist: Guillermo Fajardo and Eduardo Garcia
Colors: Maxflan Aravjo and Robby Bevard
Letters: Taylor Esposito
Cover: Geebo Vigonte and Ivan Nunes
Editor: David Wohl
Production Design: Christopher Cote
Publisher: Zenescope
Ratings:
Story: 3.8 Stars
Artwork: 3.8 Stars
Cover Artwork: 4.2 Stars
Dialogue: 3.5 Stars
Mechanics: 3.7 Stars
Editing: 3.5 Stars
About the Book:
The Tinman was vital in reclaiming the throne of Oz for Dorothy and her father. In the time since the war the Tinman has been relegated to being a statue. That doesn’t sit right with the Shaggy Man, who has plans of his own for Oz.
Reader’s Notes:
Growing up Dad worked an ungodly amount of hours at multiple jobs to make ends meet. That led to me spending a lot of time with my grandmother while he was at work. Grandma grew up in the Great Depression. The Wizard of Oz was one of her all time favorite movies.
I couldn’t tell you how many times we watched that movie together. I know it was a lot. I think my love of musicals is a direct result of these early years. Those early years also made me a bit of a connoisseur of all stories that pertain to Oz. When I saw this issue on the shelf at my local comic book store I instantly added it to the stack.
I have loved the way the team at Zenescope has been able to put their own spin on all of the stories we’re familiar with. The work in Oz: Kingdom of the Lost is no exception. We all know how Dorothy disposed of the Wicked Witch and went back to Kansas. Then what? This story answers that question, while giving us more questions.
I like how the artwork on this cover is done. Dorothy looks very formidable and ready to defend the Emerald City to the death. It’s eye-catching and a great way to start a new title!
I enjoyed the artwork on the interior pages. The lines and coloring bring the story together. The Tinman looks incredible. Once you realize that he’s not a statue the respect for the work goes up even more.
I really liked how we got the Shaggy Man’s origin story in the back of the book. It explains a lot. He and Dorothy arrived in Oz at the same time. Through blind luck Dorothy ended up becoming a hero. The Shaggy Man became a slave. I don’t blame him for harboring some resentment.
The only thing that I had an issue with in this book was the narrative. The font and font size made it somewhat difficult to read. That made it somewhat harder to stay entrenched in the story. It’s a terrific font. It just needs to be a smidge larger.
As a geek on a budget I would highly recommend Oz: Kingdom of the Lost #1 for anyone that likes stories that take us beyond the endings we know. Zenescope has given us that in spades.
