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REVIEW: The O.Z. #3
4.47/5.0 Stars
Rating if the Book Were a Movie: PG-13
Creative Team:
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Ruben Rojas
Colors: Whitney Cogar
Letters: DC Hopkins
Cover: Ruben Rojas
Publisher: DavidPepose.com (David Pepose Comics)
Ratings:
Story: 5.0 Stars
Artwork: 4.1 Stars
Cover Artwork: 3.9 Stars
Dialogue: 4.4 Stars
Mechanics: 5.0 Stars
Editing: 4.4 Stars
About the Book:
It’s been 80 years since Dorothy the Good vanquished the Wicked Witch and returned to Kansas. The Scarecrow became the ruler of Oz. He quickly learned that it’s one thing to defeat a tyrant and quite another to reunite and rebuild a kingdom. Rather than promoting cooperation, the Scarecrow learned the magic of the Wicked Witch and used this power to choose violence.
Now all of Oz is locked in a multi generational civil war. There were three factions. The woods were controlled by the Courageous Lion and the beasts that dwelled there. The Emerald City and Munchkinland were controlled by the Tin Man and the citizens of the illustrious capital city. The Deadly Desert and the land of the Winkies were called the Occupied Zone (The O.Z.). This area was controlled by the Scarecrow and his army of flying monkeys and straw men.
Dorothy Gale, granddaughter of Dorothy the Good, is a disenchanted former soldier. She served in Iraq and had to make an impossible choice during a mission that went sideways. Which lives matter more, the lives of innocent civilians or the lives of the squad she served with?
Transitioning back to civilian life proved to be impossible for Dorothy in Kansas. Iraq wasn’t home. She felt like she had a purpose though. In Kansas she’s living with her grandmother, who is clearly in the thralls of dementia. The elderly woman talks about an imaginary world and keeps a dish of food on the floor for a dog she had as a teenager.
Additionally, the younger Dorothy is still suffering from PTSD. The littlest things create flashbacks. She is constantly reliving that awful moment from half a world away. There’s no place like home. Dorothy doesn’t have a place that feels like home or a purpose.
In the first issue of the series we saw Dorothy get caught unawares by a tornado in the middle of nowhere. She foundn herself being whisked away to Oz. Dorothy immediately was being attacked by flying monkeys. Her grandmother wasn’t making things up. Oz is real.
Dorothy tries to absorb information as quickly as she can. There’s a lot to take in; but time and encounters with individuals she’s heard her grandmother speak at great length about answer a lot of questions.
Dorothy joins the resistance to serve with Tin Man. Her military background comes in handy. She has insights from her time in Iraq that people in Oz had never considered. Her methods are effective and the resistance gains traction.
After some time, Dorothy leans that the magic slippers are also real. Glinda and the Courageous Lion each took one and hid it to keep the Scarecrow from obtaining them and using their powers. In the second installment we saw Dorothy obtain one of the slippers. She has been captured by the Scarecrow while trying to get the second slipper.
Dorothy is in a bad spot. All of Oz has bigger problems. It comes to light that the Scarecrow used magic to pull Dorothy to Oz through the tornado. He brought other things from our world across to the multiverse. Those things are part of the United States’ nuclear arsenal. He has every intention of using them on Oz. Then he’s declaring war on the multiverse.
It’s up to Dorothy and her chained cadre of friends to find a way to stop him.
Reader’s Notes:
I first became aware of The O.Z. in 2021. I was at Mr. Pepose’s table during Rose City Comic-Con. He signed my issue of Scout’s Honor and we talked about his other projects and some of the books he had for sale.
Going to the Chapel had an interesting premise so I added it to the items I was planning on buying. Then I saw the first issue of The O.Z.. I grew up loving The Wizard of Oz and am always eager to read anything focused on that franchise.
The first issue of The O.Z. did not disappoint. It wasn’t the “been there, read that” many adaptations of Oz related stories seem to have. Moreover, I loved how each issue touched everyday struggles people have.
The first issue touched on our men and women in the service returning to their lives as civilians after serving their country. The second installment gives us a valuable lesson about what courage really is. This final issue teaches us that our pasts don’t have to dictate our futures.
I am fond of the artwork for this cover. The Scarecrow looks larger than life. In many ways he is. The Scarecrow was one of the wisest individuals in all of Oz. Mastering the Wicked Witch’s powers made him an unstoppable force. This small band of warriors must find a way to get past that.
I loved how well the artwork on the interior pages meshed with the story. Mr. Rojas gives each character depth and grit that brings every character to life. My personal favorites are his depictions of the Tin Man.
Writers and artists get all of the love for having a great idea and putting it to paper. Both are admirable skills. The unsung heroes of comic books are the letterers. They use their balloons, bubbles, narrative boxes and onomatopoeia to finish creating the magic that the others started. Phelps did an amazing job with this title. I really liked the use of the transparent onomatopoeia to give the reader the effect without taking away from the artwork.
As a geek on a budget I am a firm believer that The O.Z. is well worth the price of admission. It’s the best thing to come out of Oz since Gregory Maguire gave us Wicked in 1995. This is a hard hitting story that allows the reader to not see the stars of the show not as characters; but as friends.
You can get your copy of The O.Z. #3 at: HERE
