Dorothy, Toto and the Scarecrow continue along the yellow brick road on the way to Oz.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #2
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Eric Shanower
Artist: Skottie Young
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Summary: Readers will be saddened by the tales of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodsman as they flashback. Dorothy realizes her ration of bread is in short supply. The ragtag group encounters the Lion and he joins them on the way to Oz.
Review: The art direction is in its prime in issue #2 of this series. The flashbacks and page margins are given a weathered sepia treatment. The flashbacks even have grainy textures applied so that the readers can feel a real sense of journeying into the past. It only proves the level of detail Marvel is bringing to this series and showcasing its pure excellence.
You’ll find the Scarecrow’s tale sad as he recounts his short lifespan of just a couple of days in the farmer’s hands getting his crooked eyes and ears painted on and his mouth stitched into a frown. But then comes the Tin Woodsman’s recant of how he was separated from his true love because of the Wicked Witch of the West who enchanted his axe. The story takes on a slightly gruesome aspect as readers learn about the Woodsman accidentally cutting off his own appendages one by one and trying to replace them with tin parts. Once his entire body became tin, he no longer had the heart of love the beautiful girl. The Lion’s story brings about the feeling of being disappointed in one’s self. He explains that he growls when he is scared, which is enough to frighten other creatures away even though he is the one who is terrified. It’s quite depressing to see the large feline cry and express how unhappy he is.
Despite the emotional nature, issue #2 leaves the reader with a joyful sense of hope as the gang sets out on their goal to get the Scarecrow some brains, the Woodsman a heart and the Lion some courage—and, of course, Dorothy and Toto back to Kansas. Each issue of this series moves the story and can’t be missed the way traditional on-going series suffer from the occasion dud issue. Marvel’s Oz is only planned on being eight parts so make sure you don’t miss a single one.
April 19th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I love how the lion looks! Second in cuteness only to Toto.
April 20th, 2009 at 3:29 am
Man i love this art style, now im really stealing it from my friend.. =D
April 20th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Great reviews!! I didn’t even know this comic existed. I think I’m going to check it out.
April 26th, 2009 at 4:54 am
This looks very cute!
Will check out next time I’m at the comic shop.