Oz has given Dorothy & friends the most impossible task — to kill the Wicked Witch of the West and return with proof.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #5
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Eric Shanower
Artist: Skottie Young
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Summary: Dorothy and her friends set out to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Nothing can stop them, it seems, as they cut a path of carnage through the Witch’s armies of wolves, crows, bees and warriors. But when the Witch sacrifices her most powerful magic to summon the Winged Monkeys, the best Dorothy can hope for is slavery—while her friends face certain destruction! The enchanted land of Oz has never been a more frightening place to be.
Review:
After a couple of pages continuing the monochromatic emerald hue of the city of Oz, the story takes that turn which scared me to death as a young child watching the 1939 MGM film. The West. It’s dark, gloomy and every kind of creepy you can imagine. Skottie Young is perfectly assigned to this series. To make this point, the readers’ very first glimpse of the witch shows a wretched hag with a twisted and curly umbrella, sitting in a giant chair and drinking a green cocktail through a crazy straw. The witch’s pack of wolves even have red eyes that truly appear to radiate. So whether it’s the genius of Young of the talents of his colorist, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, be prepared to want all your lights on, your doors locked and the blanket pulled up to your chin.
Another word of caution since this is for rated for “all ages,” there is some graphic imagery of the Tin Woodsman hacking away at the wolf pack and the decapitations are shown.
Next, the wicked witch unleashes her murder of crows to peck out the eyes of the intruders. Luckily, there is a scarecrow in the group who was made just for the purpose of scaring crows off. His actions are a bit less graphic but still rather violent.
The witch’s third assault comes in at Dorothy and her friends in a swarm of bees followed by the command of the poor enslaved Winkies to stop them from approaching further. The friends are too much for this evil queen of the west. She is forced to use the one remaining call of the enchanted gold crown which gives the wearer temporary power over the winged monkeys. This is the point where I really lost it as a child watching the movie, but for all the creepiness of the western imagery, the winged monkeys are actually kind of adorable in their golden gear and red fezzes. The fate of Dorothy and her friends seems most tragic as this issue progresses. Dorothy tends to forget her blessings - the protective mark of the Good Witch and silver slippers she doesn’t even know contain magic. This is the issue where the Wicked Witch is not just introduced but also meets her legendary fate and though it seems a bit rushed near this critical juncture, issue #5 does not disappoint.
June 20th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Whoa, really? For an all ages comic, like you said, you’d think they’d put a limit to the violence/blood. Although I guess The Wizard of Oz just has that infamous streak, all starting with the hanging man in the trees … *shivers*
June 23rd, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I’m constantly surprised at the violence that seems to keep popping up in this book but it really is great.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Eric Shanower is a master story-teller, especially when it comes to the world of Oz. His art is fantastic too. I have the series of Oz graphic novels he did for the long defunct First Comics from back in the late 80s. Jeez, seems like forever ago.
I’m old.