Wonderful Wizard of Oz #2

Writer: Eric Shanower
Artist: Skottie young
Colorist: Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Publisher: Marvel

I had only one reason for picking up the first issue of Marvel's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz adaptation: Skottie Young. I have been a fan of his Marvel work for some time, and was intrigued at the thought of his involvement in the re-telling of this piece of classic Americana. Granted, I have never been a fan of the Wizard of Oz movie, and it had been so long since I last read L. Frank Baum's classic book that I had forgotten how loose of an adaptation the movie was. Shanower and Young's adaptation is clearly not inspired by the 1939 film.

Comic book adaptations of books and movies are a diffficult thing to pull off successfully. Finding the right blend of words and pictures is always a challenge; and that challenge can be further complicated when adapting a story that is as well-known as this one. Over the course of these first two issues, Shanower has found that blend. His choice of narrative and dialogue help to advance the story from panel to panel, while creating an ambiance that fills the reader with a nostalgic sense of longing for the more straightforward storytelling of olden days.

Even more impressive is the artwork. Skottie Young has rendered each and every panel in this book with a frenzied style that is intoxicating in its whimsy. The character designs, from Dorothy and Toto to the Munchkins, witches, and Dorothy's travelling companions. are innovative, energetic, and perfectly cast. Every gesture, nod, twist, turn, and pivot of these characters is filled with an energy that fuels the reader's journey through the pages. And it is all wonderfully lettered and colored in what is an obvious labor of love for all involved.

While you will not find munchkins singing "Ding dong, the witch is dead", you will be treated to the origins of the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion - all presented in nearly monochrome vignettes that provide added depth to our understanding of these characters and heighten the story's overall charm. You will see this tale presented in a manner that, I suspect, would have pleased Baum immensely. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is, quite simply, one of the finest book to comics adaptations that I have seen in quite some time - and I highly recommend it.