Oz/Wonderland Kids #1

March 1, 2011

Creators: Ben Avery & Casey Heying
Words: Ben Avery
Art: Alan Schell
Inks: Terry Huddleston
Colors: Yina Goh
Cover: Alan Schell & Jamie Hood
Publisher: BuyMeToys.Com

The creators of the Oz/Wonderland Chronicles are back for this young readers’ take on the legendary works of L. Frank Baum and Lewis Carroll. In this version of the world, Dorothy has come to live in the land of Oz permanently (as she did in the novels, eventually) but the Wicked Witch of the West is still around causing trouble. While Dorothy sits down for a tea party with the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman and Cowardly Lion, the White Rabbit of Wonderland comes racing through with a very important message for the Queen of Hearts. As a devotee of Baum’s work, this comic leaves me of two minds. I certainly don’t mind alternate interpretations of the land of Oz (or Wonderland, for that matter, although I’m not as big a fan of that property), I also don’t quite get this one. Oz is such a child-friendly place to begin with, the tweaks made here to make the comic suitable for even younger readers seem a little unnecessary. On the other hand, there are some hints to a larger story here that I like very much, particularly in regards to the chance for a larger villain at works than the two witches we encounter in these pages. There’s definite potential for this story, and as this is purportedly going to be a three-issue miniseries, there’s room to explore it. Alan Schell has a nice art style, complementing the original designs of the characters but running them all through his own filter and putting them in a form that makes them all fit together seamlessly. This is a cute comic, but it’ll be up to the rest of the issues to really determine if there’s a chance for it to be more than just that.

Rating: 7/10

The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles #3

The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles #3 (BuyMeToys.com)
By Ben Avery, Casey Heying, Caesar Antomattei & Joe Jusko

Here’s one of those books that’s always fun, but seems to take forever between issues. Alice and Dorothy have returned to an Oz taken over by the risen Wicked Witch of the West. A confrontation between Dorothy and the witch blast the two girls to Alice’s old stomping grounds, Wonderland, where Dorothy quickly learns that the rules of magic she’s used to no longer apply. Back on Earth, the powerless Shaggy Man and Wizard of Oz attempt to find their way back to the worlds of magic to join in the fight. What I think I like the most about this series is the way Avery and Heying have so cleanly and clearly drawn the distinctions between the three realms. Oz, Wonderland, and Earth are all very different places with very different rules, and it will certainly take some adjustment for the travelers to learn what the rules of the three worlds actually are. Heying and Antomattei‘s artwork isn’t bad. They’re at their best when emulating the works of the original artists from the two series, but their “ordinary” humans (as ordinary as Dorothy Gale can be) could use a little work. The coloring job is really fantastic and helps quite a bit when it comes to selling the artwork. I do wish this would come out more frequently, because it’s a book that’s a lot of fun when you finally get to see it.

Rating: 7/10