Graphic Novel: The Blue Witch of Oz

Little Adventures In Oz: Volume 2 by Eric Shanower, IDW Publishing, San Diego, CA, 2010.

This is one of five graphic novels written and illustrated by Eric Shanower.  They were first published separately before 2010.  The five are:

The Enchanted Apples of Oz

The Ice King of Oz

The Forgotten Forest of Oz

The Secret Island of Oz

The Blue Witch of Oz

The Blue Witch of Oz  Dorothy gets to thinking about good witches and bad witches.  There are four evil witches, for each direction, but only three good.  So where is the Good Witch of the East.  The starts a new adventure Dorothy and Scarecrow.  Saw Horse gives them a ride as far as he can go, s they have reached a mountain.  They are able to make it to an enchanted island, having walked on alligator logs.  They discover there the glass cat, Bungle.  There they discover a recurring nightmare—The Blue Witch and her brother-in-law who also practices magic have each cursed each other and the same moment, which has caused a loop in time.  They are fighting over the Princess’ son, who was stolen and raised by the brother-in-law.  The double curse keeps happening every day, but how to get them out of the recurring events.  It is Bungle, who steps in the way and reflects the curses, that causes them to come to reality.  And now they must deal with the parentage of the boy.  A journey to Ozma is in order. 

Graphic Novel: The Secret Island of Oz

Little Adventures In Oz: Volume 2 by Eric Shanower, IDW Publishing, San Diego, CA, 2010.

This is one of five graphic novels written and illustrated by Eric Shanower.  They were first published separately before 2010.  The five are:

The Enchanted Apples of Oz

The Ice King of Oz

The Forgotten Forest of Oz

The Secret Island of Oz

The Blue Witch of Oz

The Secret Land of Oz starts with a sad gardener.  He is said as he has every type of fish in his pond except one, the elusive the Crimson-Tailed Guipperug.  Of course the fish is badly needed, but requires a trip to forbidden mountain, which makes awful noises.  The Cowardly Lion (who is really a brave lion despite having fear when he does brave things) as King of the Quadling Country has been there many times.  Scarecrow also joins Dorothy on the trip, and an uninvited guest, Eureka the Cat who would like to dine on fish.  Lion talks to the fish and discovers the Crimson-Tailed Guipperug very solitary and not easily found.  They go inside of a fish to continue their journey, and use a magical finding amulet given Dorothy by the Wizard.  However they all pop out of the fish’s mouth in a whirlpool and end up on the other side of the whirlpool in an unexplored country.  The country is inside the mysterious mountain.  Dorothy and Eureka and a new friend, Knot Boy (he is made of wood) are separated from Lion and Scarecrow.  In an attempt to find them they go in room locked by the King—breaking the law.  The Princess catches them.  The Princess and Knot Boy were once friends, but now the Princess feels too good for Knot Boy. 

In the meantime Scarecrow and Lion are in a cave with a giant snake and giant frog who would like to eat them.  Dorothy comes upon them in the middle of a confrontation.  They use the Wizard’s shrinking potion on the snake, and Knot Boy rescues the Princess from the Frog.  Now how to get out of the mysterious mountain.  They are welcomed by the King as heroes, and he gives them a boat with which to ride up the whirlpool which surrounds the country.  At the arrive safe.  Eureka finds a Crimson-Tailed Guipperug; and when they ask it to come to the Emerald City and be admired by all, its response is classic, “No, thank you.  I’d rather stay here.  The Emerald City may be wonderful, but I don’t want to live in captivity and be stared at by strangers.  I’m a wild fish and this is my home.”  This book has two themes.  The first is to know who you are and live up to that.  The second is not to forget your friends.

Graphic Novel: The Forgotten Forest of Oz

Little Adventures In Oz: Volume 2 by Eric Shanower, IDW Publishing, San Diego, CA, 2010.

This is one of five graphic novels written and illustrated by Eric Shanower.  They were first published separately before 2010.  The five are:

The Enchanted Apples of Oz

The Ice King of Oz

The Forgotten Forest of Oz

The Secret Island of Oz

The Blue Witch of Oz

The Forgotten Forest of Oz deals with a wood nymph, who is banned from the forest for having kissed a man.  The Law of the forest is very strict.  She is taken in by the King of the Trolls, and becomes the Queen of the Trolls when they marry.  Over time our Nymph, now made mortal when she was banished, becomes bitter with the wood nymphs.  She seeks revenge, and with her encouragement, the Troll King goes to war with the Nymphs.  The recruit the dragons to help as the nymphs have great magic.  They hope to attack at night, and conquer the Nymphs before the can mount a defense.  Our queen is still not happy, and determines to drink of the Waters of Oblivion from the Emerald City.  She sends a large flying bat.  However Toto and Dorothy notice the bat and hitch a ride.  They are flown over the desert to the land of the trolls.  The scare crow and the wooden horse notice their plight, and take off after them.  Fortunately nether of them breath, nor is made of flesh, so they are able to travel through the desert.  They arrive to save Dorothy and Toto who are now prisoners of the Queen.  However they make good their escape.  They have heard the plans to invade the forest, and they are off, pursued by the queen aboard her bat.  The Queen realizes she has been tricked by the Troll King, first into kissing a man (who turns out to have been the Troll King in disguise) and then used to spark an invasion.  She finally realizes her love is for the forest.  Now how does she stop an invasion she started?  Dorothy and the wooden horse play into the solution, as they hurry to warn the forest queen.  Our wood nymph sews confusion and doubt amongst the dragons.  When they see the lights of the wood nymphs coming towards them, they are convinced the Troll King is leading them into a trap.  Only the Nymph Queen can restore the nymph, who realizes her love is the forest. 

Graphic Novel: The Ice King of Oz

Little Adventures in Oz Vol. 1, The Enchanted Apples of Oz, Eric Shanower writer and illustrator, IDW Publishing, San Diego, CA, 2010.

Shanower completed five graphic novel stories in his Oz Series.  This is the second.  The five are: 

The Enchanted Apples of Oz

The Ice King of Oz

The Forgotten Forest of Oz

The Secret Island of Oz

The Blue Witch of Oz

The Ice King:  By albatross, Ozma of Oz receives a request from the Ice King that a delegation from his realm to Oz.  How can such a request be denies.  Somehow the Ice King has a magical way for the delegation to arrive in Emerald City.  I especially like the image in the throne room when the inhabitants of Oz greet the delegation from the Ice King.  There are so many familiar characters that I consider my friends.  Lion, Tiger, Toto, The Wizard, Jack, Scarecrow, Tinman Dorothy and Ozma and so many more.  This delegation arrives with a proposal of marriage, between the Ice King and Dorothy.  The proposal is declined, but they are set to show the delegation the country the next morning, but they are gone, as is Ozma.  Now to rescue Ozma, and how to do so because the Ice King has a realm where outside magic is not effective.  Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy are selected.  They are joined by a fourth member, a candle man—who use to be a candle maker until cursed by The Wicked Witch of the West.  Glinda makes a flying vehicle of emeralds to carry them over the great desert.  The candle man is very useful, because he has a flame to warm the others in an ice kingdom.  However when he does, he gets smaller, he is melting away.  Anyway, there is no hope of success against the Ice King, unless you could melt his heart; which our candle maker is able to do.  Upon return to Ozma is able to stabilize to stop future shrinkage, but he will be forever small.

Graphic Novel: The Enchanted Apples of Oz

Little Adventures in Oz Vol. 1, The Enchanted Apples of Oz, Eric Shanower writer and illustrator, IDW Publishing, 2010, San Diego, CA

Shanower completed five graphic novel stories in his Oz Series.  This is the first.  The others are: 

The Ice King of Oz

The Forgotten Forest of Oz

The Secret Island of Oz

The Blue Witch of Oz

The Enchanted Apples of Oz

I really like these books, because in the illustrations and the dialogue, the creator captures the spirit of L. Frank Baum.  However, he does not capture the wit, which I guess is harder to replicate.  However it is the best, non-Baum story I have ready.  This book deals with a struggling magician, Bortag, who wants to use magic to get love.  His love happens to be the Wicked Witch of the South, and he steals the magic apples, which supply Oz with its magic, to waken her.  She does waken, but does not return Bortag’s affections.  However she has an unquenchable desire for more apples.  This will completely leave Oz without magic.  The witch grows in power as others fade.  She gets the magic built that Dorothy wears.  Bortag returns to fix things, but still leaves with the built, until he repents.  The belt does not bring happiness, but he already has this in his friend Drox, a flying dolphin.  The moral is given in the last picture, “True happiness is never far away.”