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cimorene1558's review
3.0
I have hitherto enjoyed the Shanower Oz graphic novels very much, but I didn't like this one nearly so much. I found some of the illustrations quite grotesque, and felt that much of the gentle whimsy of the original book was lost. But I have been having a terrible week, so it may just be that!
saroz162's review
4.0
The third in Shanower and Young's very successful set of graphic novel adaptations, Ozma of Oz emphasizes both the strengths and weaknesses of the series. Young's art continues to be fresh and vibrant; special praise is due for his zaftig Princess Langwidere and her voluminous masses of hair, the world-weary and sarcastic glares of Billina the hen, and best of all, the wispy, furry little Nomes who populate the Nome King's Dominion. These are wonderful creations, and if his Nome King seems little more than a stressed-out, potentially inebriated take on the John R. Neill original, it can be forgiven as an attempt at authentically representing the text (where the Nome King is described as resembling Santa Claus). The demented energy of the character makes the reader question how he could ever be assumed to be anything other than the villain of the piece, but that's a choice Shanower and Young seem to have consciously made.
That's the sort of thing that brings up the shortcomings of these adaptations, though, and it's particularly glaring here in Ozma. As a life-long fan of L. Frank Baum's books, it's possible that Eric Shanower is simply too close, emotionally, to be a totally effective adapter. There are numerous sequences in all the graphic novels that simply don't need to be included, and the fact that they remain feels more like Shanower being unwilling to condense than anything else. There is, for instance, an entire scene where the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman pridefully compare themselves to Tik-Tok, the Mechanical Man; it's a nice character moment, but there's no real reason for it to be there. Similarly, there's a moment where Tik-Tok runs down and Dorothy is forced to return to an earlier location for his wind-up key; it doesn't add anything to the story, and it just fills a few panels. There are no less than three long flashbacks to earlier events (including one recounting The Marvelous Land of Oz, the previous Oz story), and the ending is just as anticlimactic as it ever was in the original novel. All of these elements could have been tightened up. Shanower also has a habit of leaving Baum's slightly Victorian dialogue absolutely unchanged, so you have characters making all sorts of formal declarations ("...We will hold a solemn conference to decide the best manner of liberating the royal family...") when some even slightly modernized or compacted dialogue would be, frankly, far easier to read.
Despite my criticism, all I'm really doing is calling attention to what keeps this from being a full five-star graphic novel. It is still very, very good indeed, and as an Oz fan, I enjoyed it tremendously. I just can't help but think it would have been even better - and the Shanower/Young series might have lasted longer - if Baum's original texts hadn't been treated as sacred objects.
That's the sort of thing that brings up the shortcomings of these adaptations, though, and it's particularly glaring here in Ozma. As a life-long fan of L. Frank Baum's books, it's possible that Eric Shanower is simply too close, emotionally, to be a totally effective adapter. There are numerous sequences in all the graphic novels that simply don't need to be included, and the fact that they remain feels more like Shanower being unwilling to condense than anything else. There is, for instance, an entire scene where the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman pridefully compare themselves to Tik-Tok, the Mechanical Man; it's a nice character moment, but there's no real reason for it to be there. Similarly, there's a moment where Tik-Tok runs down and Dorothy is forced to return to an earlier location for his wind-up key; it doesn't add anything to the story, and it just fills a few panels. There are no less than three long flashbacks to earlier events (including one recounting The Marvelous Land of Oz, the previous Oz story), and the ending is just as anticlimactic as it ever was in the original novel. All of these elements could have been tightened up. Shanower also has a habit of leaving Baum's slightly Victorian dialogue absolutely unchanged, so you have characters making all sorts of formal declarations ("...We will hold a solemn conference to decide the best manner of liberating the royal family...") when some even slightly modernized or compacted dialogue would be, frankly, far easier to read.
Despite my criticism, all I'm really doing is calling attention to what keeps this from being a full five-star graphic novel. It is still very, very good indeed, and as an Oz fan, I enjoyed it tremendously. I just can't help but think it would have been even better - and the Shanower/Young series might have lasted longer - if Baum's original texts hadn't been treated as sacred objects.
sqeeker's review against another edition
5.0
- Hooray! Dorothy is back! Sadly Toto did not return to Oz with her, but she did bring a chicken.
- The wheelers were creepy looking. Dang!
- I loved all of Dorothy's new companions, especially Billina. She was hilarious!
- This is my favorite of the series so far. I loved the ending.
- The wheelers were creepy looking. Dang!
- I loved all of Dorothy's new companions, especially Billina. She was hilarious!
- This is my favorite of the series so far. I loved the ending.
starburns's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
sangd's review
3.0
I thought it was the first book cause it was the only one at my library and it doesn't say it's the third anywhere in the book. I enjoyed reading this comic, but it's a small and correct read. I expected a better story than this one especially since it's from Marvel. I will still read the rest, hoping to love the rest more. I found that it lacked of a little action, when thinking of Marvel, we often think of superheroes and action.
Je pensais que c'était le premier puisque c'était le seul à ma bibliothèque et que ça ne dit pas que c'est le troisième dans le livre. J'ai apprécié faire la lecture de cette bande-dessiné, mais c'est une petite lecture correcte. Je m'attendais à une histoire meilleure que celle-ci étant donné que c'est de Marvel. Je vais tout de même lire la suite, en espérant aimer la suite davantage. Je trouvais qu'il manquait un petit peu d'action, lorsque pense à Marvel, nous pensons souvent à des super-héros et de l'action.
Je pensais que c'était le premier puisque c'était le seul à ma bibliothèque et que ça ne dit pas que c'est le troisième dans le livre. J'ai apprécié faire la lecture de cette bande-dessiné, mais c'est une petite lecture correcte. Je m'attendais à une histoire meilleure que celle-ci étant donné que c'est de Marvel. Je vais tout de même lire la suite, en espérant aimer la suite davantage. Je trouvais qu'il manquait un petit peu d'action, lorsque pense à Marvel, nous pensons souvent à des super-héros et de l'action.
matt4hire's review
5.0
An absolutely excellent volume. The characters sang here, and it was a great joy to see Dorothy return. I'm really enjoying reading these adaptations, and I can't wait for more.
elliotvanz's review
4.0
This was my favorite Oz book when I was a kid and it was so fun to read the story again in this format. As usual I love Skottie Young's art, and Shanower did a great job of converting Baum's vision into a graphic novel. Pure joy.
sylectra's review
5.0
This was a surprisingly pleasant read. I am not a huge fan of graphic novels but this was well done. I thought the visual depiction of Dorothy showed her pluck but did not resemble the beauty conveyed by illustrator John R Neill. Billina was a hilarious character! This book really brought light to her in a new way. The Hungry Tiger was much fatter, Ozma was adult height, and the Princess Langwidere was much fatter, but other than that the details were true to the original. I enjoyed how the Tin Woodsman ended up looking more like a sheriff in a western movie! It was challenging to condense to the extent tha was done, but it was done skillfully and with love. I appreciated certain details being preserved, such as the lunch pails hanging from the tree.