I went into this book thinking I knew where it would go. How much can be done with the Wizard of Oz concept that hasn’t been done before? I was pleasantly supposed by this book. Oz: No Place Like Home, is a one-shot by Zenescope. It takes place after the events of the previous trilogy. Although I did not read the previous books in this series I found this one-shot to be a great jumping on point. A brief summary fills you in on everything you need to know going in. Dorothy Gale is readjusting to life Kansas after her adventures in Oz. She’s trying to get back to normal and enjoy the things a teenager should enjoy but she can’t help but sense that her adventure isn’t over. Some characters are similar to the original tale but there are some big changes. Instead of being an innocent withdrawn young girl, she's a very strong-willed young woman.

Dot as she is nicknamed by her friends is accompanied by a large Toto. The dog looks like a husky or even a white wolf. This is far from the cute little pup that’s normally depicted. As the story goes on we see glimpses of the land of Oz. The Wicked Witch of the West is much younger and sexier than her original portrayal. There’s no green in her complexion or attire. From her castle she sends The Tin Man to Kansas to kill Dorothy after being convinced that she is still a threat to her power. The Tin Man is more like the Terminator in his mission to kill Dorothy. It’s an obvious reference to the film series.

The rich and colorful artwork is an attention grabber. Every page is alive with color from the vibrant Kansas carnival to the highlighted neon energy blasts.

This book succeeds at taking a familiar concept and doing something new with it. There is a little bit of catch up that you can do before going into this to get the most out of all the references to earlier issues but for the most part it’s a fresh story. For those familiar with the series it is great addition and for those like myself who are new to it it’s a great introduction.

Score: 4/5

OZ: No Place Like Home Writer: Jeff and Kristin Massey Artist: David Lorenzo Riveiro Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Price: $5.99 Release Date: 2/24/16 Format: One-Shot; Print/Digital