By Hunter T. Patrick

[Insert overused Wizard of Oz quote in a slightly new way here]. Being a really big fan of the Wizard of Oz movie was I excited to read this, not realizing that this is a continuation of a previous story. Do not worry, this issue sums everything up in the first few pages where you do not need any background. If you desperately want to know more and if you have not read anything else, please go on and google image Zenescope Oz like I did and enjoy all the comic cleavage anyone could possibly want for a character originally younger than 18, but do not worry, I am assuming this version of the character is at least 18.

            I really enjoyed the first few page commentary recap and speaks volumes for comics as a whole as they are always a never-ending battle with hope always winning… until a little bit later when there is no more happily ever after’s and it is just constant battle after battle. I was a little skeptical at first due to the coloring but after the first few pages, the coloring goes nice and brightish. The artwork looks great here as well. Oz looks great whenever we see any background, with the real stars of the artwork being the characters. Even the characters without cleavage look great too if you were wondering. Scarecrow especially looks great. 

            This was the start of a brand-new epic for Zenescope’s Oz story. If the beginning is any indication, then we already know exactly how it ends as the issue clearly breaks down how the story consistently repeats itself. If this issue showed some sign things might be different then that would be a strong twist, but it seems to repeat what they showed through the opening pages (for better and for worse). The children, in the few scenes with any, were especially fun and delightful. The adults seemed less as such, with this issue not really showing depth to anyone for a first-time reader. 

            Dorothy is shown to be a badass as one has always hoped to see her. It is nice to see her being as strong and powerful as she is. The comic was full of diversity with other races in Oz which is great. Maybe because as I came into this just seeing covers of sexy girls, I got a strong sense of stereotypical gender roles. Oz is a fantasy world and I would love if that is a topic covered in previous tales with Dorothy being the leader and antagonists all seeming to be women. This comic does make me want to read the past stories, especially for the art. It makes me want to but does not make me need to. I have no intention any time soon as this did not impress me enough to stand out from other comics. It has potential and a world of stories but as the comic blatantly told me that most every story they tell is the same with few differences. One can say that for any series and that was something I was impressed with, I just fail to see why I now need to read more.

Score: 3/5

Oz - The Wizard #1
Zenescope Entertainment