Issue#2 in Warlord of Oz takes us on Dorothy’s journey back to Oz. Somehow she and Toto are transported back to Oz in the middle of a crisis. Villages are being wiped out by an evil power and even with Glinda sacrificing her life the evil prevails. Now Dorothy, Toto and two other companions are ready to take down whoever gets in their way. This issue also welcomes back the Tin Man who is actually in cahoots with the Warlord. I am curious to see how that one turns out. He doesn’t seem too fond of the idea but is willing to do anything to transform back into his human form. I see empty promises ahead of us.

I am really enjoying the series so far, I am impressed how well and fast the story is coming together without information overload. Yes, there are some problematic areas that I will speak on later but overall I find Warlord of Oz to be captivating. I like Dorothy and Toto’s eagerness to fight for Oz without coming off too blood hungry. I don’t think that Glinda’s death was properly mourned for though; I mean I was going into this series thinking that she was going to be a pivotal character in the grand scheme of thing but no she’s dead by the second issue. This may put more pressure on Dorothy or new heroes to arise and save the day.

Although the artwork of Grimm Fairy Tales is alluring and probably a major driver for its success, it does make it difficult for diverse characters to really shine. The vast majority of the characters are depicted as these male and female archetypes with little in between. I mean yes, the females are lead bad asses which I definitely appreciate; however, it seems they are molded for the "male gaze." This can be also problematic for the male characters as well when most of them have the physique of a Greek god and for most of us unachievable. It presents a very narrow idea of beauty and doesn’t allow for very much variation. I do get the other side of things too, I get that these unrealistic characters are what makes for a good fantasy comic and it’s easy to escape in it but it would be nice to see a heroine with the curves of Ursula.

Score: 4/5

Writers: Jeff Massey Artist: Miguel Mendonca and Grostieta Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 6/11/14 Format: Mini-Series, Print/Digital