I saw a headline today that Culver City, the city where they filmed the “Wizard of OZ,” just elected its first gay mayor, Freddy Puzza. All I can say is, “Bout time”. I was surprised that it took so long, but that is neither here nor there; it showed up on my feed while I sat down to write this review.
I grew up reading Frank Baum’s books about the wonderful world of “Oz”. I have seen plays, and so many adaptations of the different books. We even studied “The Wizard of Oz” in my college course, “The History and Philosophy of Religion”. We took every character apart, their dialogue, what they were saying and doing at a spiritual level.
I have also experienced the “Wizard of Pink” where you start the CD of “Dark Side of The Moon” by Pink Floyd on the 3rd roar of the lion at the beginning, and it will sync with the film as a really bizarre music video. (I also got the Ozzy Osbourne album “The Blizzard of Oz”, that’s a mega classic)
I was even obsessed with the true crime podcast episodes about who strolled off with Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids. I was thrilled to see the original Lion suit worn by Burt Lahr in the original film. I am in no way a devotee of the literature or the OZ universe, but it is always fun to dive into it.
With all of that, I was asked to review this new graphic novel, “Ultimate Oz Universe The Lost Lands”, and I had to say yes. I am very selective of the comic books I read and graphic novels I buy; this one was a no-brainer.
You all know Sir Elton John, being a huge fan of the “Oz” universe, with the title of one of his greatest albums, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, in reference to Oz, and he named his final tour as a farewell to the world that had brought him so much. He wrote the forward for this graphic novel, explaining how “Oz” took him through so much wonder as a teenager, and the themes for his music.
Opening this book and following the story, it is much deeper than the film, and tells a darker version of it. With the Wizard being very clear that he is a snake oil salesman, ditching Dorothy, and handing over the reins to the land of Oz to Scarecrow. The heroes are reintroduced as the story moves forward with a grittier steampunk motif. The images in this version are top notch, each carachter is beautifully drawn, their individual personalities come out, and are not interrupted by song in telling the story.
As I kept reading, I felt like I was in the David Lynch version of “Dune” where they pulled so many different storylines from the other books, and gave a modern presentation of the new carachters. This is not the individual story of the one book “The Wizard of Oz” but a welcome into the “Oz Universe,” and you get the back story, and so much more. I was unable to put it down for a couple of hours, just reading, but also digging into the magnificent drawings.
There are so many Easter Eggs in this one, a favorite one is that Sir Elton John plays a small role and he and his husband show up here and there.
Discussing THE LOST LANDS, Elton says:
“Every moment with a book is precious, and I was dazzled by the first instalment in the ULTIMATE OZ UNIVERSE, celebrating the legacy of Baum’s genius and the heritage of colour, unique characters and the triumph of goodness. I am more committed than ever to shining a light on people and creators who uplift others. It’s wonderful to see the love and attention AWA, Larry King, and my close friend Kevin McCollum have lavished on the Baum books so few people know.”
The “Wicked Witch” is very dark and very scary, in stark contrast to Glinda, the “Good Witch”, who is drawn so beautifully that she seems, even in a drawing, to have the “Mother of Good” attributes. With Griffons, Harpies, mechanical flying raptors, witches blowing winds, and automatic weapons, this fantasy is also very current.
There are too many new elements introduced to tell this wonderful story for me to mention. BUT I will let you know, there are Lions, and Tigers, and Bears (Oh My) (not those kinds of bears, sorry guys), and even a creepy, scary Jiminy Cricket.
I got this for my daughter, as she loves the “OZ” world as much as I do, and Sir Elton John is her favorite artist of all time.
This one belongs in any “Special Editions” comic book collection, for any lovers of Sir Elton John (and Bernie Taupin), and for those of us who never stopped loving the wonder of “OZ”, long after the credits rolled, Judy Garland passed, or the after books closed cause you are falling asleep.
You can score this marvelous piece of graphic literature here.
