Sunday, August 17, 2008

The Land of Oz: The Manga #1

Well, enough time has passed since I got my copies of The Land of Oz: The Manga #1, that I think anyone who might want to be spoiler-free about the series probably now has their copy. (Okay, actually, I forgot to blog about it earlier...) If you don't have it yet, or would rather wait for the likely forthcoming single volume edition, you might want to skip this blog, as I'll probably be doing some spoilers.

First off, the artwork. David Hutchison has improved in his manga-styled artwork, and has now utilized shading in his art. It helps the artwork look a little three-dimensional. His character designs on Mombi, Tip, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Sawhorse, and Jinjur (who's very cute!) are, once again, superb and original.

As for adapting the story, as this is only the first volume in an (8 volume?) mini-series, it's a little early to say, but it's very faithful to Baum's book. But actually, in any form, Baum's story here moves very quickly (especially if long dialogue's, like Tip's recap of Wonderful Wizard, are excised), so the first issue ends with Jack's arrival at the Emerald City (and Tip enjoying some sandwiches, courtesy of Jinjur).

I look forward to the next issue, where the main part of the story will really begin!

Some hopes I have:

Jinjur will not be played off as evil or completely trusting of Mombi.

Hutchison will do Ozma of Oz, despite a robot that resembles a bipedal ant named "Tick-Tock" appearing in the Emerald City. (And replacing the Soldier with the Green Whiskers.)

If you haven't yet, get your copy!

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