A Bucket(head) of Books

Here's reviews of four books published by Chris Dulabone under the imprints of Buckethead Enterprises of Oz or Tails of the Cowardly Lion and Friends.

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Up first is A Viking in Oz, from 1988. Dulabone wrote and illustrated it. A Viking named Victor lives with the Sea Fairies until present day, when he surfaces and winds up in Noland and soon, Oz.

Dulabone writes humorously, and also did a bit of research about Vikings, making this Norseman convincing. But the plot isn't very stong. However, strong plots aren't always a trademark of Oz stories. (The Road to Oz, for example.)

Being one of the earliest Buckethead Enterprises books, the typeset is weird. Chapters are not numbered, and sometimes the text is tilted. Sometimes typos have been corrected by hand. Many of the illustrations are actually photographs, sometimes with hand-drawn addition. (A picture of a woman in a cave, for example, has a mermaid's tail drawn over her legs to turn her into a mermaid under the sea.)

Altogether, it's a fun, early attempt at a new Oz story, though far from one of the best. It's from a time when the great rush of new and unauthorized Oz books were just beginning. Times have changed and work has gotten better, but it's still worth looking at just for that purpose. And you might even enjoy it. I did.

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11 year old Ryan Gannaway's A Wonderful Journey in Oz appeared in 1990. This is another case where author also illustrated.

The story takes many elements from Baum's Oz books and Sky Island and puts them together. Throw in some time travel, thanks to Button-Bright's newly-reacquired magic Umbrella, and it's a story that, while not especially notable, is a lot of fun.

Discovering the magic Umbrella can travel through time as well as space, Button-Bright, Trot, and Cap'n Bill head back to meet Queen Ozara, Ozma's grandmother. They also bring her forward in time to meet Ozma. However, more adventures involving the Wizard, Dorothy, Toto, and the recently-restored Ruggedo occur.

Time travel stories are tricky bits of business (people debate endlessly about Back to the Future, or how the Doctor got out of the Pandorica in Doctor Who), and frankly, 11 year old Ryan didn't care. There's one little misadventure that does have some time-travel risks, but I won't spoil that. Ryan set out to write a fun adventure, and it was fun. Not especially plotted extremely well, but fun.

The illustrations are definitely by an 11 year old, however.

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A Small Adventure in Oz appeared in 2001, after the re-branding of Buckethead Enterprises of Oz as Tails of the Cowardly Lion and Friends. By this time, Dulabone's methods of printing had improved greatly. His books looked more like proper books you'd find at a bookstore rather than something that screamed that it was self-published. And it wasn't just the covers and design that improved, so did the stories. I've already blogged about Melody Grandy's books which Dulabone also published.

Peter B. Clarke's book finds the people in the Ozma's palace playing a grand game of hide and seek. To make the odds fair, magic is not allowed to be used during the game, animals who can dig cannot go underground, anyone capable of flight cannot fly, and those who'd run fast must keep to a normal pace.

Dorothy and the Scarecrow find a mysterious map of Oz and suddenly are transported to a strange, alternate version of Oz that is quite unlike anything they'd imagined with little idea of how they'll get back.

Back in the Emerald City, no one can find Dorothy and the Scarecrow, and as time drags on, it becomes apparent the magic of Oz is stopping due to the rule that no magic can be used during the game. But the game won't be over until Dorothy and the Scarecrow are found. But how can they be found? And can that happen before Oz loses its magic forever?

A Small Adventure in Oz is a very good story. The story is compelling and neatly plotted, with high stakes for our friends in Oz.

Marcus Mebes illustrated A Small Adventure, and the artwork's really good, though I'm not a huge fan of the child characters.

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Finally, The Cloud King of Oz was published in 2002. Apparently, one of the problems Dulabone had with getting books out was that he didn't want to do text-only books. Oz books needed pictures. However, finding illustrators willing to illustrate for a small, non-profit press wasn't easy. Dennis Anfuso, who has since risen to a more prominent artist, finally helped out. Cloud King was by Amanda Marie Buck, who was eleven by the time of publication.

The Cloud King, who lives on a Gillikin Mountain, has kidnapped many residents of Ozma's palace and the Magic Belt. Dorothy and the Wizard lead a rescue party, but soon, Thunderhead the Cloud King takes them as well. It's up to Ozma to rescue everyone!

Cloud King reminds me a lot of Invisible Inzi of Oz, now that I think about it. However, the Cloud King is a decent villain, and the story doesn't wander so much and flows very well, even if it is rather short. It's quite obvious that Amanda was very young when she wrote it. Dennis Anfuso's art complement's the writer's style very well.

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Altogether, these four books represent the pure heart of Oz pastiches. Maybe the stories aren't the greatest ever. Maybe the printing isn't perfect. But the writers love Oz and want to share the stories they've invented. When that is apparent in an Oz story, that's the most important element for other fans. To be sure, these books might not be the best to hook in new fans, but established fans are sure to find a kindred spirit in the writer's style.

Royal Explorers of Oz Update!

Last night, I got to see the first proof of The Royal Explorers of Oz: The Voyage of The Crescent Moon. It was still in need of work and two illustrations had yet to be included. And you might think, "We've heard that before..." But they arrived today!

So, right now, Marcus is getting the layout completed. The book will be a bit taller than regular Oz books to show the detail of the wonderful artwork.

We have two illustrators. John Troutman has properly illustrated the book while Alejandro Garcia has drawn poster-like art. What this is used for, I'll let you find out on the title page. The idea is set up in Captain Salt in Oz, though.

The book, the first in a trilogy, isn't very long at about 74 pages. The next two books, however, is where it gets deep. This first volume more or less sets up the last two.

About timing, Marcus could get it out before year's end, but I had a different suggestion: release it on January 1st. There will be a new Oz book for a new year!

So, I hope you all will join us as we set sail for a new adventure on the Nonestic Ocean!

End of 2011 report!

2011 has been a good year for the Royal Blog of Oz and Royal Website of Oz crew.

The Royal Podcast of Oz has switched to a semi-bimonthly format, after monthly episodes since April. We started a series focusing on film adaptations of Oz and interviewed several interesting names, kicking off with Susan Morse in her first time speaking out to Oz fans about her singing work on the 1964 Return to Oz. Other interviews included Leigh Scott of The Witches of Oz, Jerry Robbins of Colonial Radio Theater, Sean Gates and Clayton Spinney of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Tommy Kovace of Royal Historian of Oz, and Oz Club charter member Ruth Berman.

We also had our first live recorded podcast highlighting the Winkie Convention, where Sam Milazzo met several Oz friends in person for the first time. The podcast also has its own Facebook page which is mirrored onto Twitter.

The Royal Website of Oz saw a complete overhaul. In the summer, a wiki intended for reference purposes began, though there aren't many articles on it yet. In the fall, the site was recreated in Drupal, allowing for user-generated content. Unfortunately, it was impossible (or too difficult) to have all sections of the site require a single login.

In late September, the International Wizard of Oz Club closed their popular online forums and moved to Facebook. Because many users preferred to discuss Oz in a forum format, I stepped up with the Royal Forums of Oz, a new section in the Royal Website. After launching in bbpress, we attempted an unpopular move to Drupal's forum system. The forums are now run with Invision Power Boards. The usership has not quite reached the level of the old forums, but we do have a community going.

The Royal Blog of Oz itself has turned out popular articles, including several about upcoming Oz productions thanks to blog writer Angelo Thomas, for the blog has gone from just me writing to a more communal blog, featuring insightful blogs from Nathan DeHoff, Sam's blogs about his perspective on Oz, and occasional entries by Shawn Maldonado and Mike Conway.

I myself managed to finish my series on all the Oz stories by Baum, Thompson, Neill, Snow, Cosgrove, and the McGraws and move on to other works.

Outside of the blog, Sam and I both had work published in the International Wizard of Oz Club's Oziana. I contributed the story "Bud and the Red Jinn" for the retroactively numbered 38th issue, while Sam provided the cover for the 2011 issue. I've also contributed writing for future issues, or at least, that's the plan. Nathan will also be returning to Oziana in the near future, I hear.

I had an article published in the program book for this year's Winkie Convention and completed my Oz book Outsiders from Oz, which will be published early next year, illustrated by Shawn with decoration work by Sam. Mike's Oz book, Passion Fire of Oz, won the NaNoWriMo award this year.

When it comes to finances, I have never made it a secret that I pay the expenses for hosting the podcast and the domain name for the website out of my own pocket. I started a Zazzle shop and an Amazon affiliate store to hopefully make this back. Last year, it earned less than $20 altogether. This year, we have surprisingly earned far more than enough to reimburse me for those. So, thanks to all of you who helped out!

Next year, aside from continuing the podcast, blog, and publishing my Oz book, I'm also presenting at the 2012 Winkie Convention. I have plans for another Oz book, but we'll see how that goes. I also have thoughts about rewriting the online Round Robin story The Ruby Ring of Oz, but we'll see if that comes about. I might go on to write several Oz books and stories, or I might write a few more and never again.

Sam has not confirmed if he will be returning to the Winkie Convention, and considering how late it's getting, I'm thinking he won't. So for all of us who got to meet him this year, treasure those memories because it might be awhile before we have him back.

We're arranging a podcast interview with Eric Shanower (which I think people have expected us to do for a long time) and we'll be attempting a different type of podcast next month as well.

I have considered putting the podcast on CD, but I'm thinking this would be done simply as a service for those who do not use sound on their computers (because they're out there), so this would be sold only at the cost of producing the CDs. Not for profit, which wouldn't be fair to my guests who didn't agree to do a commercial recording.

Plans are all subject to change, and since I do Oz stuff in spare time, I don't announce definite time tables. For example, there's a podcast I need to finish editing now...

Merry Christmas!

It's just turned Christmas Eve in Missouri, so here goes.

Sam Milazzo and I have both produced videos this month for you all to enjoy. First up is Sam's video featuring clips from Oz-related films.


Second is my own. While I was going over versions of The Nutcracker for my other blog's entries later this month, I came across the song "I'll Always Come Back To You." I wondered if it might be given an Oz connection, since the song wasn't specifically Christmas, and then got the idea of making a video about Dorothy's return visits to Oz before moving in The Emerald City of Oz. I originally intended to use video clips, but instead used scans of pages from the Oz books, experimenting with extensive video panning.

My first result, which I removed from YouTube and replaced with the one below, attempted to zoom in on certain areas with two different filters. The first one turned the image with the panning effects into video, then the second zoomed into this. Problem is, now the pictures became blurry. VERY blurry. Feeling very dissatisfied, I went back in, removed the second panning effect and re-did the effects with the first one. As you can see, the end result was much better!



Merry Christmas!

Aunt Jane's Nieces

So, I've been talking about collecting the Aunt Jane's Nieces series in vintage editions. But what about the stories?

Just to recap, the Aunt Jane's Nieces series was one of the best selling series for Reilly & Britton, later Reilly & Lee. L. Frank Baum penned them under the pseudonym Edith Van Dyne. Presumably, it was thought girls would be more likely to read books by a woman.

Pseudonyms allowed Baum to vary in his output. His real name was used mainly for his fantasies, Laura Bancroft got to do lighter fantasy tales, Captain Hugh Fitzgerald got to do adventure stories for boys, while a variety of pseudonyms (and one case of anonymity) produced some excellent adult novels. Suzanne Metcalf and Edith Van Dyne told tales of lives of regular Americans, though they would often feature "rags to riches" plots.

And we see such an example in Aunt Jane's Nieces. The first book appeared in 1906 and was followed by nine sequels.

The books follow Patricia "Patsy" Doyle, Elizabeth "Beth" DeGraf, and Louise Merrick, three cousins who became fast friends in the first book.

In the first book, old Jane Merrick is feeling ill and realizes she doesn't have much longer to live, but she has no heir. So, she decides her three nieces, who she has never met before, will visit and she will choose one of them to be her beneficiary.

The nieces are of three different classes. The Doyles working class, while the DeGrafs are middle class. The Merricks are uppercrust folk, though none of them really have any significant amount of money. Aunt Jane, however, is rich.

Beth and Louise arrive at the country estate of Elmhurst to coax Aunt Jane into making them their heir. Patsy frankly refuses. If Aunt Jane never wanted a relationship in life, there's no real point in leaving her job for a time to wait for the old woman to die. However, Jane re-extends her invitation to Patsy, and she eventually accepts, though she has no intention of getting Jane's money.

The three nieces meet Kenneth Forbes, the nephew of the Jane's fiancee Thomas Bradley, who died and left his money to her. Silas Watson, Jane's lawyer, thinks Kenneth has the right to the fortune, but Jane refuses. During the visit at Elmhurst, Jane's brother John arrives and stays with them, and the nieces become friends with John and Kenneth.

Eventually, Patsy's independent spirit wins Jane over, but Patsy still refuses to become the beneficiary. So Jane makes a will according to Patsy's wishes, but later makes a new one naming the girl her heir anyway. Shortly after, Jane dies and her last will is revealed. However, a twist arises when it is revealed that Thomas Bradley also had a previously unknown last will and testament. Jane was indeed bequeathed Elmhurst and the money, but only as long as she lived. In the event of her death, everything was to go to Thomas' sister or her heirs, meaning Kenneth.

Patsy is glad she isn't the heir, but Beth and Louise go home distraught. Uncle John says he has nowhere to go, so Patsy invites him to stay with her, meager though her home is. After a short time of living with Uncle John, Patsy and her father (the Major) are let go from their jobs. They are also evicted from their apartment and are given their own apartment building to run. Major Doyle is given the job of auditor of accounts at a bank.

Patsy's father eventually discovers that there is a very rich man named John Merrick. He thinks it's a coincidence, but eventually mysterious ties appear between Uncle John and John Merrick. Finally, he demands an explanation from Uncle John who admits to being the same John Merrick. He wasn't poor, everyone just assumed so and he never objected to their assumptions. He also gives the other nieces' families a hundred thousand each to help sustain them. He asks to retain his residence with Patsy and the Major, which they both willingly give him.

While everyone gets a happy ending, it feels a bit too nice. And really, I didn't like Louise and Beth at first. I didn't mention their rivalry, despite their eventual friendship. Early on, if you're reading the books with knowledge of a series, you might think, "These are main characters in the series? They're horrible people!" But Beth and Louise eventually win over the reader. They're not bad girls, they just really need help.

So, how do Aunt Jane's Nieces develop as a series? Let's see. I'm reading Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad right now, so I'll let you know what I think of that one.

A Kidnapped Santa Claus (Alex Robinson's adaptation)

A Kidnapped Santa Claus, by L. Frank Baum, adapted by Alex Robinson - I'm sure I've already written about the original story, which isn't really too developed in terms of plot (especially since we pretty much already know the Daemon of Repentance is going to let Santa go), but is an interesting expansion on the mythology Baum developed in The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. And since it is Christmas-related, it's not too surprising that someone would produce a new take on it. In this case, the new take is a comic by Robinson, who has a rather modern and cute drawing style. The lack of physical description in the original story gives Robinson free reign with many of the characters, and while he does take some liberties with the original text, I quite like it. Wisk, a male fairy in the original story, is now a girl with glasses. While it's the Knooks who are the grumpy ones in Baum's fairy lore, Robinson transfers this trait to the Ryls, and instead focuses on how the Knooks are the protectors of animals. He makes them rather dog-like, and one is even named after and probably modeled on his own dog Wrigley. Kilter the Pixie, introduced in Life and Adventures as "the Silent and Swift," is more of a country boy in Robinson's adaptation. Admittedly, this is bringing in information from another source; there isn't much description of Kilter in the short story, and he has the same amount of lines as the rest of Santa's helpers (i.e., one). I think the adaptation works despite (and perhaps in some cases because of) the changes, though. Robinson also works in a few sly references to media released after Baum's lifetime, including the television special of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, The Dark Crystal, Stan Freberg's "Christmas Dragnet," and even Star Wars.

A peek at Outsiders

While Shawn finished the illustrations on The Outsiders From Oz (you know, I called it Outsiders for short so much, I forgot there was a "The" in the title), here's a teeny peek.

This is a map that will appear in the book. Almost every location in the story is on the map; a couple were too far west to be shown. (I had to pinpoint which river in Mo was the river of needles.)

And here's a tiny excerpt:

The Quadling Country is not the easiest place to travel in Oz. The country is rough and filled with dangerous peoples. With the Red Wagon and the Sawhorse, it was easy, but on foot the walking was rough and tiring.

The Wizard was, at heart, a very practical man when needed. However, his knowledge of magic helped him create shortcuts. If a stream crossed their path, he now had his buoyancy solution made from the Voe leaves to help him cross. So, being very careful to not exhaust their strength too soon, he and Button-Bright were making good time on foot.

The Royal Podcast of Oz: The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus

Jared and Sam discuss the adaptations of L. Frank Baum's The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus from 1985 and 2000.

As always, you can listen and download at the podcast site or use the player below.

       

   
   
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Oziana 2011

I have only gotten a handful of Oziana issues since I first joined the International Wizard of Oz Club some years ago, but I think the latest issue printed is my most favourite.

Okay maybe contributing to the cover has something to do with it, but even without that I feel like the stories in this issue are the Best!

What I really like about this issue is the subtitle on the first page: "Origins and Explanations . . . maaaaaybe."
Usually some Oz Books suggest that their stories actually happened and should be taken as fact. And while we fans can choose to believe what is canon and what is not of Oz, that term " . . . maaaaaybe" offers us even more fun and a lighter approach to reading these stories, in that they are saying they should be believed only if we choose to accept them - and they are actually good stories coming up.

Something else that is quite interesting is how almost all the stories focus on (aside from POSSIBLE explanations and origins) how these selected characters were one thing then became another.

First up is David Tai's "Voyaging Through Strange Seas of Thought, Alone". It's almost like a poem, but more like a collection of thoughts, a list of words, of expressions and a lack of clarity. At first it does seem vague, but then it appears to hint on how the Glass Cat known as Bungle got her pink brains restored as well as her sassy vanity (another explanation was approached in the 2004 Oziana story "A Bungled Kidnapping in Oz" written by David Hulan and illustrated by John Mundt, Esq.). Here Kim MacFarland does a nice lined drawing of the protagonist. This story lasts about 2 pages.

Following this is a 5-page story written by Justice C. S. Fischer addressing the possibility of how after being melted, the Wicked Witch of the West became "Blinkie of Oz" and how the Oz characters dealt with this situation when it was brought to their attention. While Dorothy looks more like a six-year old Judy Garland, I did like how Dennis Anfuso illustrated the Tin Woodman.

I've sometimes wondered if it is possible for you to write a new character for a story and then actually say that anybody else could use that person if they so wished . . . well, my curious thought was addressed with Kass Stone's "Jenny Everywhere in Oz" (How, exactly, I will leave for you to discover for yourself). Jenny's encounters also make homages or allusions to things like "Transformers", "Narnia" and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on. When Jenny does get to a certain place, we have another 'human from outside world finally coming to and saving Oz' story, but this one is definitely one to enjoy reading with the little jokes, descriptions and events in this story. Old friends Jack Pumpkinhead and the Saw-Horse join her to meet Glinda and the villain is somehow related to the Wicked Witch of the East, a new character Baum would probably have enjoyed reading about. My most favourite part of this story is the inclusion of different and alternate universe versions of Glinda (though it may not be exactly as you expect). In this 9-11 page story, Alejandro Garcia does only three drawings, but the double-page spread of 'the Legion of Glindas' makes up for that (I must confess, having been so used to seeing how Eric Shanower illustrated Glinda, it took me a while to spot our Glinda in Alejandro's style). I do wish there had been another set of drawings for this story across the double-page spreads of text.

Next up, Mycroft Mason asks some of Trot's questions as she attempts to know more about "The Solitary Sorceress of Oz", otherwise our wise and often taken for granted friend, Glinda. Yep, our favourite Good Witch/Sorceress of the South's identity is questioned, approached and . . . MAAAAAYBE answered, across 7 pages (with Chapters + Titles). I won't say anything much else about this story either, as you will have to discover out the fun for yourself as well. And wherever Trot is, you can be sure Cap'n Bill will also make an appearance, but no longer than necessary (but I must admit I didn't recognize him at first, though Trot looks interesting and nice, as does Glinda especially!) I will say how refreshing it was to actually got closer and a bit more personal with Glinda and her life, or rather some of it, as we always see her as a powerful figure in red and white with blue eyes and an "all-seeing" Book, without ever really thinking about her needs and maybe wishes, or how her life was like growing up. I do wish this story had been longer, however. Isabelle Melancon does great work here illustrating Trot and Glinda, especially in their touching moment at the end.
What, you don't recognize the name Isabelle Melancon? Well, here's a little hint: Namesake.

Last up we have "Cryptic Conversations in a Cornfield (a prolusio in umbra)" by Jeffrey Rester. To put it simply, the Origins of Scarecrow. Yes, originS. We all know L. Frank Baum's simple yet mysterious and gap-holed recollection from Scarecrow about how he was made. But Scarecrow says himself how with his life being so short he knows nothing whatever:

"I was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the world before that time is all unknown to me."

And we all know, though many reject, Ruth Plumly Thompson's "reincarnation" approach. But here that consideration is mentioned briefly while other approaches take up the story. Scarecrow's Farmer is given the name Pax and his friend Lix. Ruled by the Wicked Witch of the East, the Munchkins are terrorized and teased by pesky crows and ravens, who sometimes appear supernatural, until the two Farmers decide to try and get rid of the birds from their crops. Their first Scarecrow is left alone, face untouched (no paint) and the Witch attempts to use some certain powder on it which doesn't work (you can probably guess why if you read it) so she demolishes it, the birds taking the blame when the Farmers return. Their next attempt is more successful and complete (I loved how Jeffrey took to quoting, with slight adjustments, L. Frank Baum's original writings for this part) and hung up left alone, despite the odd feeling Pax has of a beanpole in the field. After a little encounter with an owl, it is not too long before the Scarecrow is a failure at protecting the corn. But one crow, Solomon, befriends the straw man (I thought this was a Good point, as this not only reforms the black birds and makes them seem a bit better than earlier introduced, but it also teaches Scarecrow speech, which he wouldn't have much practice at or knowledge to do when Dorothy came). A Pair of Ravens recites some form of prophecy to the Scarecrow concerning the lost emperor Chang Wang Woe, which would be forgotten upon their passing. But the Witch of the East makes her second encounter with the Scarecrow and it is here that he learns about his fear of fire and its danger, only to be saved from certain destruction by some windy clouds bringing a storm. The next day, the Scarecrow sees the Silver Shoes making their way towards him again, only now worn by a little girl with her little black dog beside her, bringing him hope . . .

Although a long read of 20 pages, the expanded origin of our favourite straw-stuffed thinker is a highly enjoyable and fun read once you actually get into it, with a few Latin words thrown in (I can't say I know what they mean). And Luciano Vecchio helps us get through the story with his excellent pictures, stylistically lined in shading and lighting and other details, among them the Witch's look: she is portrayed as 'eldritch' (I thought more like a Native American/Indian shaman, with her hair partly tied in a braid with a tiny dreamcatcher, a wooden cane and shawl, her face in close-up is effectively shown in hideous glory), Scarecrow has bells on his hat like all the fellow Munchkins are described and the brief glimpses of Oz scenery are whimsical. Luciano Vecchio also contributes to the back cover art by showing the Dorothy-perspective of Scarecrow, while the story ends with HIS perspective of his coming friend.
The only thing I didn't quite like about the story was the Witch's occasional, slight, obsession with the scarecrow, thinking a big deal out of something so simple. Nor did I like the idea of the Witch of the EAST being afraid of water, but considering it saved scarecrow I can let that go. And though there are two times when we get double-pages of text, I would have liked an extra drawing or few by Lucian. But I suppose "Jenny Everywhere" would actually need that more.

Finally, we have another drawing of Bungle "The Glass LOLCat of Oz" by Kim McFarland, only this time it is a colour painting, printed in black-and-white, with "I Can Has CheezBurger" text.

While I may sound a bit biased, I am happy to say that this is definitely the Best Issue (and maybe slightly longest - it feels thicker than past issues) of Oziana I have ever received and read, with stories that do not have to be taken as complete canon unless you choose to.

I hope to contribute to other issues of Oziana soon, especially in working on stories!

Illustrating Outsiders

S.P. Maldonado here and I'm the illustrator for Jared Davis' upcoming book, The Outsiders from Oz. I know that many people are very interested to see this book in print. I assure you that I am working on it and will try to get it done as quickly as possible. My life has been very hectic this year with me losing my job, going back to school, and busting up my knee. Now I have a break from school and I'm getting more pictures done. I just want to make sure the illustrations are as wonderful as the story that Jared has written. Thank you for your patience.