Another Bucketheadfull of Books!

Buckethead Enterprises launched in 1986, and one of the first titles was Toto in Oz by publisher Chris Dulabone. Of course now, Buckethead is Tails of the Cowardly Lion and Friends, and right now I'll look at three books published while they were still "Buckethead Enterprises." Except my copy of Toto in Oz is the 20th anniversary edition, released under the TOTCLAF imprint.

Toto in Oz—one of Dulabone's first Oz books—finds Toto unhappy with how people treat dogs and talk about them, so he sets off to give dogs a better name as he becomes magistrate of the little country of Arfrica. Soon, the Wizard, Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Woodman and the Sawhorse go looking for Toto, when they are suddenly placed under an enchantment.

This was definitely a strong start for Dulabone and I'm surprised at how well it flows. Also, Dulabone did quite admirably with the illustrations.

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Mr. Flint in Oz by Ray Powell was a follow-up to The Raggedys in Oz, but as both books were published posthumously, this was published first. Hardas Flint (a man made of quartz) goes looking for his father Steely with the Tin Woodman and Scarecrow in tow. After some annoyances, they soon discover this adventure is bigger than any of them imagined.

While it was a fun, fine story, again Powell is a bit too heavy handed with his imagined mythology, making other Oz stories a little difficult to fit in. Long exposition scenes drag on for a little too long.

The book was illustrated by students in a Japanese school. Some of the pictures are excellent, some are passable, and a few are downright silly. Overall, it's rather pleasing, and some of the best artwork is the most prominent.

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The Green Goblins of Oz by Chris Dulabone and Marin Xiques seems to pick up from Ryan Gannaway's A Clock Strikes in Oz (which I haven't read). Overall, the book tells about two goblins (friends of the narrator, a goblin himself), who leave the land of the goblins and head to Oz. Although they've heard of some of the people of Oz, no classic Oz characters appear, except a brief appearance by Polychrome.

The book, on its own, is a little unsatisfying as it cuts off right after the two goblins (Yawner and Dumper) get to Oz. This makes sense from the narrator's perspective, but for the reader, it's a little disappointing as we don't get a payoff.

However, I know now their story is picked up The Land Before Oz, so if you get that one, get this one, too. I'm reading The Land Before Oz right now, so I'll be writing about it soon.

The artwork isn't the greatest artwork ever, but it fits the funny nature of this oddball Oz book very well!

The Raggedys in Oz

And here we have an example of a surprisingly well-done crossover fiction.  Johnny Gruelle's Raggedy Ann and Andy go to Oz courtesy of longtime Oz fan and International Wizard of Oz Club member Ray Powell. However, since the Raggedys are protected by trademark, the book has only seen small, private printings, the first in 1991, and a later edition (which is the one I read) in 2006. Marcus Mebes illustrated the book.

Raggedy Ann and Andy (I'm familiar with who they are, but not with their stories) are blown away to Oz as Percy the Rat decides to make something happen by freeing Ruggedo, the old Nome King, from his enchantment as a cactus. (I assume not dealing with the rights to Percy is another reason why the book was only privately printed.) Ruggedo sets free another cactus-imprisoned baddie: the Black Magician, who quickly uses his magic to rid Oz of all the celebrities Ruggedo can name.

The Raggedys meet the Scarecrow—who barely managed to escape the Black Magician's curse—and meet Hardas Flint, a man made of flint. Very soon it becomes clear that it is up to them to save Oz as things look their bleakest. Their biggest challenge is to get out of Oz to find the one who imprisoned the Black Magician: Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World.

Overall, the story is fun and exciting, and the people from Oz stay in proper character. Powell creates a few rules for his take on Oz, not ones I particularly agree with, but you always have to keep in mind that Baum didn't spell out all the rules of how Oz worked in his books, and the later writers rarely, if ever, touched them. Often, later writers had to decide the rules of Oz for their own. I'm not a fan of when they deliberately spell them out, though occasionally, some of them have to be explained for the story to work.

One thing I know about this book is that in the original version, Percy was punished by being sent back to the Outside World, while when the book was re-released in 2006, it seems The Wicked Witch of Oz had managed to endear Percy to Oz fans enough so that he was forgiven, a much Ozzier way of treating the character. At any rate, I'm glad of that, for it seems just mean to take a character someone else invented for Oz and send them out. Still, the way Percy is written isn't at all flattering to Rachel Cosgrove's excellent character. He could easily have been replaced with almost anyone else, like Woot the Wanderer.

As for the Raggedys, it is really more of an Oz story than anything, though when the reason why they're there is revealed, I actually liked it. Raggedy Ann and Andy felt right at home in Oz. Perhaps someday I'll look up the original Johnny Gruelle stories.

The Black Magician certainly is one of the meanest villains in an Oz book. We aren't told exactly what happens when he gets rid of someone, leaving behind nothing but a black smudge, but it's a relief that in the end, everyone is restored and the villain is dealt with in a very Ozzy manner indeed.

Overall, The Raggedys in Oz is actually an exciting little Oz book, and not what you'd expect from the cover at all!