Today's Oz comic

Lio, be careful when you hire a skywriter. They may already have some other message so deeply ingrained that they may not get the job right.

My latest Oz readings and acquisitions

I'm not in an Oz cycle of reading right now, but I did get a couple of recent goodies that I thought I'd share with you.

First up is The Marvelous Land of Oz comic book #3, which has, in my opinion, one of the greatest covers an Oz comic has ever had. This one covers Tip's journey to the Emerald City after the Sawhorse runs off without him. He meets up with General Jinjur and her Army of Revolt, and gets swept along with them to the Emerald City. After slipping away, he finally meets up again with Jack and the Sawhorse, and the three of them slip out of the city with the Scarecrow. Meanwhile, Jinjur and her Army conquer the city, and Mombi enters the scene again. All good stuff, and I eagerly look forward to the next few issues. Good news, by the way: There will be a Marvel adaptation of Ozma of Oz. I look forward to how Skottie Young handles the Nomes!

The other acquisition is The Oz Toy Book by John R. Neill. Marcus Mébès has issued a very limited run of a reprint of this extremely rare Oz book, in color, on cardstock. I bought two, and I've already removed the staples from one in anticipation of cutting it up. I'm surprised it took this long for someone to do this, and I gather this is not going to be reprinted anytime soon, either. So if you want a copy (or two), contact Mébès.

Oz in Jeopardy!

It's the annual College Tournament on Jeopardy! Bright young students from all over the country converge in a battle of wits to see who's the top dog in giving the right question to the answers. And yes, this year, there was an Oz clue in the first round. On the quarterfinal game on Wednesday, February 3, the following clue appeared in the category Movie Stuff for $200:



James, a freshman at Santa Clara University, rang in first and correctly responded with, "What are the ruby slippers?" He's now in the semifinals, I might add.

In case you're wondering why this clue looks different today, it's because it was sent to me via e-mail. Scott Cummings, a fellow Oz fan I've known for many years and is now editor of The Baum Bugle, took a photo of his television and sent it to me. Because of the nature of time zones and local scheduling, I saw his version of the clue several hours before it was shown here in my local market, so I was anticipating it once the show started. Thanks, Scott!

Today's Oz comic

Let's just say that the flu-induced Oz storyline is still going on in Full Frontal Nerdity.

Okay. "The flu-induced Oz storyline is still going on in Full Frontal Nerdity.

Oh, hush, you, whoever you are.

Today's Oz comic

Remember, kids, when you go to see a wizard, make sure he's licensed and bonded; otherwise, you might find yourself in a situation like we have in today's edition of the always bizarre Bizarro.

Those darned LOL cats in Oz

Aaron Adelman sent me a few more LOLcats, including one he put his own caption on.

First off, here are some new takes on the Lollipop Guild here, here, and here.

Second, could this have happened if Dorothy took Eureka instead of Toto on that famous first trip to Oz?

And finally, Aaron provides the caption for this news picture. Yes, only a true-green dyed-in-the-wool Ozzy would think of that one, but it is good!

Today's Oz comic

It seems the flu-induced trip to Oz is reaching its end in today's Full Frontal Nerdity. (And no, I don't quite get everything they're saying there, either, but at least I got the general gist. Oh, and I'm not sure all of those Chinese dish names are quite safe for work or sensitive family members...)

Today's Oz comic

It seems last week's Full Frontal Nerdity was just the start of an arc, because this week's edition picks up where they left off. Sweet! And don't worry if you don't get all of the gaming references. I don't either!

The latest Oz reading

I finally got around to reading The Return of Oz by Daniel H. Sundstrom. For such a short little book, it was really hard to read! First off, this goes where I don't think any Oz book should go: Movie territory. Yes, it's a sequel to the famous MGM movie version — and not a very good one, either. Dorothy's daughter, Emily, has been hearing her mother's tales of Oz all her life. So when she finds a pair of ruby slippers in the attic, she has to try them on, and the next thing she knows she's in Oz helping the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion defeat the Witch of the South. Further throwing things askew is a character called "the profesor," who is clearly meant to be both Professor Marvel and the humbug wizard from The Movie. He helps them out, but it turns out there was a real Wizard of Oz, the rightful ruler of Oz. Oy...

In his author note on the back cover, Sundstrom claims to have researched Baum's early works and incorporated them into this book, but he's extremely circumspect about it. There are a few tiny nods here and there, and an unnamed magic land that Dorothy visits at one point is most likely Mo. Also, somehow Glinda has a sister in the south, who sure sounds like the Glinda of the books, but she isn't given a name. This was just a patchwork hodgepodge of little incidents, it comes to no real resolution (leaving things open to a sequel, I imagine), the Witch of the South is defeated all too easily, there's no strong characterization or growth, the dialog is dull, and the author needs more practice in the general conventions of writing, or at least needs a good copy editor. Most Oz fans can give this one a pass and not miss much of anything at all.

Oz in Jeopardy! calendar edition

My Jeopardy! daily calendar has this clue today, in the category Pets in Fiction:

A CLASSIC 1900 BOOK
SAYS HE "WAS NOT GRAY;
HE WAS A LITTLE BLACK DOG,
WITH LONG, SILKY HAIR"

Turn the page over to see the correct response, and of course it says, "WHO IS TOTO?"

I Can Goze to Oz Now?

If that title means anything to you, then you're familiar with the phenomenon of LOLcats. Well, thanks to Aaron Adelman, we now have a couple of Oz ones to share with you. So go ahead and take a look here and here (admittedly, that last one is only slightly tangentially Ozzy, but it's still fun). Thanks, Aaron!

The latest Oz reading

Also in our latest comics order was The Marvelous Land of Oz #2, continuing Eric Shanower and Skottie Young's bets-selling adaptation of the Oz books. This one's pretty straightforward: It covers the original novel from the awakening of the Sawhorse to one of the funniest incidents in all of the Oz books, Jack Pumpkinhead meeting the Scarecrow and the ensuing confusion when Jellia Jamb has to come in and translate. It's still a fun read, and I still like Young's artwork, even if it's not quite what some people think Oz should look like. I especially liked his take on the Scarecrow on his throne, almost buried by a huge crown and green goggles. There's also something very appealing in his version of the Sawhorse.

Oz in the comics

No, this is not a daily comic strip, but a reference to the latest appearance of my favorite new superheroine, Cyclone. In JSA All-Stars #2, the villains are making Oz cracks about her! Here's the set-up (which shouldn't contain spoilers): Cyclone, wearing her green dress and red-and-white-striped socks and with her long red hair flying around her head, is zapping a couple of bad guys with little mini-tornadoes. Here's the dialogue:

Villain #1: Who are you supposed to be?
Villain #2: I know, right? It's like Billie Burke put on Margaret Hamilton's costume by mistake."
Villain #1: Nobody gets your pretentious references, [Villain #2].
Cyclone: I got it.
Villain #2: Shut up, kid. I'm going to kill you now. Doesn't matter what you're wearing when you're dead.

Needless to say, Cyclone doesn't die, but beyond that, I won't say any more so as not to spoil the story.

I really like this character! It doesn't hurt that she's also the granddaughter of one of my wife's all-time favorite characters, the original Golden Age Red Tornado, Ma Hunkel.

Today's Oz comic

When you combine the flu, hardcore gamers, and a beloved movie that turns seventy-one this year, you get today's edition of Full Frontal Nerdity! (Honestly, this niche webcomic would be one of the last comics I'd expect to see an Oz reference in, which just goes to show you how much I know about the versatility of Oz...)

The latest Oz reading

I just finished two more books over the weekend.

First was The Widow of Oz by Kathryn Lasky Knight. Other than the name, there is very little Oz content to it, and I won't recommend it to most Oz fans. But I did enjoy it as a different kind of book than what I usually read. Dorothy Silver (guess what literary heroine she was named after?) has just become a widow, and the book is about the aftermath, and how she copes and manages to get on with her life. She's very resilient and resourceful, and I couldn't help thinking as I read it that it might make for an interesting little slice-of-life television series. My only real gripe is that it just seems to end, there's no real resolution of any sort.

Then last night, I also got to read the latest graphic novel retelling of The Wizard of Oz. First off, it's based on the book! The shoes are silver, there are two good witches, and a lot of incidents come straight from the novel. However, because this book is aimed at a younger audience, and they compressed the whole story into fifty-some pages, a lot of it was abbreviated. There were some clever ways of doing this, however, such as the Winged Monkeys taking Dorothy and friends straight from the Emerald City to Glinda. I was completely won over by Jorge Break's art. It's original without being too avant-garde, with a definite manga influence, but it all still looks very Ozzy. This is also one of the most colorful Oz adaptations I've seen in a while. And a big plus for those of us used to John R. Neill's version of Dorothy from the books: she's blonde! I gather this is Break's first major American publication (he's already well established in Mexico), and I hope we get to see more.

Oz in Jeopardy!

Remember the post about a week and a half ago where I promised a new Jeopardy! clue? Well, I'm sorry to say that time got away from me and I'm a little behind, but now it's here! On the show for December 30, 2009 in the Jeopardy! round category of Broadway Musicals, the $800 clue was:



Jessica, at the right-hand lectern, rang in first and correctly responded with, "What is Wicked?" She went on to win the game.

But wait, it gets better! Two days later, on New Year's Day — in fact, the very first clue of the year 2010 — we got this $200 clue in the category Name The Film:



Jessica was still champion, but Neel, at the center lectern, rang in first and gave the correct response of, "What is The Wizard of Oz?" He went on to win the game, which goes to show that it really pays off to know your Oz trivia.

Today's Oz comic

Good grief, they've been coming thick and fast lately. And today's Over the Hedge has one of the most far-out-from-left-field references of them all, as the gang improvises after firing their writer. Oz fans need to pay special attention to the second panel.

Santa Claus was good to me, part 2

My sister-in-law found a little gift for me earlier in the year, and finally got a chance to give it to me today. What was it? Why, the collector set of Wizard of Oz Pez dispensers! Very cool! Now I'm torn, should I keep it all sealed up? Or open it up and enjoy the Pez, dispensed from Oz characters? Hmm...

And before I forget, another Oz reference on Jeopardy! tonight, but I can't access my TiVo for a screencap right now, so the actual report may have to wait until at least this weekend.

Today's Oz comic

Wow, glad one of my friends (who isn't even an Oz fan, but knows what I like) spotted today's Strange Brew and sent it to me. Otherwise, I couldn't have told all of you about it, could I? And it seems there were a few things going on behind the scenes during The Wizard of Oz than we suspected...

I revealed a movie legend!

Hey, everybody here reads the great Entertainment Legends Revealed column, right? Well, in case you don't, go take a look. It looks at urban legends in various branches of entertainment, and attempts to verify or debunk them. Well, today, in Movie Legends Revealed #27, your humble blogger was cited as a resource for debunking one of the legends. Not only that, but author Brian Cronin praised my site and the FAQ. Woo-hoo! Now all I need to do is a serious update to the FAQ...