The latest Oz reading

I was pleasantly surprised with the latest comics order, as it had both The Marvelous Land of Oz comic #1 from Marvel, and Alex Robinson's graphic novel adaptation of A Kidnapped Santa Claus.

First up, The Marvelous Land of Oz #1 picks up where the Eric Shanower/Skottie Young adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz left off. In this issue we meet Tip and Mombi, Jack Pumpkinhead comes to life, and Tip and Jack run away. I got all three covers, and they're all great. Tip is exuberant and feisty, as he should be, Mombi is creepy and sinister, as she should be, and Jack has one of the most expressive fixed pumpkin faces I've ever seen from the character. I'm looking forward to seven more issues of the same.

A Kidnapped Santa Claus is an adaptation of the short story of the same name by L. Frank Baum, and it is a fun little romp. Alex Robinson introduces a few modern twists, such as Wisk's crush on Kilter, Mrs. Claus and her famous Christmas cookies, and some updated language, but in general this is a straightforward retelling of the story. Robinson's art style is clean and looks great in black and white, and he has some different interpretations of the looks of some of the characters that work very well, in my opinion. I enjoyed this trip to the Laughing Valley, and other Baum fans probably will, too.