Sunday, March 26, 2017

This Week's Oz Short Story

Yup, I missed another week, thanks to work keeping me very busy last weekend. But now things are in better shape, and I can return to reading a story a week. So this week I wrapped up the 1976 issue of Oziana with "the Lost Sawhorse" by Phyllis Karr, illustrated by Nathan Flower. It's a pretty straightforward little tale about Dorothy and the Wizard going out into the Winkie Country to find the Sawhorse, who has gone missing. But it proves to be a little more complicated when the Magic Picture can't find him, but only focuses on one particular farm. Yes, there's a bit of a mystery in this story as well, so I dare not say much more, as it would give a lot away, but s happens in most Oz stories, all turns out ell in the end. But I sure wouldn't want to go through what the Sawhorse went through, nor the Tin Woodman's part in it!

As this is the final story of this issue, I must mention one other contributor to this issue, Bill Eubank. His wonderful illuminated Oz letters, used for many years at the start of articles in TheBaum Bugle, make their first appearance here on the cover, looking nice and large. (Too bad K, L, M, and N have the cover's fold and staples down the middle.) And he also contributed another "Oz-E-Gag" cartoon with Linus and Snoopy standing outside of Jack Pumpkinhead's house, and Jack says, "Look, just tell the kid with the blanket I'm not 'The Great Pumpkin'."

Next week, it's a very special edition of Oziana, at least for me.

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