We wrap up our examination of the 1992 issue of Oziana with a look at all the little extras in the issue, including two very short stories:
- The cover, by Eric Shanower, shows the Wicked Witch of the East, just seconds before a certain house lands on her. (I saw a varant of this once, with a thought balloon coming out of her head saying, "Oh, $@#%!" Eric may have done that himself!)
- The editor asks readers to send in a postcard with their answers to a brief survey. (I wonder how many answered? I know I didn't.)
- It's not labeled as an "Oz-E-Gag", but Bill Eubank contributes a cartoon of Howard Huge (then a mainstay in Parade magazine) reading The Shaggy Man of Oz. One of Howard's humans says to the other, "You'd think he'd be reading 'shaggy dog' stories."
- "The Journey" is the first of two one-page stories, written by Deborah Holden and illustrated by Maria Brown. This tells the tale of L. Frank Baum crossing the Shifting Sands and coming home to Oz.
- "Untitled Story", also by Holden and Brown, tells about the final days of Queen Lurline's pregnancy, reflecting on her marriage to the King of Oz and how the immortal community reacted to the news. (Well, it does answer a lot of complicated questions about Ozma's lineage!)
- Robin Olderman and Fred Meyer contribute a quiz called The Tail End, about that very appendage on many Oz characters. It includes pictures to aid the quizzer.
- Finally, the back cover features a portrait of Professor Nowitall. There is no credit in the issue, and the only indicator are the artist's initials of SPM on the drawing itself, so I'm not sure who drew it!
No comments:
Post a Comment