Monday, October 15, 2018

The 31 Days of Halloween, Oz Style: Day 15

We're just about halfway through the month, and much to my surprise, I may actually make it! (I wasn't sure I'd make it when I started, but I have plenty of stuff still to talk about, so this is going well.) Let's go with something silly today: The Simpsons. There have been many Oz reference on the show over the years, and even as allusion to a Muppets' Wizard of Oz spoof on a fictitious Treehouse of Horror episode. But a straight-up Oz spoof? For that, we must go to the comics. Specifically, The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Fun-Filled Frightfest includes a story about Lisa getting clonked on the head and having a very vivid dream in the story "We're Not in Springfield Anymore". Yes, the Oz characters are portrayed by the denizens of Springfield. What makes this one special in my opinion, however, is the writer/artist. The entire story is done by the great Stan Sakai, the creator of the ronin rabbit Usagi Yojimbo, a comic book Stan has been the sole creator on since 1984, and still going strong after over two hundred issues. This is a rare non-Usagi tale from him, and he captures the spirit of both Oz and The Simpsons very well.

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