The Latest Oz Reading

The penultimate batch of Oz things I've read? Believe it or not, a whole bunch of magazines with major Oz articles, or even an entire issue devoted to Oz, have come out in the last few months.

• I caught word that Cinefex magazine, a trade publication devoted to movie special effects, was shutting down its print edition and rapidly selling off back issues. So I quickly snagged a copy of issue 133, which included a major article on the making of Oz the Great and Powerful. (Good thing I got issue 22 years ago, but if not, I would have gotten it for their Return to Oz article. While I was buying the more recent issue, I also picked up an issue about Aquaman for Laura!) The article was interesting, but definitely aimed at more of an industry audience than to an Oz fan. What surprised me is how much of the effects were practical, and there was a lot less reliance on computer generated imagery than in many other current movies. It's definitely a great addition to my collection, and to the broader knowledge of Oz.
• Illustration Magazine #71 has a major article on W. W. Denslow, focusing on his time in Bermuda. As this was recently covered in a similar article in The Baum Bugle, there wasn't a lot I didn't know. But the overview of his career was thorough and informative, and the reproduction of the illustrations, in full color on high quality glossy paper, is gorgeous.
• American Road Magazine devoted its spring 2021 issue to Oz road tripping. Surprisingly, they filled 128 pages on the topic! To be sure, some of the sites were pretty tangential, but they also found some great sites, some I hadn't even been aware of before. Much to their credit, American Road did a really deep dive into the books for inspiration, even venturing outside of Oz with a profile of the Sunny Jim cave in La Jolla, California, and how it relates to The Sea Fairies. They also have a great write-up on the film version of The Wiz and the locations where it was shot in New York City. (I did not know that they did not shoot the discovery of the Cowardly Lion in front of the New York Public Library, but on a soundstage where the Library was recreated. It makes sense in hindsight, however.) They even have one trip to Alaska! (That's probably a challenge to drive to, however.)
• Finally, I can't seem to find a link to it anywhere outside of ebay, but some outfit called Hollywood Spotlight that puts out magazines devoted to single movies that you see at grocery store checkouts put out The Ultimate Guide to The Wizard of Oz. To their credit, they talk about the story's origins as a book and mention the silent movies as well as some of the more recent film and television adaptations, but this is packed with information about The Movie. There weren't a lot of new revelations, but it was a fun package, and I suspect most other readers will learn something they didn't lready know.

And now I'm caught up—except for one other book. But since I'm doing something special for that, I'll just save that one for the moment and tell you about that when I can.