ROYAL HISTORIAN OF OZ

 

Review from "Guttergeek" :

The Royal Historian of Oz #1:  This is the sort of book that pisses me off because, like any writer, I am sick with jealousy that I did not come up with this great idea. What is that idea?

 Well, leave it to Tommy Kovac to be the guy who figures out how to revisit Oz via a completely modern twist and not stomp on the source material one bit. This is one of the strongest first issues I have read in a very long time. (The last one that hit me like this was Marvels’ new S.H.I.E.L.D. book.) Plus, The Royal Historian only cost a dollar. If you have read Tommy’s Wonderland, you know how he can take an old story, make it a “new” old story that looks a bit different since you last saw it, but it’s still your pal and will give you a couch to crash on. I really can’t say enough good things about this book. Okay, one complaint: the color scheme on the cover looks like a corduroy leisure suit from 1977.

You know that Tommy is not just intimately familiar with Baum’s creations, but the politics of the obsessive fans as well. His thugs are a riot:

“Sigh. I just hope there isn’t another letter from the ‘Official Oz Society’…”

“The who?”

“Oh, just a bunch of gay old men with dogs named ‘Toto’”

Methinks Mr. Kovac may have had a run-in with the freaks at the Baum Bugle. Oh, and though Baum’s books differ greatly from the MGM 1939 film, you can come in with zero knowledge of his books and The Royal Historian of Oz should be 100% accessible to any reader. I like that Tommy and Andy tackled this in a way that they really could just as well have been writing about a fictitious series of books; not something that is easily pulled off. If you hate this book (which I promise you won’t, unless you’re from the Baum Bugle), the revelation of what Frank Fizzle’s dad is up to at the end is worth the price of admission. It would make the actual Wizard Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs proud. Did I mention this gem is only $1? This is not just a great Oz comic, but a terrific comic by any standards. They put together a great book—the best I have read this month—and they did not have to use Marvel Universe politics, Green Lantern rainbows, or Batman resurrections. Bravo.

[BTW: For those who don’t know, L. Frank Baum Jr. made a silent film in 1925 from his dad’s work The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which you can watch HERE]

 

Lovely praise for #1 on "Shelf Abuse"

 

Another review of issue #1 on "Major Spoilers"

 

And another of issue #1 on "iFanboy"

 


SKELEBUNNIES 

 

Read Cory Doctorow's review on Boing Boing

 

Read NPR's review comparing me to Beatrix Potter

 

Read Ray Olson's review in the April 1, 2009 issue of Booklist

 


WONDERLAND

 

"If Lewis Carroll were alive today,

he would have written 'Wonderland.'"  -Jill Pantozzi

See the entire review on Girls Entertainment Network.

 

Read a lovely review of Wonderland in

Publishers Weekly Comics Week

 

Read Michael Cart's column about Wonderland

(and the making of) from the May 15, 2009 issue of Booklist

 

Read Ian Chipman's review in the May 15, 2009 issue of Booklist

 

Following is Ann Bailey's review from the May 2009 issue

of School Library Journal, in their graphic novels section.

(couldn't figure out how to link just that one review!  Sorry.)

KOVAC, Tommy Wonderland illus. by Sonny Liew. 160p. Hyperion/Disney 2009. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-0451-3. LC number unavailable.

Gr 4 Up–Ever wonder what happened in Wonderland after Alice left? Follow the quirky tale of Mary Ann, the meticulous and dutiful housekeeper for the White Rabbit, as she continues the tale. Her boss is now wanted for treason by the Queen of Hearts for allowing the Alice Monster to enter the kingdom–off with his head! On the run and fearing for their lives, Mary Ann and White Rabbit encounter the meddlesome Cheshire Cat, the ever-contentious troublemaker, sending the White Rabbit straight into the clutches of the queen and poor Mary Ann tumbling into the Treacle Well. When she discovers the Queen of Spades, an escape plan is hatched along with a meeting between the two queens. Chaos ensues, as it should in Wonderland, complete with a regime change and a happy ending for Mary Ann and her furry friends. This is a terrific look at a great classic. The energetic, action-packed illustrations complement the story in Disney-cartoon style, making for a great read for all ages.–Ann Bailey, Wilde Lake High School, Columbia, MD

 

Following is the review in the June 2009 issue of VOYA

(Voice of Youth Advocates) and yes they misspelled by name.


 

 

  

 

 

 

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