by Chuck Moore
Over the next few days, I'm planning to dig into the ever expanding mail bag here at Comic Related and review some of the books you have been sending us. We begin in the wonderful world of Oz and have a lot of ground to cover in future column updates...
The Royal Historian of Oz #1
Released - June 2010
24 pages, B/W, $1.00
Art by Tommy Kovac / Story by Andy Hirsch
SLG Publishing
If you are looking for bang for your buck, you cannot beat this issue as, looking back on the read, it would have stood as a solid first issue even if it were fully priced. The low "try it" point only adds to the celebration here as there is a lot to love and few faults.
Okay, yes, this is a Wizard of Oz derived story and I know we've seen a lot of those over the last few years. That said, this one just feels a bit different in it's approach, humor and execution. Most emulate the original story in some way and fall short. Here, The Royal Historian of Oz, approaches the "wonderful world" from a slightly different angle focusing on characters over wonderment (so far).
At the heart of this first issue, we have a father/son dynamic in the year 2050. The father, Jasper Fizzle, is a flawed writer who loves the long tradition of penning the history of Oz and actually presenting it as if it were a real place with him simply reporting the news. The story references that this is a style that L. Frank Baum himself used in his original writing on this mythical land.
Frank, Jasper's son, want's nothing to do with the idea of Oz and is fairly embarrassed about the entire affair thinking his father strange and obsessed. Add to this situation the sudden appearance of representatives of the "Official Oz Society" serving papers to stop Jasper from writing about Oz and you have a fun interplay of conflict right from the start.
About half way through the issue, Jasper finds a pair of slippers that (after a humorous cross-dressing moment where his son discovers him trying to make the shoes work) transports Jasper to Oz. We see the whole situation from the son's point of view and he doesn't actually take the trip. I like this approach as we, the reader, are discovering thinks along with Frank. Jasper's has returned with many treasures, an Oz squad (with some really familiar faces) is assembled to bring them back and a heck of a fun tale is afoot.
The story has a whimsical sense of adventure as Frank stumbles into his father's discoveries and has his mind spun panel after panel. It's a fun tale and the humor hits on the right points, but can tug at the heart just a bid (as in the scene where Jasper asks Frank if is writing is actually good). My only misgiving was at the running gag that an individual must be a bit effeminate to be fascinated with the Wizard of Oz as an older man. It plays on a stereotype and made me a little uncomfortable during the read. That said, it was a minor concern and one easily let live given the fun story.
The art here is gorgeous. There is a heavy inked style that just works as it doesn't lose the rounded art style and sometimes cartoon feel of the presentation. There's a beautiful level of detail and you can tell that time went into the art here. It shows.
By the end of the story, the flawed Jasper takes on an almost Dr. Who look and feel as he misses the point just a little regarding what he's done and is unwilling to give up his quest to become the Royal Historian of Oz. With Frank becoming the target of the coming Oz squad, issue #2 (coming out very soon) will be a fun read.
Learn more about the art Andy Hirsch at aforandy.com and the work of Tommy Kovac can be sampled at tommykovac.com.
Okay, I'll continue on the mail bag soon so check back for more reviews! There's a ton of exciting stuff to talk about and I'm back at it writing away.
Reviewer Bio
Chuck Moore (chuck@comicrelated.com) / Creator of Comic Related
What's my story? I grew up in southern Ohio. I owned seven comic shops in the 80's. I moved to Kentucky. I ran a radio station and did an alternative music show in the 90's. I traveled and did press work for the unlimited hydroplane racing series and with ESPN in the 00's. As the current decade heads toward its close, I stopped traveling a bit, bought a farm and started a comic book web site. That's it in a nutshell.
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