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Into The Dust
by Jesse Rubenfeld
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There have been many Wizard of Oz based stories over the years which have taken the L. Frank Baum classic in some distinctly interesting directions. Into the Dust is the first I've encountered that actually mashes up the traditional Oz tale with the world of 60's counterculture, self-exploration, The Grapes of Wrath, On the Road by Jack Kerouac and the legendary Route 66. Getting all that into one story is an ambitious goal, but Jesse Rubenfeld works to bring these concepts together in the first two issues and, so far, he presents an interesting tale that I've enjoyed sampling.
In the story, the lead character, Judy, is part of a farmer family living in Kansas in May of 1934. She's moved there to stay with her uncle after the death of her father. Suddenly, as is standard with any Oz guided story, along comes the tornado which whisks her and her dog Baum away.
That's where the expected elements end and the unexpected story begins.
Judy isn't transported to the mythical land of Oz. Rather, the trip takes her through time jumping her forward thirty years to Beverly Hills circa 1964. Instantly Into The Dust becomes a fist out of water story that's about to find a few kicks on Route 66 (which is playing the role of the yellow brick road for this tale).
In the story, Judy doesn't drop a house on a wicked witch, but rather a phone to the head of a socialite actress who was busy sipping a drink narcissistically in her mansion's pool. As Judy makes her getaway into this wondrous new land of mystery, known to you and I as 60's Hollywood, she takes to the road in a ruby red mustang she liberates from the wicked actresses' garage. Once out on the road, she sets her sights on a return to Kansas and begins meeting some interesting new friends.
As you read Into The Dust, the elements of an Oz tale are clearly present, but they are reinterpreted in unusual and fresh ways. Immediately, I found this particular mix of topics; 30's depression era dust bowl sensibilities, 60's drug culture exploration and Oz like story circumstances, to be an unexpectedly comfortable mix.
What initially struck me about this series was the feeling of introspection present in the story. You can tell Jesse's working to write something that's a bit more than a reconstituted Oz tale. You can feel that there's a bit of soul and life experience within these pages. It has a tone that made me feel as if I were reading an early raw work by a writer/artist who was beginning to evolve into some exciting projects. Into the Dust feels fresh in places and immediately interesting.
Jesse's art is evolving here. He has room to refine his talent as he goes forward, but there clearly is a lot of skill present in his imagery. The style he uses fits the tone of the story as it has an ethereal quality that sits well with the 60's era in which the story rests.
I found the brown and white, pre-color scenes in dust bowl Kansas at the start of the story to be especially evocative and some of my favorite scenes from the series. Many of those panels are quite beautiful and the tornado sequence is certainly worth seeing.
In summary, I found the series to be fresh and interesting and I would recommend it as a nice change of pace story. It doesn't race, it cruises and that makes for a refreshing read. Given that this is a self-published title, I find all the more reason to see out future issues.
Jesse Rubenfeld writes, illustrates, paints and self-publishes this series. My review covers issue #1 and 2 which are the first chapters of a 12 part tale planned for Judy and crew. Learn more about the series by visiting www.intothedust.net. While visiting the site, don't miss the preview pages which allow you to see some of the series for yourself. Their just a mouse click away.
