Graphic Novel Review – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Marvel’s Oz, Book 1) by Eric Shanower , L. Frank Baum, Skottie Young (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: All ages
Genre: Graphic Novel/Fantasy
Length: 216 pages
Publisher: Marvel
Release Date: September 22, 2010
ISBN: 978-0785145905
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars

I was browsing the library graphic novel section and found this little gem. This is a book I’ve picked up a number of times in bookstores but wasn’t quite sure I wanted to read it. It ended up being an excellent book with beautiful artwork and now I want to read all the books in this series. Right now there are five trade paperbacks total in this series.

Most people know the story of Oz. Dorothy gets whisked away by a tornado and her house lands on a Wicked Witch. In her quest to get back home she finds a Tin Man, a Scarecrow, and a Cowardly Lion. They must confront Oz the Great and Powerful. He gives them a quest to go on to destroy another Wicked Witch, which they must do if Dorothy is ever going to get home.

I read many of Frank Baum’s Oz books with my mom when I was younger. That was decades ago, so I don’t remember them completely, but I do remember them pretty well. This graphic novel does an excellent job following the first book accurately (based on my somewhat faulty memory). I really enjoyed the characterizations and depictions of Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion a lot.

The artwork here is full color and absolutely stunning. Skottie Young does it and he does a fantastic job.

It was fun for me to revisit the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I enjoyed the way the graphic novel stuck to the original novel’s storyline while improving on characterization and giving the story some style. I really enjoyed how beautiful the illustration was. This is a book that can, like the original book, be enjoyed by all ages.

Overall I loved this graphic novel. It’s an excellent retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz with beautiful full color illustration. I loved how this story was translated into graphic novel format while still staying true to the original story. Highly recommended to everyone and a great way to get familiar with the original story!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge