The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Graphic Novel
Publisher: Campfire
Release Date: March 2011
Price: $9.99
Creator(s): L. Frank Baum (original story); Roland Mann (story adaption); Kevin Jones (illustrator)
Format: 76 pgs.; Full-Color; Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-93-80028-51-4
Age Rating: 10-14
ICv2 Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 5

Mann and company’s retelling of Baum’s famous story is naturally going to be compared with Eric Shanower and Skottie Young’s retelling (published by Marvel) and while Campfire’s version does not have quite the spunk and sparkle of Marvel’s, it is still a solid adaptation.  Mann strives to keep the flavor of Baum’s words and mostly succeeds, only occasionally abridging too much.  The plot is well paced until after the Wizard’s departure from Oz, when it rushes too quickly through the parts of Dorothy’s travels which never made it to the movie screen.  But Oz fans will enjoy the care taken to stay true to Baum’s creation.  The slippers are back to silver, the few deaths are firmly in place (though the violence is off panel), and Dorothy looks very much like a little girl, not a teenager.  Perhaps in an attempt to capture fans of the musical Wicked, the Wicked Witch of the West is portrayed as an attractive but still one-eyed (except for on the cover) younger woman.  The color palette is bright and cheerful, breathing realism into the fantastical world where Dorothy finds herself.  Additional details--an author bio and information about witches and wizards--give the book a whiff of "educational," but might stir further interest in readers.

--Snow Wildsmith: Writer and former teen librarian and ALA/YALSA committee member.