Oz Heart of Magic #1
Zenescope Entertainment 2019
Written by Terry Kavanagh
Illustrated by Marcelo Mueller
Coloured by Leonardo Paciarotti
Lettered by Maurizio Clausi (Arancia Studio)
Cut off from most of her loyal followers and exiled from the Emerald City, Dorothy is still trapped in a body that is not her own. Now on the run through increasingly forbidding lands, and with the very heart of the realm itself on the line, she must protect herself and the people who rely on her.
It has been quite some time since I have visited the land of Oz. I think that picking up where the past has left off and creating this kind of rag-tag band of rebels out to free the Emerald City and Oz from the Mad Wizards machinations has a very good, strong appeal to me. Suddenly this feels a lot less like something we normally and more along the lines of taking these characters and making them so much more. I love, applaud and appreciate the direction I am seeing before me right here and if I am wrong so be it but I can only go by what I see.
The opening is extremely well done and it’s a perfect way to either introduce yourself to what has been going on, catch up on what happened and be able to just jump right on in. So if you have never visited this version of Oz before this is jumping on point that you dream of getting. I love the look we’re getting at those who are travelling with Dorothy, who believe in her and what this is all about. I have been wanting and liking the direction many of the titles have taken and this is no exception. The way that this is structured is extremely nice to see. The way the story’s ebb & flow and here & there storytelling that keeps revealing twists, turns and manipulations is fun to see.
The characterisation here is also very well done. I like that we get to see personalities here not just forming but already formed in full. We get to see them interact with one another and it feels like we’re indeed seeing people who are familiar with each other. I wouldn’t go as far as calling them friends but more along the line of allies and that distinction is interesting to me and there is definitely room for that to change in time.
I love the interior artwork here. The linework is so nice to see it’s clean, crisp and is utilised to really bring out some sensational attention to detail. There is a beautiful sense of creativity and imagination in what we are seeing here and it helps the reader to really connect with this land. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a solid eye for storytelling. There is also some really great utilisation of backgrounds going on here and I enjoy how they expand the moments and create a size and scope to the world and the story. The colour work here is nice to see, it’s bright and vibrant and everything that technicolour aspect of the film wanted to bring.
This really does have so much going on simultaneously. The multi-layered storytelling that we seeing is so well done by Terry and it’s truly delightful to see him be able to really pull all the aspects together so that not only is it easy to follow but it’s also incredibly draining on the emotional spectrum. This is a good thing too because as evil and nasty as the wizard is, with his manipulations and grand schemes and with what is happen with Dorothy and her group it’s all this wonderfully crazy. The writing through the story & plot development including the pacing alongside this stunning interior artwork make this something everyone can enjoy reading.
Zenescope Entertainment 2019
Written by Terry Kavanagh
Illustrated by Marcelo Mueller
Coloured by Leonardo Paciarotti
Lettered by Maurizio Clausi (Arancia Studio)
Cut off from most of her loyal followers and exiled from the Emerald City, Dorothy is still trapped in a body that is not her own. Now on the run through increasingly forbidding lands, and with the very heart of the realm itself on the line, she must protect herself and the people who rely on her.
It has been quite some time since I have visited the land of Oz. I think that picking up where the past has left off and creating this kind of rag-tag band of rebels out to free the Emerald City and Oz from the Mad Wizards machinations has a very good, strong appeal to me. Suddenly this feels a lot less like something we normally and more along the lines of taking these characters and making them so much more. I love, applaud and appreciate the direction I am seeing before me right here and if I am wrong so be it but I can only go by what I see.
The opening is extremely well done and it’s a perfect way to either introduce yourself to what has been going on, catch up on what happened and be able to just jump right on in. So if you have never visited this version of Oz before this is jumping on point that you dream of getting. I love the look we’re getting at those who are travelling with Dorothy, who believe in her and what this is all about. I have been wanting and liking the direction many of the titles have taken and this is no exception. The way that this is structured is extremely nice to see. The way the story’s ebb & flow and here & there storytelling that keeps revealing twists, turns and manipulations is fun to see.
The characterisation here is also very well done. I like that we get to see personalities here not just forming but already formed in full. We get to see them interact with one another and it feels like we’re indeed seeing people who are familiar with each other. I wouldn’t go as far as calling them friends but more along the line of allies and that distinction is interesting to me and there is definitely room for that to change in time.
I love the interior artwork here. The linework is so nice to see it’s clean, crisp and is utilised to really bring out some sensational attention to detail. There is a beautiful sense of creativity and imagination in what we are seeing here and it helps the reader to really connect with this land. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a solid eye for storytelling. There is also some really great utilisation of backgrounds going on here and I enjoy how they expand the moments and create a size and scope to the world and the story. The colour work here is nice to see, it’s bright and vibrant and everything that technicolour aspect of the film wanted to bring.
This really does have so much going on simultaneously. The multi-layered storytelling that we seeing is so well done by Terry and it’s truly delightful to see him be able to really pull all the aspects together so that not only is it easy to follow but it’s also incredibly draining on the emotional spectrum. This is a good thing too because as evil and nasty as the wizard is, with his manipulations and grand schemes and with what is happen with Dorothy and her group it’s all this wonderfully crazy. The writing through the story & plot development including the pacing alongside this stunning interior artwork make this something everyone can enjoy reading.
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