Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz by Joe Brusha - Paul's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Diamond Book Distributors/Zenescope Entertainment on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

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Title: Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz
Author: Joe Brusha
Date of Publication: March 18, 2014

Ashley's Review

Synopsis: The world faces a gathering storm that threatens to drown it in darkness. The only hope to stop the coming evil rests on an unlikely hero: a Kansas farm girl named Dorothy Gale. 

Unbeknownst to Dorothy, highborn blood flows through her veins and with it, the power to save Earth and the realms of power that surround it. But Dorothy must first learn to use her unharnessed abilities before the witches of Oz destroy her and everyone else that stands in their way.

Zenescope Entertainment presents another incredible tale of adventure and fantasy with this mesmerizing and epic re-imagining of a classic!

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Review: I always like adaptations or reimaginings of The Wizard of Oz. They vary so much. Some make the story happy and light. Others, like this comic, make the story a lot more adult. As you can tell from the cover, the breasts of all the female characters are all out front. The women's appearances are all very sexualized. The violence is also quite graphic. If you are not looking for a mature graphic novel, you should probably stay away from this comic. 

Aside from the visual, I liked how each of the main characters had new histories. The story follows the general outline of The Wizard of Oz, but more politics and history is added. Although I found this extended world building and character development interesting, a lot of it was told instead of shown. 

Overall, this graphic novel is a fun and sexy retelling of The Wizard of Oz. There isn't anything revolutionary to this novel, but it's a fun, casual read. I rate it a 3/5.

--Paul

No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.5) by Danielle Paige - Ashley's Review

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Title: No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.5)
Author: Danielle Paige
Year Published: 2013

Paul's Review

Synopsis: After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.

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Review: I love the Oz books, and I love when there are retellings of things that happen in Oz. I think it's one of my favorite classics to read new and interesting spins on, because the world is so vast and there are so many ways it can be changed into something new and exciting. This novella was no different, and might even be one of my favorites! 

Dorothy is always portrayed as being the hero - she killed the Witches and restored peace to Oz, and all of the residents of Oz love her for that. In this novella though, she's not the sweet little girl from Kansas that everyone remembers. She's actually kind of a jerk for most of the book, and I actually liked that about her. Especially since the next book is called Dorothy Must Die.... I'm pretty glad that I'm not sure whether or not I should actually like Dorothy. 

One of my favorite parts about this novella was all of the references to the originial book series. Ozma is really important in the books, and it makes sense that she's the ruler at the time that this novella is taking place. Other fans of the series may notice that the Saw-Horse, Polychrome, and the porcelain dolls (among other inhabitants of Oz) make appearance or are mentioned, which is pretty neat. And Dorothy's slippers stick to the original story in terms of their color, although she does receive a special gift on her sixteenth birthday that will make bring back memories of the original movie. 

I really enjoyed this novel, and I'm excited to see what will happen to Oz as the story continues in the rest of the Dorothy Must Die series! I think I want to read a few more Oz books before I read Dorothy Must Die though so that I can pick up on all of the subtle references and know who the characters and places are from the original books. I would definitely recommend this novella to anyone who is thinking about reading Dorothy Must Die and to any fans of The Wizard of Oz, be it the movie or the books. A 5/5! 

--Ashley

No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.5) - Paul's Review

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Title: No Place Like Oz (Dorothy Must Die #0.5)
Author: Danielle Paige
Year Published: 2013

Synopsis: After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.

Dorothy Must Die UPCOMING RELEASE DATE 

Tuesday April 1, 2014

Review: No Place Like Oz is more than just a novella with added content to attach to a full fledged novel. It is almost 200 pages and a complete story on its own. After finishing this novella, I immediately pre-ordered Dorothy Must Die. I was intrigued by the upcoming book already just based on the hype and the source material, but this novella has got me completely hooked. 

The famous Dorothy Gale is back in Kansas and life just isn't what it used to be now that she knows there's a whole world of magic out there, just over the rainbow, out of reach. She receives a mysterious gift on her 16th birthday and finds herself on a whole new adventure. I won't spoil the story any more than that, but the places this story goes are wonderful.  

No matter your familiarity with Oz, you will enjoy the magic in this novella. For those diehard Oz fans, characters from the original books make appearances. And for those who have only seen the movie, you may be slightly confused by some name changes and subtle differences, but all the differences are explained in the context of the book to allow easy access for those unfamiliar with L. Frank Baum's books. There weren't ruby slippers in the original novel. The silver shoes were made more vibrant to showcase the revolutionary technicolor of the 1939 film. 

If you are a fan of retellings or continuations of classic tales, I think you'll like this. There are some darker themes in this than the source material. It seems like the first full book in the series will continue that darker feel. If you are planning on reading Dorothy Must Die on its release, I suggest checking out this novella first. I give this novella a 5/5. 

--PAUL

Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz by Joe Brusha - Ashley's Review

*I received this book as an eARC from Diamond Book Distributors/Zenescope Entertainment on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Title: Grimm Fairy Tales: Oz
Author: Joe Brusha
Date of Publication: March 18, 2014

Synopsis: The world faces a gathering storm that threatens to drown it in darkness. The only hope to stop the coming evil rests on an unlikely hero: a Kansas farm girl named Dorothy Gale. 

Unbeknownst to Dorothy, highborn blood flows through her veins and with it, the power to save Earth and the realms of power that surround it. But Dorothy must first learn to use her unharnessed abilities before the witches of Oz destroy her and everyone else that stands in their way.

Zenescope Entertainment presents another incredible tale of adventure and fantasy with this mesmerizing and epic re-imagining of a classic!

------------------------------------------

Review: I love reimaginings and retellings, especially ones that have to do with Oz. There's just so much there that can be taken and rewoven and redone into something new and exciting. So, I was really excited when I saw this comic! I've seen these Grimm Fairy Tale comics before, but have never really been interested in reading them. But this one definitely caught my attention.

And I was really not disappointed. Brusha took a popular story with well-known characters and made them all his own. Toto is a ghost wolf. The scarecrow is more intelligent than I've ever seen him, the cowardly lion is a brave soldier with his own secrets, and the tin man is more like a big robot than a man made of tin. The Munchkins are here too, as are all of the scary creatures like the flying monkeys. And of course, what would Oz be without Glinda and the Wicked Witches of the East and West? 

As can be seen from the cover, this comic is definitely sexier and more grown up than L. Frank Baum's original tale. Dorothy and the three Witches wear as little clothing as possible, and it's definitely not practical at all - especially when they go to battle. It's clear that these comics are written for a different audience than the children's books, and I could see how it could be offensive to some people. I didn't really mind since I figured that would be the case going into it... but just be aware that this comic is at least a PG-13 and read at your discretion. There's also some blood and gore and violence, so i's probably not a good read for anyone with a weaker stomach.

I do think I was missing something with the beginning though, and I wish that I had read the other Grimm Fairy Tales to know if I was actually missing something or not. I would imagine that they're all tied together, but I could be wrong. Other than that, this can definitely be read as a standalone, especially if you're familiar with even the first Oz book. I would recommend this to the older crowd (definitely not young YA or MG), especially someone looking for a darker spin on The Wizard of Oz. A 3/5, but I'll be looking for more of these Grimm Fairy Tales comics! 

--Ashley