The Wonderful Wizard of Oz #1 (of 8)

When I was quite young, we had a black-and-white TV set. It wasn't unusual - no one in our neighborhood had a color TV until the Williams family down the street got one.

It was a source of amazement to all the kids who used every available excuse to visit and watch cartoons. But one evening, my Mother gathered up my brothers and I for a visit. Mom wanted us to see the movie The Wizard of Oz, which was being shown on TV for (as far as I know) the first time.

I didn't understand why. The movie's opening scenes were in black-and-white, right up until Dorothy's house was carried away by a tornado. It crashed to the ground, and when she opened the door, she stepped from a black-and-white world into one full of bright colors.

Mom had seen the movie as a child and remembered the shock of that scene - and she wanted to pass it along to her sons.

I've been a fan of the movie ever since, and that led me to the original series of books by L. Frank Baum, which I also love.

Oz has been adapted into comics, of course. The most famous may be the joint Marvel - DC adaptation of the film, but my favorites are the original graphic novels created by writer / artist Eric Shanower.

Now Shanower is back - sadly, only writing here - as Marvel begins its adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. But don't get me wrong - Shanower does a terrific job here.

There's no hint of the movie - Dorothy is a young girl who finds herself transported from the desolate plains of Kansas to the beautiful (though dangerous) miracles of the land of Oz. Shanower captures the language and the feel of Baum's books perfectly.

Supplying the art is Skottie Young, with Jean-Francois Beaulieu on colors. This is a very different look for this story, unlike anything I've seen before, and at first glance I didn't think I'd like it. But I was wrong. Young's art has a sweet, pure energy that fits the story perfectly.

There are a few panels that are a little hard to decode (it took me a moment to figure out what Dorothy was doing in the first panel on page 6, for example), but the art is charming, lively, and great fun to look at.

If you have any interest at all in the merry old land of Oz, don't miss this series. It'll add color to the dreariest day!

Grade: A-