THE O.Z. #1-3 / Written by DAVID PEPOSE / Art by RUBEN ROJAS / Colors by WHITNEY COGAR / Letters by DC HOPKINS / Covers by MAAN HOUSE, JOSHUA HOOD & SERG ACUNA / Published Independently

It seems like nearly every comic publisher has tried to put their own dark spin on The Wizard of Oz. The cynics may think this was part of an effort to capitalize on Wicked, but this was an issue even before the movie of the musical of the book inspired by the movie musical of the book. It’s a fair cop, as with most of the books by L. Frank Baum now in the public domain, there’s nothing to stop anyone from adapting them in whatever way they wish. However, even with this rather sizeable collective, The O.Z. stands out as something special.

The story centers around veteran soldier Dorothy Gale. Named for her grandmother, she became disillusioned with her life having survived a long tour in Iraq. However, she soon finds herself following in her grandmother’s footsteps, transported from the corn fields of Kansas to the magical land of Oz.

However, this Oz is not the one the first Dorothy Gale visited. It is a land ruined by war and the power struggle that rose after the death of two witches and the Emerald City being forsaken by the wizard that ruled it. It will fall to Dorothy and her grandmother’s old friends to try and bring peace to the fallen land.

Two issues of The O.Z. were published and the series won the 2021 Ringo for Best Single Issue or Story. Now, the third and final chapter is bringing the saga to a conclusion. As before, the series is being crowd-funded on Kickstarter and, at the time of this writing, it is already fully funded.

Those who missed out on the story so far need not worry. There are tiers available that allow the whole series to be picked up in digital and print format. There are also collectible covers, for those who like that sort of thing. However, the core of the comic is a story that is equal parts dark fantasy and period drama. That makes this comic a must have for any who enjoys twisted fairy tales and war comics.