The Warlord must be defeated, but at what cost? And who is willing to pay the price?
Creative Staff:
Writers: Jeff Massey & Kristin Massey
Artwork: Antonio Bifulco
What They Say:
Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, died bringing Dorothy Gale back from Kansas to face Warlord, a warrior bent on subjugating Oz. Warlord resurrected the greatest evil to cast shadow over the Realm of Hope: Zamora. Fortunately, the “lost” Emerald Sage, Smynth, helped Dorothy refine her magical power. After a great battle, both side now regroup and prepare for their final conflict.
But following the betrayals and revelations at Zamoran, will Dorothy Gale once again defend the Land of Hope, or succumb to the forces that buffet at every turn?
Content (please note that portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Gale must defeat Warlord if the armies of Oz are to have any chance against Zamora, but how can they if his magic seems limitless? They have lured him to the Tufnel Stones and yet even without his sword Reaver they cannot drain him since he continues to draw power from the land itself. Dorothy must trust in her companions that they will be able to align the stones of the mystic relic that will hold him, but it all depends on her. She must fight him long enough so that they can enact the ritual, but the longer this lasts, the more she doubts herself.
As Dorothy becomes embroiled in the battle, she finally feels that the time is right, and tries to vanquish this foe once and for all. But, the harder she tries, the more Warlord pushes his advantage until his anger erupts against her friends. The Gale watches as they fall one after another, seemingly crushing any hope the forces of Oz may have had for victory. However, this only fuels her rage as it erupts in one final blast of mystical energies, hopefully ending his terror and beginning the imprisonment process. It is not to be as he defiantly strides over to her limp form, ready to strike the fatal blow.
When all seems lost, the Stones finally crackle to life, encasing the Warlord in a sheath of crystal. All seems to be at an end, until the Tin Man notices that the shell is not stable, and he knows what he must do; a balance must be maintained for the prison to hold, and Nick knew that he was the only one who could create that stability. But, as they mourn for those they have lost, the heroes do not notice that another has succumbed to the same evil they had fought to contain. The battle is not yet over, for it has only just begun.
In Summary:
Always had a feeling that something would go wrong, after all, a good story always works better when the hero has to fight back from a stunning defeat. And where else would that black magic go if not into Dorothy? After all, Adraste and Smynth did warn her that she must use the Ruby Staff and yet in the heat of battle, you can’t pay attention to the details! The Masseys have crafted yet another amazing piece to this story and this one fits into the puzzle just as well.
We can see how much The Gale must trust in her friends just in this fight alone, leaving them to their own machinations while she occupies the Warlord. And at the same time, she must trust that her own abilities will be enough to occupy him as they ready the Stones. But as the fight drags on, doubt erodes her own self worth, making the task that much more difficult. As all of this is happening, the balance they must maintain for the trap to work is also working against them. Perhaps all of the factours were working against the team which lead Dorothy down the wrong path? We might never know, but we do know the outcome, and it is not a bright one.
The intensity depicted in Bifulco’s marvelous artwork only helps to reinforce the story as it unfolds. His battle scenes are what make this issue, even if you delete the text balloons, you still know what is happening by the actions of the characters. The grimaces of pain, gasps of amazement and the ferocity of the Warlord’s over-exaggerated fighting style make every panel a delight to the eye. You can feel Dorothy’s pain as she watches in horror what her folly has caused for Oz and the result of that overconfidence. We all know that it will not end well, and that menacing grin she has at the end just confirms it. This art was the best of this series.
I cannot wait to see what will happen next as mother and daughter reunite. Ironic that at the start, Dorothy kept rejecting the notion that she was nothing like Zamora and yet, as the story progressed, we start to see how much her influence had coloured her judgments. Of course, we are all a product of our parents, but with Dorothy, she never knew her mother, just Uncle Henry and Aunt Em; but, as she started to take responsibility for being The Gale, she had to know in the back of her mind that all of her mother’s evil was in part due to her being taken away and just wanted to bring her family back together again. What will happen now that her greatest wish has been fulfilled? Will they live happily ever after … probably not!
Grade: A+
Rating: 16+
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: August 26, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
