Is Dorothy a Good Witch or a Bad Witch? Which side will she choose?
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):
As things seem to be the darkest with The Gale about to strike the final blow against her former friends, Glinda intervenes. The Good Witch of the South had been watching as things have unfolded, seeing what was hidden from Dorothy and knowing that her mother Zamora has not been entirely truthful with her daughter; plans within plans, deceptions within deceptions, manipulating what she told and what was shown to her so that her outlook was carefully controlled to the fullest and thus her mother was the true puppet master of the Witch Queen of Oz. None of what was revealed to the Hero of Kan’zaas was what it appeared to be, only what Zamora needed so that she could be the one to rule the entirety of the realm.
But what has been accumulated before is now the penultimate moment to which all the previous events unfold: How will The Gale save Oz? According to Glinda, none of what lead the heroine to this turning point was her doing, but all manipulations of Zamora. However, will she do the right thing or will she continue to be a pawn to her mother’s twisted ambitions; it is all her choosing, but the first step is hers. While she struggles with the torment of this decision, the two mistresses of magic battle for dominion over the poor girl. They fight for the future of not only her but that of Oz though with one mighty strike the Good Witch is brought down and a gloating sorceress and her child greet her after a brief instant; Dorothy must prove herself once again by killing this interloper and showing her mother that she is her true child. However, this slip is all it takes to unravel the tapestry of lies which she had woven into The Gale’s psyche and show her who were her real friends.
In Summary:
The Masseys did an excellent job with this series, however, the final issue had too many convenient and clichéd plot devices – all revolving around Glenda returning from the dead to help fight Zamora. This turning of the hero and their struggle to find the right path is a classic theme, but none of the dilemmas which we normally see were fully established within this story; it was all too rushed and tidy, with the flaws in her mother’s plans being pointed out to Dorothy so we could have more action and none of the dramatic development. While it would have been fine if the whole wasn’t planned in advance, why create such a strong willed character if she is going to be handed the answers and let someone else make the hard decisions for her? The Gale was made into a side character while the Glenda and Zamora fight over her – it makes the ending unsatisfying and gives us an empty feeling to close this drama.
However once again, Antonio Bifulco does not disappoint us with this final issue’s sensational artwork. From the calm demeanor of Glenda to the wild expressions of fury from Zamora and her daughter, we are not disappointed with the nonstop action he depicts in this frantic fable of adversity. The way he evolves the story from gentleness to the explosive fight over Dorothy and the tranquil aftermath and its consequences, the layout of the story is concise and draws the series to a meaningful conclusion; it is too bad that the narrative doesn’t do justice to his wonderful illustrations.
The final story of Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Oz: Reign of the Witch Queen was an amazing way to close this mini-series and is a credit to the teamwork of the Masseys and Bifulco, however, it was disappointing that all of the essential points were crammed within one book. If the drama was extended into another issue and Dorothy’s decision was drawn out, then perhaps the conclusion wouldn’t have been so hollow. Even with this setback, it is a great way to end Dorothy’s tale and hopefully will open other paths into her reign as the Witch Queen.
Grade: B
Series Grade: A
Rating: 16+
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: November 25th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99
