When the truth is hidden … it’s always best to have friends.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Terry Kavanagh
Artwork: Marcelo Mueller
Colors: Leonardo Paciarotti
Letters: Maurizio Clausi
What They Say:
Dorothy is still on the run through the Lost Lands of Oz, looking for allies in her desperate plan to take the Emerald City back from the mad Wizard. She finally gets a lead on the missing Adraste and Glinda, but she’s making more enemies than friends along the way and the Wizard has allies of his own.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
After wakening from a strange dream of home in Kansas, a dazed Dorothy need only blink a few times to remember she is no longer on the farm but still in the strange land called Underworld. In a futile attempt to find a way through this untamed wilderness, she and her loyal companions became hopelessly lost and seemed doomed to failure until they are rescued by a welcomed ally called the Nome King. However even as they rest and recover in his stony citadel, the former queen and her friend are still unsure as to where his loyalties lie due to uneasy concerns voiced by his wife and family. But after all their anxieties are put to rest Barrone agrees to lead them to the only way through his savage land, a formidable portal called the Impossible Pass-Pass which is only navigable for a brief time during the storm season and so their opportunity is quickly passing. After bidding his wife and children farewell, the new group head toward the distant horizon with their rocky guide confirming Adraste and Glinda did leave this way, but the ease by which they left will be another problem they must confront when the time comes.
While the Gale and her friends face their own challenges, a certain straw laden advisor named Bartleby tries to catch up on lost time with his beloved Tessa. However with every attempt to reclaim her fleeting affections, the capricious woman comes up with a new excuse to brush aside every chance to charm her until exhaustion inevitably takes over and he finally retires for a much needed nap. But as this ineffectual courtship quickly comes to an end, on the outskirts of Emerald City the rebuilding efforts grind to a halt as one of the drillnaughts hits what may one of the hazards the guards were told to watch for, but that concern is lost once the true menace rears its ugly head – meatmouses. As the ferocious predators hungrily ravage their way through the panicked workers many fall to their ravenous appetites, but when all seems lost the false Dorothy comes to the rescue. However as she unleashes powerful magics against an even more domineering foe, the fearful citizenry soon see their loyalty may be misplaced as she protects not her people but the precious construction equipment. And yet as the conflict continues even her supreme might comes into question as countless enemies continue to swarm the lone fighter with no end in sight … leaving doubt that perhaps even their Queen may not be infallible.
In Summary:
While I can appreciate writer Terry Kavanagh taking his time to develop a new story line for the title, even with this second issue there appears to be little advancement in transforming the narrative into something worthwhile due to its slow pacing. We have been introduced to the two sides of the tale: Dorothy cursed to appear to be someone else all as she attempts to find Adraste and Glinda, then we have the Wizard attempting to manipulate Emerald City for some nefarious plan which concerns displacing its citizenry and the devastating lands themselves, but so far that is it. There has been little progress made since the foundation was laid two specials ago and even less now that the line has been drawn and sides have been laid out, although it sadly seems once again poor Bartleby is becoming the scapegoat for the conqueror. However even with this inevitable conclusion laid out, what else has been revealed other than miniscule tidbits which provide little satisfaction as to the development of what appears to be a major step forward in Oz’s overall story? Although I can appreciate a tale which is carefully delineated to provide excitement, none of that patience has been rewarded due to plodding plot progression to increase unnecessary melodrama all by sacrificing any interest in the overall layout of what happens next. It almost seems as if Kavanagh is afraid to reveal too much in fear the audience will become indifferent once we know who is behind the curtain, but with the manner by which the title is unfolding now that certainty may not be too far off.
Even as we ponder the lack of literary progression within the story itself, one cannot deny the gently captivating artwork of Marcelo Mueller plus the blissfully elegant colors of Leonardo Paciarotti reveal unto the reader a side of Oz which we never knew existed. While it was a bit disarming to watch an innocently seductive farm girl with sun kissed beauty charm our fancy within the opening, that hook wondrously lures the reader into the misplaced horrors of the fiery domain of the Nome King. And while the image of grey stone may project a coldness from the characters, the tenderness displayed by the actors and the infectious humor of the dinner table disarms us into believing the true friendship being shared. However as we turn the page to see Bartleby and Tessa in a loving embrace amid luscious floral beauty, one cannot but sense a darkness within her false smile and thus feel sad for the straw man trying his best to win back precious memories from his true love. It is this diametric composition of artistic techniques which wins the reader over with the gentleness of a harsh environment within the Underworld over the ferocity of both ruler and conditions within the Emerald City. While the opposite was usually the case for prior titles since Dorothy projected an aura of tranquility over her kingdom, this series proves to be a brilliant exception of how you cannot always judge a book by its cover and with it allowing us to visually enjoy the story while the plot catches up.
Oz: Heart of Magic seems truly determined not to give the reader too many details to allow enjoyment of Dorothy’s exploits since we have nothing to celebrate without expansion of what we already know. This micromanagement of the story spoils any progression within the narrative and drags down what details have been revealed to a trickle, almost as if showing too much would spoil the title. While the amazing artwork and fantastic colors can lure readers back for the next issue, without solid details of what comes next the series seems to take two adult steps back with each tentative baby step it makes forward. If this is how the series will stumble onward, then the hope for Oz may be at risk in keeping its readers for the foreseeable future.
Grade: B
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: May 22, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
