ALLO, SHANOWER & YOUNG ON MARVEL ILLUSTRATED'S OZ

[MattBrady]

by Benjamin Ong Pang Kean

Marvel’s Marvel Illustrated line of comic adaptations of classic literature expands in June with Marvel Illustrated: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by the creative team of writer Eric Shanower and artist Skottie Young.

Newsarama caught up with Eric Shanower and Skottie Young to chat about American author, actor and independent filmmaker L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, better known today as The Wizard of Oz.

Baum, along with illustrator W.W. Denslow, first introduced Dorothy Gale, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, The Wizard, and other memorable and lovable characters in 1900. Baum, with illustrator John R. Neill, went on to write 13 sequels, followed by 26 other “official” books after Baum’s death by such authors as Ruth Plumply Thompson (who wrote 19 Oz books, five more than Baum), John R. Neill (3), Jack Snow (2), Rachel Cosgrove (1), and Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw (1).

Of course, over the years, there’ve been other “non-canonical” Oz books by Baum himself and later authors who styled themselves as “Royal Historians” and other unofficial books which offer alternate views of Oz.

For writer Eric Shanower, his first published works were the Oz graphic novels, The Enchanted Apples of Oz, The Secret Island of Oz, The Ice King of Oz, The Forgotten Forest of Oz, and The Blue Witch of Oz, all of which are now collected in a single large volume titled Adventures in Oz by IDW Publishing.

Shanower is also a winner of two Eisner Awards for best writer/artist in 2001 and 2003 for his work on Age of Bronze, a retelling of the legend of the Trojan War. He was also nominated for the Ignatz Award for outstanding artist in 1999 for the same series, now being serialized and published by Image Comics.

Skottie Young’s gained a reputation as one of Marvel’s hottest artists thanks to his recent run on New X-Men. His previously published works by Marvel include Spider-Man: Legend of the Spider-Clan, X-Men/Runaways: FCBD 2006 Edition, New Warriors, Human Torch, Spider-Man Family Featuring Spider-Clan, Legion of Monsters: Werewolf by Night, and much more.

Marvel’s Talent Liaison Chris Allo sat down with Newsarama.com to chat about this latest addition to the growing Marvel Illustrated line. Both Shanower and Young joined in on our chat session after the first couple questions.

NRAMA: Chris, while fans of Eric’s work would not be surprised that he’s adapting Oz, he’s doing it with Skottie instead of having another go at it solo. How did Marvel decide on which classics to adapt next and which creators to be paired with for these Marvel Illustrated projects?

Chris Allo: Well, who doesn’t love the Wonderful Wizard of Oz? I’m personally a fan and so is David Gabriel, Senior Vice President Sales and Circulation Publishing (but don’t tell anyone). David pretty much chose the stories that we were going to be adapting. Roy Thomas has been doing an amazing job on the adaptations so we wanted to continue working with him on the books. But the work was starting to pile up. So, for Oz, I wanted to see if there was another option.

Being an Oz fan, I knew of Shanower and his ties to the Land of Oz. I proposed to David that it would be really great to get Shanower on this and he said “Of course it would!" So, I reached out and it was a fairly easy sell. Eric’s only caveat was to make this the best Oz adaptation ever. We intend to hold him to that!

In terms of the art, well, we needed to get another project for Skottie so I just reached out and asked if he would be interested. Little did I know he was an Oz freak! I guess I don’t have to tell you what his answer was… I think that Skottie’s art would naturally lend itself to the quirky fantasy land that is Oz. Skottie’s able to capture the grand scope of the world as well as the small interpersonal moments that make Oz the wonderful place we can’t get enough of. Skottie’s work is beautiful, dynamic, smart and powerful. He’s able to tell an emotional tale as well as an action-packed story - he has the entire arsenal to make this the best visual adaptation of the Oz mythos.

[Oz is a story that really has never lost [its] appeal. [It’s] timeless. The notion of fantasy, discovery of the unknown and the idea of “there’s no place like home” is something that we can all relate to. It strikes a resonant, emotional chord within all of us.

NRAMA: Is the plan to adapt all of the Oz stories?

CA: That would be a lot of books! Right now we’ll see how well the first one is received. I imagine it’s going to be the break-away hit! That’s my thought, anyway…

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is going to be eight issues.

NRAMA: Moving over to Eric now. You’ve probably told this before but for the record here, what's your fascination with L. Frank Baum's work from 1900?

Eric Shanower: I saw the Wizard of Oz movie—the version with Judy Garland playing Dorothy—on TV when I was little. That led me to Baum’s Oz books which I fell in love with. The stories were exciting, the characters were engaging, and the artwork by John R. Neill was glorious. And the first book, The Wizard of Oz, turned out to be so much better than the movie. I wanted to read the entire series, and I decided that when I grew up I would continue the Oz series by writing and illustrating Oz books myself. In a way, that’s what happened, although my earliest published Oz books were not prose but graphic novels.

The Oz stories and characters have been part of my life for many years. Although I’m busier now with other projects outside of the Land of Oz, I still work on Oz projects constantly. This Marvel Illustrated adaptation of Wizard is just the latest.

Marvel asked and I thought it was perfect. I’m glad to be working with an artist rather than drawing it myself because I’d have had to turn it down if they wanted me to draw it, too. Not enough time in my schedule. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Skottie Young creates for this project.

NRAMA: Skottie, you were nearing the end of your run on New X-Men and you got a call from Chris Allo…

SY: I got a call one day from Chris with an offer for my next project following New X-Men. When he said that it was the adapting the Wizard of Oz, I almost though it was a big joke. Some people know how much I love the fantasy stories, and I never thought that would be a project I would ever get to do a Marvel. It caught me off guard a little. The funniest thing was, the night before I had friends over for a Oz marathon. We looked thru the different Oz adaptations over the years and watched Return to Oz. So to wake up the next day and get that call was strange and exciting.

I love the Wizard of Oz. I've been spending some time reading the books again, as it's been years since I've read them. But stories and worlds like Oz is where my artistic inspiration came from. Huge world of fantasy and characters that really live and breathe in your imagination. There is a reason that the Oz books have endured the test of time. They will connect with people forever.

I feel a little like I'm going to have my cake and eat it to by working on Oz. One, for six years I've worked at Marvel drawing all kinds of super-heroes, and now I get to draw a children’s fantasy tale, the children’s fantasy tale, and I get to do it at Marvel. I'm feeling pretty lucky. Stories like this are what I always hoped to do one day, my heart really lies here in this kind of world.

I'm also excited to see how much further we can take the Marvel Illustrated line. They've done a great job of reaching out and telling some stories that I think all people can enjoy in comic book form. I think bringing Eric and I together on Oz is just another step forward. Eric is Oz to me. He's been a part of that world for along time now and I'm honored to get the chance to bring this to life with him.

NRAMA: So, you’re an Oz fan and you just couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to work with Eric, right?

SY: I wish I could give you the super Hollywood answer and say yes, but honestly it was the material that made me take the project. So, I was actually signed on before Eric was. I was a little nervous until he was locked in. You never know what is going to happen when you’re working on adaptations, but my mind was put to rest once Eric was on board.

NRAMA: You've drawn Pixie, a fairy-like mutant character from New X-Men. What does it feel like to be illustrating fairies, witches, wizard, gnomes and others in your and Eric's adaptation of Oz?

SY: Well, I’ve just barely scratched the surface of designing the look of our adaptation of Oz, so there's not much to say about it yet. But this is the kind of material I've always draw, long before I even knew super heroes existed. So, for me, it will be like starting fresh and going home at the same time. I plan on taking a lot of time to really flesh out the look of this world and really make the Land of Oz come to life on the page. I'm working on a look that will not leave anybody confused on which Oz book Eric and I have done. Hopefully when we're done, this will be the definitive Oz comic book.

NRAMA: On that line of topic, I came across W.W. Denslow’s drawing of the Scarecrow from the first edition of the book in 1900. How are you visualizing Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion in your mind right now?

SY: You’ll just have to wait for that. I’m going to be using the words from the novel to base my designs on. That doesn’t mean that I’ll go word for word, but that will be my foundation for what I believe to be the look for the characters. No what others have done, or what the movie gave us. I think that’s the beauty of novels, everyone becomes a character designer in their head. So, maybe you and I can show everyone as I do get the characters designed.

NRAMA: Eric, after having done so many Oz projects, do you think you already know Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion in the back of your hand now?

ES: Absolutely. But I do have to take into account for this project that they are the characters as first encountered. They aren't quite the same characters that developed over the series of Oz books. Dorothy is younger, more naive, not quite as consciously self-confident. The Scarecrow and Tin Woodman don't yet have the attributes they would become famous for. But I've lived with them all for years.

NRAMA: How are you hoping to make them appeal to those who might be reading Oz for the first time with this Marvel Illustrated adaptation?

ES: The source material already has plenty of appeal. We need to stay true to the source material while transforming it for the medium of comics.

NRAMA: There’ve been many comic book adaptations such as the Grand Prix de La Ville De Lyon Award of Illustration-winning The Wonderful Wizard of Oz comic illustrated/painted by Enrique Fernandez and adapted by David Chauvel, published by Image Comics in 2006; Ben Avery and Casey Heying’s The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles published by BuyMeToys.com; and Dorothy, the Fumetti or photo comic by Greg Mannino and Mark Masterson, published by Illusive Arts Entertainment, LLC. And there’s the Oz GNs by Eric, of course. Are you guys drawing inspirations from some (if not, all) of them, or do you just go straight to the original source material for inspiration with your work and designs?

SY: I’m familiar with everything on that list, and before getting this project had already been looking at the French editions by Enriqu Fernandez. He is amazing. Those books were on my desk actually when the call came from Marvel. When I got off the phone, I instantly put them back on the shelf and didn’t want to pull them out again for a long while. I find that if I’m too inspired by past takes on things, the new version can become a watered down version of what came before. So, I try my best to just use the most important part of the equation, the book itself. One person might read Oz and feel like is a bright and shiny world all the time, but some might read it and get a sense of creepy, twisted worlds. I like that about stories like this. What one finds cute, another may find scary as hell. This way, readers can look forward to seeing some fresh and new to add the already huge legacy of Oz works out in the world.

NRAMA: What about you, Eric?

ES: I'm familiar with them all and with quite a few other comics adaptations and continuations of Oz material. Some of these projects have been more successful than others. I don't expect to be drawing on any of this material, at least not consciously. What I do intend is a complete adaptation of the book. So many leave out episodes--even the excellent Fernandez/Chauvel adaptation left out the China Country. The trick for me and Skottie is to handle the pacing well.

Actually, I don't think there's much chance of these having much influence on this project. The chance of influence looms large when one starts considering the 1939 MGM motion picture adaptation. That's formed so many people's definitive vision of Oz, it's seeped into our culture so deeply, that it's sometimes hard to block it out. I believe I've avoided its influence pretty successfully many times before, as anyone can see if they look at one of my many Oz projects. Now is just another chance to bite into the "real" Oz rather than Hollywood's representation of it.

I have a pretty solid concept of what Oz is, formed by decades of reading Oz books and the rest of L. Frank Baum's writings, as well as decades of creating my own Oz stories and drawings. I've read essay after essay about Oz, about Baum, about the thousand areas connected with these subjects. I know the texture and atmosphere of a proper Oz story and what's behind it. Marvel knew what it was doing when it asked me to write this adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.

In the end, though, I'm going to the original book written by Baum and illustrated by Denslow for the inspiration, for the groundwork, and for the measure of the result.

[Evilomar]

You had me at OZ!

[Howard]

I can't wait to see Skottie Young draw that Schillinger getting what he deserves!

[artiepants]

this sounds pretty solid.

[vbartilucci]

Originally Posted by Evilomar

You had me at OZ!

I had to hear "Shanower". He is, IMHO this generation's canonical Oz artist.



Oz is this decade's Jane Austen when it comes to number of projects.

[Ryan Dunlavey]

WOW - Shanower and Skottie Young do Oz. I couldn't think of a more perfect team for this project. Can't wait!

[Nobody]

Excellent.

[I-Ching]

Wow...I've seen the other solicitations Marvel has released for the other books of this nature and didn't think too much either way...but this...wow...I'm VERY excited to see how this turns out. OUTSTANDING creative team and very well chosen...honestly this looks to be better than The Dark Tower...Skottie's art is soooooo well suited for the Shanower is a no brainer due to his experience and already known talent with Oz.

I'll definitely get this.

[Sluggo]

My daughter is just now getting into comics and she is a Wizard of OZ freak, so this is a must buy for me.

[purplerocket]

I only know the Judy Garland pic and wouldnt have been that bothered about this but I see Skottie Young's name and I'm excited and then I see how excited he is about it and I'm even more excited about it. A definate for June pull-list

[J.D. Lombardi]

Finally, a good adaptation! Now if Marvel somehow wrangles a Wonderland adaptation I'll be in heaven. This is the first of their "Marvel Illustrated" titles that I've been moved to buy.

[samnoir]

I'm hoping that this will lead to more ORIGINAL Oz Graphic Novels illustrated by Eric Shanower himself!

I loved the First OGN's he did.

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[ClayinCA]

This does sound hugely promising, but I can't believe there's no mention whatsoever of either DC's Captain Carrot The Oz-Wonderland War mini-series (which had some brilliant artwork in it) or of Marvel's previous, treasury-sized Oz books, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Marvelous Land of Oz, the first of which was co-published with DC, written (I believe) by Roy Thomas and drawn by the great John Buscema.

[RedRonin]

Originally Posted by Evilomar

You had me at OZ!

They had me at Young.

But to see that he is not only on a great story and working with a great writer, but that he's excited about it, make me want this all the more.

[deathmasterj]

I can't wait for this!

Now can someone at Newsarama take my advice from this thread http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=149018 and do an article on the upcoming Dark Oz movie!

[Jed Saxon]

Originally Posted by RedRonin

They had me at Young.

Same here.

[NorthstarX]

I really hope they at least get to do the first half of the books. The entire series is so engaging and fantastical, I'm really glad this is happening.

[Blackbeard]

Excellent news! Baum's Oz series is still one of my favorites. I'll definitely pick this up.

[TheMightyGeek]

More Shanower Oz goodness. Cool deal.

[J S Roberts]

I'm not all that familiar with Oz (I saw Return to Oz as a kid, and I must have read the original at some point), but this is something I'm not gonna miss. The enthusiasm's infectious.

[Jon Malin]

Cool, glad Skottie is getting a project near and dear to him.

[AdamYJ]

Interesing to see both creators and fans getting excited for the Marvel Illustrated line. It's been a solid line from the start, but generally "quieter" than most others.

Anyway, this sounds like fun. I'll check it out when it hits the stands.

[TheToileteer]

Didn't Marvel do a Wizard of Oz comic before, back in the 1970's? (I think it was one of those super-giant sized editions.)

[MadMikeyD]

Marvel and DC co-published a treasury sized adaptation of the MGM film - the first collective effort of the two companies. Marvel followed it up alone with an adaptation of the second book, "The Marvelous Land of Oz." This looks better.

[trialsze]

You know I really am a huge Skottie fan and this type of treatment is just crap. I am sure that OZ is a great story but aint no way that this book is going to sell. It just goes to show that if you aint drawing super realistic comics Joe Q just doesn't want anything to do with ya. UGH Put Skottie on a book that is cool.

Of course I guess it doesn't really matter because I dropped all my Marvel books after that BND crap. It was like "magic" I said I don't want them anymore and poof they were back on the shelf.

Skottie please go to DC so I can buy something you draw.