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rocketdave β Nitwits in Oz
Published: 2012-01-24 07:40:49 +0000 UTC; Views: 13661; Favourites: 84; Downloads: 143
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Description
I feel like I should have drawn Dorothy standing on a big soapbox in the 8th panel. The inspiration for this comic came about when I found "Return to Oz" on YouTube and I couldn't help noticing several dumb comments from people, the most common one being, "Why is Dorothy a little girl?"Also on YouTube, I found another childhood favorite, the 1982 anime adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, and that also attracted its own share of ignorant comments. Not just, "Why is Dorothy blonde?," but also, "Why is Glinda an old lady?," referring to the Good Witch of the North, who is not Glinda.
Okay, you go on YouTube, you're going to see some vapid remarks, but I think it's part of a larger issue, which is that a vast section of the populace only knows The Wizard of Oz through the 1939 MGM musical. I love that movie as much as the next person; I just think it's kinda sad that the books tend to get overlooked.
I'm not knocking Wicked either. I haven't seen the musical or read the book, but I think it's got an interesting premise and I do like "Defying Gravity." I don't think these alternate takes are necessarily bad. I also liked that "Tin Man" miniseries the scifi channel did. Again, it's just irritating when people think they know The Wizard of Oz and yet they're completely ignorant of the source material.
I'm not even the the most knowledgeable person when it comes to Oz. I haven't read most of those books (or had them read to me) since I was a kid. I'd look like a complete moron next to one of the more die-hard fans. But at least I'm aware there's a difference between the original book and the Judy Garland version.
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I based Polychrome on one of `lockstock 's photos. The unnamed kids are based on Tommy and Mary from the classic Star Trek episode "And the Children Shall Lead."
I tend to frown on the "cut and paste" style of cartooning, though it works in some cases. It made this a little easier, though not by much.
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Comments: 63
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I'm not sure if you've heard, but they are working on a sequel to "Oz the Great and Powerful" which takes place between the first movie and long (10 years if I recall correctly) before Dorothy arrives.
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Are you sure about that? Β There was talk of a sequel around the time the movie came out, but I haven't seen any news concerning that for a long time. Β I just did a quick google search and couldn't find any current information. Β I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel, but I have my doubts that it's happening. Β Β Β
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OMG I saw the Woozy that little bitty kitty
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I love this comic; it reflects my feelings on the matter *so well*.
Alas, so few people these days know the originals. Polychrome's my favorite character, which is why she's the main character in _Polychrome_, to be published in November.Β
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Thanks so much. This was a very personal comic for me; it's gratifying when I hear from others for whom the message resonates.
I recall seeing the kickstarter for your book, though I didn't contribute due to being perpetually broke, but it's cool you surpassed your goal anyway. I'll look forward to reading it (once I'm less strapped for cash).
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With luck (i.e., no unforeseen delays) it should be out in November.Β
The movie's major flaw, in my view, was changing everything to a dream. This torpedoes the major theme of the book, which is a little girl thrown into a strange and dangerous world and GROWING, becoming someone more capable and braver than she ever imagined, while still remaining the innocent she had been.Β
I understand the change -- it was a necessary one, I think, for the era in which it was made -- but it definitely undermines the power of the original story.
Return to Oz was very clever in the way it managed to meld the original movie with the original books. But I still prefer the straight book universe.
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I've read all the books and I must say it's really irritating when people get everything they "know" about Oz from the movie.
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Same here. Those ruby slippers give me nightmares!
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I have read the first and second book I'm on the third I really love them but I don't rember dorthy with blond hair granted they never said the color in the book in the orginal illustration she did have two braid pig tails and was colored brown so it most likely she had brown hair but it could be blond
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Are the books you've read illustrated? Β True, L. Frank Baum never mentions her hair color in the text, and in the original Wizard ofΒ Oz, it's tough to say exactly what color the illustrator, W.W. Denslow, intended her hair to be. Β However, in all the following books, which are illustrated by John R. Neil, Dorothy is definitely a blonde. Β Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying the books.
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I feel like Dorothy every time I'm talking about my favorite books with someone and mention the Oz books...
How can you read books and not know about the Oz books?
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Give up, Dorothy. Even people that have read the books sometimes draw you like Judy Garland.
Wait until those two find out Princess Ozma's backstory!
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THANK YOU!!! You have no idea how many times I had to explain to people that there is a book (let alone a book series) on Oz. I like how you put Professor Woggle-bug, Scraps, Jack Pumpkinhead, Polychrome, and the Woozy in it.
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So true. 
Also, Wicked is nice, a fairly well done musical, but a poorly written book and I really don't think it should be considered canon. I hate the fans that are like "OMG, that isn't what Elphie is like! She's a good witch. She's such a tortured character, I totally feel for her." and " Galina is so awesome! I love her pink dress and blonde hair!" It makes me sad that Glinda has become such a superficial snobby character. The original Glinda would hate to be associated with the modern Glinda. - A -
I heard that Disney is going to release some of the Oz books for their new film, so hopefully people will start reading the originals again. Alice in wonderland was pretty popular, and sales of the original book went up around the release of Tim Burton's film so hopefully the Oz books will become popular again. They were like the "Harry Potter" of their day and everyone liked them, young or old. I'll stop ranting now.
I really like your comic, though! It's nice to see Dorothy looking the way she should.
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I actually just got done reading Wicked for the first time and personally found it interesting. It's kind of funny to me how the book is now in sort of the same boat as the original Wizard of Oz- ie, a large percentage of the fans prefer or are only familiar with the musical.
I have no problem with the idea behind Wicked, but, like you say, when people start mixing it up with the official story, that's when it becomes frustrating.
Thanks for commenting. It's satisfying to know I'm not alone in feeling disappointed/aggravated that the books get overlooked.
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Yeah, I recently read Wicked as well. I can say though, that it was a bit dark. The sexual themes and depressing tones I found "un-oz-like." The book does have a few similarities to the original Wizard of Oz, like Elphaba knowing Wolves, crows, and bees like the original WWW.
Yeah, if they would keep the two separate, I would be a lot happier! I don't mind people liking Wicked, I just want them to understand that it isn't the original and definitely not Oz-canon. When you think about it, Wicked is really just a glorified fan-fiction, and it should be treated as such, in my opinion.
Oh, you're very welcome! I am always looking for other fans of the books here on DA, and it's nice to talk to people who feel the same way.
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This is so perfect and made me laugh so hard! I've pretty much had that conversation with way too many people!
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Thanks! It's nice to know you got a laugh out of this.
Unfortunately, I don't expect those sorts of conversations to die out anytime soon. I watched the trailer for "Oz the Great and Powerful" trailer on YouTube recently, and again, I keep seeing comments like, "Oz was a dream so how can there be a prequel?" Oh well.
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Yeah, I've been hearing that at work as that trailer gets passed around. I keep wanting to bang my head on my desk. At least I know I'm not the only one that gets exasperated by those comments!
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Great comic!!!
I did see the movie (scared me as a kid), but I had never read the original book. I only got into the Oz books with Land of Oz. It's great to see someone tackle the whole idea of how the movie has basically taken over people's visions of Oz.
Though I have to ask, have you ever read the post-baum Oz books?
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Thanks for the comment. 
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well I've never read those ones...I mean mostly the ones done by Ruth Plumly Thompson and the like. From what I understand, only 40 books are considered to be the real canon (though I may be wrong). Next to Baum's "Rinkitink in Oz", Thompson's "Kabumpo in Oz" is probably one of my favorite of the "Official 40" books in the series. Always had a soft heart for the elegant elephant XD.
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Yeah, I figured you probably were only referring to the first 40, but I have a tendency to be overly thorough. I may have to give some of the other "official historians" a shot one of these days, though I don't know if I'd personally regard them as canonical.
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Thank you! I have doing this (correcting everyone) every since I was something like 5 years old, watched the movie, read and owned all 14 books, and decided I liked them better. I would have recognized the Wogglebug, Patchwork Girl (Scraps), Jack Pumpkinhead, and Polychrome at the age of 6. Also, I saw the Woozy in panel 8.
However, the movie still has magic for me. It's just a different interpretation.
I ignore the "it's all a dream" ending. I never liked that.
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I'm super late responding, but I just wanted to say that I appreciate your comment. Also, I think you've got a cool user name.
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Ah, that's okay. I was so thrilled to find this because it summed up the feelings I've had since I first read the Oz books, and it was gratifying to know someone agreed.
Thanks for the compliment!
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Look up project gutenburg .... the web site has all the books and they are free
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As does Google Books.
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well I read the sequel to wizard of Oz and I can guess where this is going. I honestly think that Baum was trolling when he wrote that one. He even said that he only wrote it to please the fans.
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If he was trolling, he didn't put a lot of effort into it. I always felt Land of Oz was a far superior sequel than its predecessor.
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Ok maybe not entirely trolling. But I'm sure plenty of kids were confused out of their minds when they came to the twist in the story.
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I liked 'em all as a kid, but I'd have to reread them before I could tell you what my opinion of them would be today. I guess there were times when Baum was clearly sick of Oz and wanted to move on to other things. He even referred to his fans as his "loving tyrants" at one point, which seems a little passive-aggressive to me. I've read reviews that said a couple of his books would have been better if Baum hadn't felt obligated to shoehorn Oz into them.
I think I might have some idea how he possibly felt- grateful to receive recognition for your work, but frustrated to that people only associate you with just one thing and then more frustrated when they only want to see more of the same.
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yea. I mean, I never got why the witch turned the princess into a boy named Tig. I mean that's something me and Emily (my sister) would make up in our imaginary adventures to make out parents worried (most likely because I always ended up being turned into a man)
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Tip. And it was because of the play. Baum wrote the book to be a play and since most young boys are played by young women in theater....
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huh, really? You learn something new everyday
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That book was written in a more innocent age; nowadays, if an author included that plot twist, people would read all these Freudian implications into it and a section of the public would probably get into an uproar. I learned that this wasn't Baum's last foray into gender bending. There's another book, "The Enchanted Island of Yew," which is about a female fairy who is turned into a male knight for a year.
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Well when you put it that way. All it is is a comical twist.
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I have nothing productive to add to the conversation other than to say that your comic is cute and smart David - I like it!
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I don't like that movie. To me, it completely fails to capture the magic of Baum's books, and even standalone, its just boring and hokey, and its only real lasting relevance is as a part of pop-culture. I get that there had been nothing like it before, and I respect that, but I can't see any appeal beyond that. Return to Oz, on the other hand, is fantastic.
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Well, I don't begrudge you your opinion. I still enjoy the film for what it is. Yeah, it's hokey, but to me it's hokey in an entertaining way. I don't think anyone expected it to become what many would come to see as the definitive version of that story; it was just going to be an interesting variation on the book. I do agree with you about Return to Oz at any rate. Thanks for commenting.
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