Dorothy Of Oz Prequel #1
Written By Denton J. Tipton
Art by Blair Shedd
Colors by Joana Lafuente
Letters by Neil Uyetake
Cover by Eric Shanower
Variant covers: variant CGI character art
IDW Publishing
Release Date: March 28, 2012
Cover price: $3.99

Upon receiving my copy of Dorothy Of Oz Prequel #1, aside from obviously having a connection to The Wizard Of Oz, I was thinking of how this title sounded really familiar. Then I remembered that we covered the panel at last summer’s San Diego Comic-Con for the upcoming animated film Dorothy Of Oz, which has a great voice cast with actors like Patrick Stewart, Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, and Kelsey Grammer. The animated film is based on the book of the same name by writer Roger S. Baum, who’s the great-grandson of original Oz creator L. Frank Baum.

In the animated film, everyone’s favorite gal from Kansas, the young Dorothy, returns home to her tornado-ravaged town after her magical journey to Oz and then finds a way to make it back to Oz. Dorothy Of Oz Prequel, which is the first installment in a four-issue miniseries from IDW Publishing, is a prelude to the events of the film and tells the tale of what happened in Oz after Dorothy left, which makes it necessary for her to return.

Age of Bronze: Seen #1 (for iPad)
By Eric Shanower
Colors by John Dallaire
Reader’s Guide by Thomas Beasley
Published by Throwaway Horse and Hungry Tiger Press
Release Date: October 14, 2011
Price: $.99

Eric Shanower’s epic Eisner-Award-winning series Age of Bronze has been praised by comic book fans, historians, and educators alike. Currently at 31 issues (and counting), the title began in 1989 with an ambitious goal: merge literary sources and historical/archaeological data on the Trojan War into a singular cohesive story. The fact that it’s an entertaining read on top of that is just icing on the cake.

Now the team at Throwaway Horse has brought Age of Bronze into the digital age by combining the original stories with a comprehensive reader’s guide by Yale classics scholar Thomas Beasley. The result is an even more in-depth look at the Trojan War that includes maps, character guides, internet resources, and even a reader’s commentary forum… all without leaving the app (helpful hint: the forum can be reached by tapping “Reader’s Guide” when it’s active).