Posted in: Comics, Current News | Tagged: alex ross, andy mangels, kickstarter, oz

Will The Patchwork Girl Of Oz Be Alex Ross' Rarest Cover Ever?

Andy Mangels, Anna-Maria Cool, Barb Kaalberg, Roland Pilcz and Kathryn S. Renta are behind a new Kickstarter for The Patchwork Girl Of Oz.

Andy Mangels, Anna-Maria Cool, Barb Kaalberg, Roland Pilcz and Kathryn S. Renta are behind a new Kickstarter based around the very public domain Wizard of Oz books, created by Frank Baum. But the latter books often don't get the attention that the first one does. This graphic novel will adapt the 7th Oz book, The Patchwork Girl Of Oz, first published in 1913, and even the first to be filmed by L. Frank Baum's Oz Film Manufacturing Company, in 1914, followed by The Magic Cloak of Oz, and His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz.

This new adaptation of The Patchwork Girl Of Oz follows Marvel Comics' Oz adaptations from 2009-2014, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young. Two variant covers for Book One will be by Shanower and one will be by Alex Ross. This is only the third time that Alex Ross has worked on a Kickstarter-funded project and the third time he has done an Oz cover. This, however, is likely to be one of the rarest.

Currently having funded $7192 of a $30,000 goal, from 120 backers with 13 days to go, if it makes its goal (and to be fair, it probably will once Bleeding Cool lets certain collectors know that it exists) it will still make Alex Ross' cover the rarest project he has worked on, while the Oz comic book collectors will dive on the Shanowar cover as well. That's the collector market sorted, what about the comic itself?

The story follows a Munchkin boy named Ojo the Unlucky, who must travel throughout Oz gathering the ingredients for a magical antidote to a potion which has turned his beloved Unc Nunkie and others into statues. Ojo is met on his quest by the patchwork girl Scraps, Princess Ozma, Dorothy Gale, Dr. Pipt's glass cat Bungle, the dog-like Woozy, the Shaggy Man, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. They encounter the playful Tottenhotts, man-eating giant Mr Yoop, the mysterious Garden of Meats, and the Hoppers and the Horners, before arriving at the Emerald City to ask for help from Ozma and the Wizard of Oz.

An All Ages tale, Andy Mangels says that "the comic industry as it currently exists does not always treat All Ages books well — despite high sales and building a young customer base — nor creators "of a certain age" — regardless of decades of sales, experience, and talent. To bring readers a gorgeously-produced absolutely faithful version of the story, the creators knew that they had to retain creative freedom, and publish the book themselves. The book which readers will see comes from Oz connoisseurs and dedicated long-time professionals, pouring their considerable talent and heart onto the pages."

He also says that the graphic novel will faithfuly adapt the book but also include elements from the 1914 film and new elements and characters based on censored and unpublished text from Baum's original manuscript and John R. Neill's art nouveau-style illustrations.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andymangels/the-patchwork-girl-of-oz-book-one

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