Writer – Gary Bishop, Bill Bryan
Artist – Bill Bryan
Letters – M.O.B. Studio

Though they expected it, when Dolnar and his Wheelers strike, those within the Emerald City are still shocked that an attack is happening. While preparations might be last minute, the heroes of Oz and those that stand amongst them are victorious – at least during this first assault. Just because Dolnar has been turned back does not mean he will be deterred and he is ready to strike again while the iron is hot. This is the moment when Gary Bishop and Bill Bryan bring Singra into the picture, the witch that helped Dolnar take over the kingdom of Ev and she is here to make sure that Dolnar’s second attack on the Emerald City succeeds. The creators of this tale also introduce a little contention between the two, more than a little in fact as Singra believes she is using Dolnar for her own ends while he believes the same of her. As for those inside the Emerald City, they do their jobs admirably but they know that Dolnar is going to return and so the Tin Man, Scarecrow and the Lion begin to plan with the rest of those who defend the city. That being said, they can guess as to what is going to happen and they just so happen to do that correctly but Dolnar and Singra have a little surprise up their sleeves which they hope will get them what they want. Like the previous issue, Bishop and Bryan waste no time in moving things along and it makes for a fun, fast-paced read. One would normally expect most of the book to be taken up by the first battle alone and yet, it is over in the span of a few pages and before long, the second soon takes place though not without a bit of drama to lend some gravitas to the proceedings. There are some interesting moments in the book, specifically between the man named Friend and Dolnar, there seems to be some sort of history between the two not to mention Sean, the boy who went down a secret passageway only to discover a room of books and wonderful things. One of those things turns out to be some sort of cane which as readers discover just as soon as Sean does, that it is sentient and very, very old, having been around since the dawn of Oz supposedly. It is only with this magical object that the defenders of Oz are victorious the second time and one has to wonder just how it will play into future issues and if it can be used to wake up the comatose Ozma. While this was a very solid story, the artwork by Bryan was what really made it special, the man getting better with every book he does. The design choice for the new winged monkeys was a bit strange and far different from what has come before and might be the only slight on an otherwise very good book.

3.5 out of 5