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

In the previous issue, Gary Bishop and Bill Bryan would leave things off with the return of Dorothy to the pages of the book. Young once more, no longer a woman but a child with Toto by her side and seemingly no memories of her previous adventures, of Oz or Wonderland or the Freedom Fighters – none of it. It is strange to see for long-time readers and it presents a mystery unto itself, something that perhaps will be explained sooner rather than later given the pace of this series so far. There is also the mystery of the coma that Ozma finds herself in, a sleep that is tied to the spell she cast during the conclusion to the Dark Oz miniseries with the Book of Undo and it looks as if the dreams she is having are tied to it as well. They are disturbing and they look to feature events from that time. How this all plays out is anyone’s guess but it is sure to be a very intriguing tale once told as it is already the most interesting thing going on in this book right now. The authors of this story then take the readers to see the companions of Oz, that is the Lion, the Scarecrow and the Tin Man along with those from Earth, namely Sean, Cat and Travis. They are out searching for Glinda’s castle and on their way, they come up against a sort of nothingness where there should in fact be something. It is strange beyond anything they have ever encountered as of yet and be that as it may, they need to press on if they are to find some sort of cure for whatever it is that plagues Ozma at the moment. So it is that they continue and they come not across Glinda’s place of residence but a land they are not familiar with and readers might guess it to be a remnant of the old Oz, somehow preserved or split off from the rest of Oz. At the moment, without much to go on, it is but a thought but Bishop and Bryan definitely make readers think with this issue as there are numerous mysteries happening all at once and the book could not be more captivating at the moment. Also making an appearance in this issue is the Wizard, another figure who has been missing since the book first started, his whereabouts unknown thanks to that above-mentioned spell. This Wizard is also quite different from the one readers are familiar with, more in line with his movie counterpart than the Oz/Dark Oz Wizard everyone has come to know and love. With all of this and some stellar artwork from Bryan to really make this book pop, the fifth issue is both a lot of fun and one that will make a reader wonder over many of its scenes, making them ache to read the next as fast as possible.

4 out of 5