Writer – Gary Bishop, Bill Bryan
Artist – Bill Bryan
Inker – Bill Messner-Loebs, Nadine Messner-Loebs
Letters – M.O.B. Studio

Once in a while, there comes a time when one has to fight and today, for Oakdale and for Oz, those loyal to Ozma must fight to preserve the kingdom and stop the slaughter that follows in the wake of the three evil Kings. For their part, the evil versions of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Lion are currently enjoying their latest conquest, not really expecting any sort of resistance like that which is headed towards them but they know that at some point in time, there will be something like it that they will have to face down the line. As it is, that time is now and while those who fight on the side of right march on, they are met by the gnomes who have joined up with the evil Kings. In addition, Hungry Tiger, Tik Tok and the evil Jack Pumpkinhead are also on the frontline, determined to stop the do-gooders from advancing any farther. The battle is fierce and both sides give and take as hard as they can knowing that to do any less might mean a loss that neither can afford and for a while, it seems as if they are evenly matched. As that goes on, Gary Bishop and Bill Bryan take readers to the architect of it all, unknowingly of course, where another fight rages on. This time it is between Ozma and her other self, the one that holds all the evil thoughts and ill feelings – every ounce of negativity and it too is a battle upon which everything is wagered. As Ozma fights her evil self, she eventually comes to realize that to win, she must do the one thing she has been avoiding all this time, the entirety of her life and that is to accept that a part of her will always be impure and that it is perfectly fine. As Ozma embraces herself, the evil counterparts of those she loves disappear and all it would seem is finally right in Oz, the way she intended when first casting that spell from the Book of Undo. As such, it is at this moment that Ozma also wakes up, much to the joy of her physician and Wogglebug, who has been sitting by her side for quite some time now. This was quite a fantastic issue, with the creative team once again outdoing themselves on in terms of story and art and making it far more exciting in the process. Readers would have thought that seeing the evil versions of the Lion, Tin Man and the Scarecrow would never happen, much less the other heroes of Oz and yet, bringing them in drove everything full circle and gave it and Dark Oz a finale that it so richly deserved. All in all, this was great stuff and makes one wonder what will happen in the final issue.

4.5 out of 5