The Creators – Otis Frampton – Everything but Colour Flats, Kate Frampton – Colour Flats

The Players – Ojo the Unlucky, Unc Nunkie, Dame Margolotte, The Crooked Magician

The Story – Unc and Ojo are about to run out of food which is unheard of in Oz. So it is that they set off in search of both food and something other than the forest they live in.

The Take – At one point in time, L. Frank Baum thought he was done with the land of Oz, and thought so more than once. Thankfully, he went back to the well and produced more of which The Patchwork Girl of Oz was one. Here, Otis Frampton adapts that work into graphic form and it all begins quite all right. Readers are introduced to Ojo, dubbed the Unlucky to which there should be no explanation needed as well as Unc whom he lives with. Unc is a man of few words and so when Ojo explains that they are running low on food and they need food to live, he receives little in the way of argument. As it is though, Unc is not as slow as he might seem and so the two set out and they make their way to the home of The Crooked Magician and his wife, Dame Margolotte where they are made welcome. That is essentially all that happens in this book and yes, it is fairly uneventful. There is little to grab onto aside from the characters themselves and they are at the very least, intriguing enough so readers are not left totally adrift. Why does Unc talk so little and why is Ojo so unlucky? Who is The Crooked Magician and why does he seem like he might be a madman? Questions are raised when reading this and the only way to get the answers is to continue on to the second issue. The writing is good and the artwork is strong, skewing towards younger readers but just as enchanting for those who might be a little older and more than likely, fans of Baum’s works. As far as Frampton goes, he looks to be the right man for the job to adapt this work, understanding the audience and the tone needed and while it is hopeful that things do pick up a little bit in the second issue, one can say that this is a pleasing start to the latest Oz outing in comic form.

Worth It? – Yes.