Lizard of Oz

by Mark Bodé

by Mark Bodé
Working from ideas developed by Vaughn Bodé right before his death, his son Mark has re-enlisted his father's entire cast of characters for The Lizard of Oz , a full-color graphic novel that pays playful homage to, and parodies, the classic L. Frank Baum fairy tale (and its beloved film adaptation). Blessed with an original, full-color wraparound cover by Vaughn Bodé (one of his last completed works), augmented with a long introduction by Bodé expert and Paper Magazine contributor Carlo McCormick that explores the legacies of both Bodé and Oz creator L. Frank Baum, as well as with a sketchbook of Mark's preparatory work for this ambitious book.
MATURE READERS
SC, 8x11, 64pg, FC

Genres: Fantasy, Comics

56 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2004

About the author

Mark Bodé (born in Utica, New York; age 57) is an influential underground comics writer and artist. He contributed to several Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories.

Mark's father was the late Vaughn Bodé, who was known as a legend in the field, and died in 1975 when Mark was only 12 years old. Vaughn is directly referenced in the Mirage Studios short story "Fun with Guns", where Casey Jones shows Raphael a street mural he made inspired by Vaughn Bodé's art. But the mural is rapidly demolished as collateral damage in an unrelated gangster shootout that erupts soon after, prompting Casey to seek revenge.

Reviews

[Zefyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vaughn Bodé illustrated the spread used here as the cover art during his underground comix days in the 70s, before his death; the comic that follows is his son Mark's attempt to finish the project, a projection of Vaughn's Cheech Wizard character into a Wizard of Oz-like world. Except of course it's a very underground comix-like take, complete with drugs, sex, and a pony girl-drawn carriage. I'm torn here on how to rate this; it feels less like an homage to the era it came out of than like a reproduction, as though nothing had changed since then and now, and so in the process it feels weirdly dated rather than self aware of its time. But it's fun, and the art is vibrant and wonderful to melt into.

[Sandra Dias · Rating 2 out of 5]

Às vezes compro BD por impulso.
Este por exemplo foi comprado em segunda mão e apenas vi a sua capa colorida, o traço original do artista e que era sobre OZ.
Nada me poderia ter preparado para o que viria a seguir.

Esta é a história de OZ algo… como dizer… excitada.

Este autor, Mark Bodé lembrou-me imenso o nosso Vilhena.
No traço, nas opções, na coragem.