This comic is issue 1 of a 2 part miniseries prequel to the Legends of Oz: Wild West series. It focuses on the character of the Scarecrow. She is one of the most popular characters from the Legends of Oz: Wild West but yet we seem to know the least about her. This is part of her tale prior to Dorothy Gale appearing in Oz.
The Scarecrow has the appearance of a Native American Indian girl. She is made straw just like most scarecrows. Unlike the Scarecrow from movie, she is unable to talk. She is very good at communicating without saying a word.
Credits:
Legends of Oz: Scarecrow Issue # 1 (1 of 2 Mini Series)
Big Dog Ink (BDI)
Writer: Patrick Shand
Artist: Carlos Reno
Colorist: Kate Finnegan
Letters: HDE
Cover: Nei Ruffino and Carlos Reno
Plot: (Major Plot Spoilers)
The Scarecrow finds her way down from her perch. She explores the world of Oz. She wonders the swamp land at night. She travels various roads. She finds her way to a small town of Denslow.
As she enters Denslow, she discovers the townsfolk are frightened by her. The Sheriff greets her with a rifle and blows off one of her arms. She picks up her arm and rushes out of town.
The Scarecrow finds an old barn to hide in and take refuge. She reattaches her torn arm. She uses non-verbal communication with the bluebirds.
She is visited by some sort of good witch. The good witch reassures the Scarecrow of the path she is taking and about her future. She beckons her to follow her heart.
After the good witch leaves, our little Scarecrow is visited by another. He is a frightful and evil scarecrow. He captures her and takes her prisoner. He places her in holding with others that he has taken- both Scarecrows and humans. But since she is not tied up, she helps untie the other prisoners.
When the evil Scarecrow returns, the group jump him and free themselves. They make their escape.
Our Scarecrow helps free a little boy who is passed out. When he awakes, he is frightened of her. But she quickly convinces him that she is not a scary scarecrow.
He asked for her help in getting back to his home. He lives in the town of Denslow. This is the very place that drove her away. She agrees to take him home even though she knows the dangers. The boy reveals he is the son of the Sherriff and tells her that she will be safe. As they quietly enter town, they come face to face with an armed posse.
Review:
Art:
I have grown accustom to fantastic art in the Legend of Oz: Wicked West series. But would a mini series by a new artist hold up to my extremely high expectations? Yes it does. The art of Carlos Reno was beautiful and jumped off the page at you. You could use many of the pages as pieces of art by themselves. Too many comic artist appear to take panels and pages off from their A Game but Reno brought it through out the whole comic.
Since the story focused on the Scarecrow and she is mute, Reno need to express her thoughts, emotions, concerns, and humor through her facial expressions and body language. He knocked it out of the park. There were pages with little to no words yet so much was spoken in these panels.
I am always pleased when a comic is colored by Kate Finnegan. She expresses mood and emotion with her coloring with best in the business. She is one of top three colorists in comics today in my opinion. Finnegan brings out the true art in coloring comics. This issue of Scarecrow was another display of her excellence.
Story/Plot:
I was not familiar with writer Patrick Shand prior to reading Scarecrow. I love the writing style and pace of storytelling of Tom Hutchison. I was a bit apprehensive to read a Legend of Oz story by a different writer. Shand put my worries to rest. He demonstrated the excellence of storytelling and writing that made me love Tom’s style.
This was an origin story for the Scarecrow. Origin stories can be a bit difficult to write and read. Often situations seem contrived to only move the story along to where the character is now. I never felt that way once.
This is a well written comic book. It has a great plot and good pacing. It was enjoyable from the moment I checked out the cover art.
My REVIEW:
I will leave it at Sensational in every way. It makes me glad to be a comic book reader and even better to be a comic reviewer. Check it out.
Grade:A
