School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-A contemporary update of a well-known tale. Dorothy is taken from her Kansas farm by a violent twister, ending up in the magical world of Oz. A hero for inadvertently squashing the Wicked Witch of the East, she sets out to meet the Wizard, who she hopes will help her find her way home. Along the way, she picks up a scarecrow without a brain, a tin woodsman lacking a heart, and a lion in need of courage. The group must contend with the Wicked Witch of the West in order to complete their journey, and for Dorothy to find her way home. The text is brief and full of modern touches not present in the source material. Dialogue is snappy, with a liberal use of humor and wisecracks. The animationlike artwork is full of movement and highly stylized, sometimes making it hard to decipher. There is a cinematic feel that will appeal to young readers. While devoted fans of the original might cry heresy, this updated classic should find a different, and more welcoming, reception from kids.-Travis Jonker, Wayland Union Schools, MI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Caldwell's angular, dynamic artwork leans more toward Saturday-morning cartoons than romantic fantasy in the fourth comics adaptation in his All-Action Classics series. His Dorothy is gap-toothed and freckled; the black-eyed and troll-like Munchkins are truly alien; and the witches recall Disney villainesses like Snow White's Queen or The Little Mermaid's Ursula. (Caldwell's Wicked Witch of the West even speaks with a Western twang: "You and yer little furry thing have back-breaking, bone-crunching work to do!") Caldwell follows Baum's original novel rather than the iconic film. The heroes are pursued by the Kalidah, "horrific beasts, with heads like tigers and bodies like bears," and the famous path the four friends follow, as in the original, is called the "road of golden bricks." The humor, though, is his own. "She enslaved and tormented us!" says one Munchkin about the Wicked Witch of the East. "She despoiled our lands!" says a second. "And cut library funding!" adds a third. Caldwell's Wizard of Oz slots conveniently between Spongebob Squarepants and Adventure Time, and readers will fly through this story with the speed of winged monkeys. Ages 10-14. (Nov.)? (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
This new version of an oft-adapted work brings little to the table. Like many classics, The Wizard of Oz has been repeatedly adapted into various graphic formats, among others. With the myriad choices available, each new iteration absolutely must offer something special in order to rise above its predecessors yet still honor its source. Unfortunately, this version has little excitement, falling flat in obvious places where the juxtaposition of narrative and illustration should shine. Dorothy's arrival in Oz, for instance, is the perfect moment to audaciously burst forth from the drab grays and earth tones of Kansas into a vivid explosion of color. Caldwell's adaptation misses this pivotal moment entirely, only mildly tweaking its dishwater palette. Many of the iconic conventions that define this well-loved story are also conspicuously absent: Dorothy's pigtails, for example, are now long, lank blonde locks held back with a kerchief, more closely resembling Disney's cartoon Alice (of Wonderland fame) than the more familiar likenesses of Dorothy in the original and film versions. With so much imagination behind it, Baum's work should easily lend itself to this format; however, this take is sadly bland, lacking the visual fireworks that should be there in concert with Munchkins, flying monkeys and enchanted shoes. Regrettably mediocre. (Graphic classic. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.