Why adapt THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ?

I’m glad you asked! Here’s why…

So if you’ve read the first post here on my new Substack newsletter, you may be thinking… why create a comic book adaptation of THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ, Otis?

Well, I can think of TEN reasons. Here’s a deep dive on my motivations for jumping into a new comic project…

1. I’m an Oz fan!

Anyone who has read ODDLY NORMAL knows that just from reading the first few pages. I have the main character of that series cite Baum’s story on page four! And the “magical land” genre, of which THE WIZARD OF OZ was a seminal work, has always been a favorite of mine.

2. Paying back Baum!

His influence of my work is clear and powerful. I’d like to pay tribute to him and his work by bringing one of his stories to life.

3. I’ve always wanted to draw an Oz book!

Ever since I was a young guy making comics I’ve wanted to draw an Oz adaptation. I considered doing one a number of times, but I eventually decided to go my own way and tell my own stories. And then, soon after starting ODDLY NORMAL, two amazing comic book adaptations of THE WIZARD OF OZ came out within a few years of each other and I felt like it would be a pointless effort to follow them with what would have surely been a sub-par take on the same material.  But the desire to do an adaptation of something Oz-related has never gone away.

4. There is no comic book adaptation of THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ!

Not that I am aware of, anyway (although I could be wrong). I have done due diligence and searched the web for evidence of a comic book adaptation of the story, but I haven’t found one. Marvel did an amazing run of Oz adaptations by writer Eric Shanower and artist Skottie Young. I love those books, and this project is in no way meant to step on their toes. But they stopped at Book 6, just as Baum himself did in an effort to end the series. So Book 7 (lucky number 7!) is ripe for the picking! And if I’m going to do a comic book adaptation of an Oz book, this one seems like the perfect choice.

5. It was the first book that Baum wrote upon returning to the series after he thought it was finished and… it was one of Baum’s favorite books!

Yes, THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ is a book that Lyman Frank cited as one of the best books that he had written. That makes it a great choice for attempting to adapt and illustrate.

6. As with all of the Oz books written by Baum, THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ is in the public domain!

Which means that it is legally eligible to be adapted!

7. I’ve never done an adaptation before!

It’s a unique form of creative output, and one that I’ve been interested in taking a stab at. The challenge is this: honor the source material, but bring something of my own sensibilities to it. I plan to take a different approach than some other comic book adaptation of Oz books. I’m tackling this more like a film adaptation of a book. Instead of simply taking the words on the page and doing a 1:1 visual translation of them, I’m going to keep what works for a comic book, change what doesn’t, and add some of my own personal touches where I think it’s needed.

To that end, I won’t be using narration text boxes. I’m not a fan of that device in my own work (unless it is used to share the thoughts of a character), so I’m eliminating it from the storytelling here. I prefer to let visuals and dialogue carry the load. Hopefully that will help set this apart from other attempts to adapt Baum’s work. That makes some of the storytelling tricky, because so much of the book’s story is revealed in text that feels like a narrator telling a story to a child. But I want the story to unfold without this narrative crutch, so I’m going to just have to figure out how to make it work!

And I feel like I need to say this to longtime fans of the Oz series in general and fans of THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ specifically: there will be some differences between the book and my comic adaptation. I say this not as a warning that I’m about to radically deviate from the book. I’m not! I wouldn’t do an adaptation of something that I didn’t love. But a book is not a comic, and in adapting a novel into a visual medium (especially a medium like comics where there are certain limitations), changes are necessary and inevitable.

But know this… every change I make will be done to make the comic book version better, and to match my skills and sensibilities as an artist and storyteller. I’ll keep the spirit of Baum’s story and text at heart throughout the entire process. I expect that I’ll need to justify some changes to hardcore Oz fans, but I’m ready to defend every choice I make.

I’m a fan of Baum and his amazing creation. I promise that I won’t do anything to harm that legacy. My goal is only to tell the best comic book version of the story that I possibly can. I hope that everyone enjoys it.

8. It’s a very fun book featuring great new characters and a lot of beloved characters from previous books!

I started drawing characters from the book a few years ago as a fun design exercise, and when I finished the line-up, I knew I had to do the book. It was just a terrific cast of characters. The title character alone is reason enough to do the book, but the fact that beloved characters like Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Wizard make appearances is icing on the cake.

And the story is a good one. Unlike some of the Oz books that feel like characters are simply wandering around the magical land and encountering strange people and things, this one is a quest story that, at its heart, is about one character trying desperately to save someone he loves. It’s a story with a lot of heart, and that’s important to me as a storyteller.

9. I feel like the time is right!

I think I’m finally the right writer and artist to tackle this project. The time is now, and if I don’t do it now it will never be done.

10. They say “write (or draw) the book you want to read.” Well… I want this book to exist, so if no one else is going to do it, then it’s up to me to make it happen!

I hope you’ll come along for the ride and enjoy reading the comic just as much (or more) as I’m going to enjoy creating it!

I’ll begin posting pages from THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ on Monday, January 31st, and then there will be a new page every Monday after that. There MAY be more than one page posted on certain days in an effort to get the first book in the series ready for print by the end of 2022. But one page per week is my (very conservative) goal so that I don’t overload myself with work and have time to attend to the other projects I’m working on. And be on the lookout for the cover reveal for the first book in the series coming later this month!

So what do you think? Are you a fan of Baum’s Oz books? Have you read THE PATCHWORK GIRL OF OZ?

Leave a comment on this post and let me know what you think of this project!

Thank for reading.

Your pal,

Otis

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