Skottie Young is a Wiz
In January 2009 Marvel will be putting out the second issue of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which features cover art and pencils by one of my favorite artists Skottie Young. One of the nice things that Skottie did with this cover is that he’s reinvented the visual look for Oz which has such a well known history – by ignoring the books and the famous MGM film he’s given the title a fresh start. It’s also great just how cartoony this cover looks too, which is something that you don’t associate with typical Marvel comics which seem so obsessed with Photoshopped realism. Speaking of Photoshop notice how good the coloring is? Young has a very washed out water-colored looking palette instead of the over saturated primary tones you see too often today. And all of this is just the background to the character designs which have a wonderful whimsy to them. Here’s the description of the issue:
“Double origin issue! Find out how both the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman came to be. Romance and dismemberment, spontaneous life and evil spells-this issue has all sorts of surprises. Plus, you’ve never seen a Cowardly Lion before like Skottie Young’s big bashful ball of fur! Join young Kansas farm girl Dorothy on the road through the Land of Oz as she collects companions with severe identity issues.”