Review: No Place Like Home #1

This is a comic that’s been a long time coming. Since I’ve heard of the concept I’ve been very excited to actually read it. The premise is simple it’s not a re-telling or a parody of “The Wizard of OZ” but it uses concepts and familiar references to link the two. The film has a cameo role in one scene and also tells the story of Dee and her return to Emeraldsville, Kansas.

The story has a great tone and feel to it and does a good job at pulling the reader into the mystery revolving around Emeraldsville, it’s inhabitants and what happened to them in 1959. This is all happening while there is a killer on the loose supposedly murdering the town folk.
Dee is in the middle of all this as she grew up with these people and her parents may have been the first victims. Angelo Tirotto does a really good job of mixing “The Wizard of Oz” with the supernatural horror comic genre and engaging the reader in the story.

The art of Richard Jordan is nice with this book; at first I wasn’t overly excited by it, but in contrast with other “Oz” books this style really suits Dee and her story. The look of the characters initially tells you this is a different kind of book. I love the representation of “alternative” main characters in contrast with the story content and setting. It really does add another layer to the story as a whole. Lets just say it’s not what you’d expect a Kansas girl to look like.

Over all, this was a great first issue. I thought the story was excellent and although the art wasn’t what I expected I enjoyed it quite a lot. There is something to be said for mixing genre and it can’t be done by just anyone; it takes finesse and care. I believe a creator owned comic is the perfect place for this type of story as the people who have created the story obviously have a great care and love for what they do. “No place like Home” is another great comic from Image, pick this one up.