OZ ANNUAL: DOMINION OF OZMO – Review

OZ ANNUAL: DOMINION OF OZMO, from Zenescope Entertainment on April 27th, 2022, follows Queen Dorothy and her friends as they confront an evil wizard from the Ruby Kingdom whose long imprisonment sets him on a course for revenge.

The Details

• Written By: Jenna Lyn Wright
• Art By: Dario Tallarico, Jordi Tarragona, Eduardo Garcia, Andrea Errico, Massimiliano La Manno
• Colors By: Leonardo Paciarotti, Ceci de la Cruz, Jorge Cortes, Walter Pereyra
• Letters By: Taylor Esposito
• Cover Art By: Igor Vitorino
• Cover Price: $7.99
• Release Date: April 27, 2022

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Was It Good?

OZ ANNUAL: DOMINION OF OZMO is a mixed bag, which automatically makes it tough to recommend with a $7.99 price tag. Why is it mixed? Our reaction could be summed up in one word “rushed”.

Normally, we focus on story and writing first, but we’re going to try something different today. The art in this issue is mediocre. As you can see from the credits, a team of pencilers, inkers, and colorists worked on this issue, and that’s almost always a warning sign to expect inconsistent art. However, the art in this annual is consistent all the way through but it looks unfinished and unpolished in several spots. We’ve come to expect at least a minimum house style quality from Zenescope, and this ain’t it.

In fairness, the art isn’t terrible. What you see is a general lack of finish and detail. It’s as if one artist roughly sketched out how a panel should look, but instead of the inker tightening up the sketch and adding detail, they simply inked the sketch as is with no improvements to tighten up the rushed sketch. Again, it’s not terrible, but it looks like a rush job.

As for the story, the big down point is the narration and dialog. Both are stilted, stiff, and unnatural. In writing scripts and copy, what’s written on the page in early drafts rarely sounds natural when spoken out loud. This comic reads like an early draft that was not edited to sound natural, and again, leaves the impression the finished product was rushed.

“What about the plot?”, you ask. Well, the plot is the best part of this annual. Wright introduces unexplored corners of Oz to pave the (yellow brick) road for more adventures. Wright fleshes out a significant piece of Dorothy’s history for readers to explore in the future. And, the new villain is a credible threat. That said, the explanation surrounding Ozmo’s grab for power and his grudge against Lugg was convoluted and weak. Wright has turned in stronger stories, but as a primer to do more with Oz in the future, you could do worse.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

We begin with a quick prologue showing Queen Dorothy’s life as ruler of Oz. Her mundane duties take up most of the day, but she’s concerned about increasing reports of disruption across the kingdom. A recent event brought down the border wall to the southern region and ever since the wall fell, a dark unease has settled over the Emerald City.

Later, we learn Ozmo was freed from imprisonment by the same event that broke the Southern wall. Ozmo was once destined to be king of Oz, and he’s been using his magic to pave the way to the throne. He now resides as ruler of the Ruby Kingdom until the time is right to strike. While he plans, he uses the prisoner named Lugg for torturing amusement. Lugg was involved in Ozmo’s original imprisonment and he’s also Dorothy’s true father.

Queen Dorothy and her allies head towards the Southern Wall to inspect the damage and search for the root cause. When they arrive, their forces are attacked by flying monkeys sent from the Ruby Kingdom. The flying monkeys are defeated, and Queen Dorothy heads to the Ruby Kingdom to discover who sent them and why.

We continue the annual with a confrontation against a usurper, a family reunion, absorbing magic like a sponge, and the power of bloodlines.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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