Image © TwoMorrows.

If “behind the scenes at DC Comics” interests you, as it does me, I suggest you read the interview of Jenette Kahn in this issue, conducted by long-time DC staffer Bob Greenberger. It’s lengthy, detailed and full of information. Yes, Jenette doesn’t remember some things (and is probably being diplomatic in other cases), but what she does remember and talk about is fascinating. It’s the kind of insider view one rarely gets of any large company, and hats off to everyone involved in making this happen.

Highly recommended.

Image © Dave Stevens estate and TwoMorrows Publishing, Inc.

If you’re at all interested in the life, career and art of Dave Stevens, have a look at this latest BACK ISSUE magazine from TwoMorrows, available now as a digital download at www.twomorrows.com, or very shortly in printed form. It’s a long interview with lots of information and pictures I haven’t seen elsewhere, and while I only had time to skim through some of it, I hope to get back and read it all soon.

First thing you should know about these is they are clearly marked FOR ADULTS ONLY, with good reason. DODGEM LOGIC is a slick-looking magazine masterminded and edited by Alan Moore, with some articles and art by him, but lots of contributions from friends and colleagues. In spirit it’s very much like the underground newspapers of the 1960s, such as the “East Village Other” that I used to pick up in New York City occasionally in my youth, with a wide variety of subjects and styles, but all with a distinctly counter-culture or aiming-to-shock flavor. The focus is also on Northampton, England, where Alan lives, and features arts and culture news for that area. I have to say I enjoyed Alan’s lead essay in each issue the most, and probably his self-written and drawn underground comic (whose title I don’t want to even type here) the least, though it’s no more outrageous than some of R. Crumb’s work. Issue 2 has a CD inserted containing a sampling of local Northampton music in a wide variety of styles, from folk and country to hip hop and hard rock. It’s a good listen, and I might run it a few more times.

Here’s the opening page of Alan’s essay on “Anarchy” from issue 2, in issue 1 it was on the history of Underground Comics. Also contributing are Melinda Gebbie and Kevin O’Neill (with some oddly pornographic art), writer Steve Aylett, and Steve Moore. The other names aren’t familiar to me. There are comic strips of varying quality, essays on gardening, cooking and sewing, photo essays, including one on three strippers like the one featured on the cover above. Wide variety, and most pieces are a page or two, so if you don’t like one, the next might work for you.

I don’t know quite what to think of this as a magazine…is it an anachronism, a predictive hybrid, or just an oddity? In an age when many aren’t reading magazines of any kind, it’s certainly a gamble, but apparently is doing fairly well, as I just read that profits from it have funded an admirable holiday food gift program in Northampton, so that’s certainly a good thing. I guess I’d say I’d recommend it to Alan Moore completists, and folks who remember the 60s counter-culture fondly and would like to see what it might look like in today’s clothes, so to speak.

© The International Wizard of Oz Club, Inc.

It’s kind of unfair to review this, as you have to join The International Wizard of Oz Club to get it. I’ve been a member since the late 1970s, which means I’ve received and read about 100 issues of the Bugle, and I still enjoy them and find they have new insights and things to say about the Oz books by L. Frank Baum and others, as well as all things Oz, like movies, TV shows, books, sound recordings, and so on. If Oz interests you, it’s well worth joining.

This issue focuses on “The Road to Oz,” the fifth book in the original series by Baum. Unlike all the others, this one did not come with color plates. Instead, all of artist John R. Neill’s drawings were printed in black and white (except the dust jacket) on a variety of different colored papers, meant to represent the different color themes of particular regions of Oz. I always thought that was a cool idea, and I finally found an early edition on the colored paper. It’s kind of a novelty trick, and I was a little disappointed to see that the colors of the paper don’t correspond perfectly to the areas of Oz the text is about, but it is clever. Later editions dropped the paper colors to cut costs, and Neill’s pictures only saw print in color once in a Rand McNally junior edition, which is what the cover of the magazine is taken from.

If you’re a fan of Neill’s art, the lead article features “Hidden Details” in the art for this book, many of which I had never noticed. There are also some interesting errors, as where Jack Pumpkinhead appears in the Emerald City’s royal palace illustrations a day before he arrives there in the text. Plus there are contemporary reviews of the book when first published.

Then there’s an article by Peter Maresca on his lavish Sunday Press reprinting of Oz comic strips from the early years of the 20th century, primarily one called “Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz.” As a long time reader of the Bugle, I’ve seen all those strips, but the Sunday Press edition reprints them in color and at the original huge size, and it’s a stunning book which I’d like to buy someday.

judy Bieber and Eric Shanower (known to many for his comics work) both review a recent book about Oz and Baum by Evan Schwartz, and basically rip it to shreds. Not a book I’ll be reading!

And another article I enjoyed greatly is one by Paul Bienvenue on how collecting rare books has been impacted by the internet. Sadly, the days of finding great treasures in dusty old used book stores are pretty much over, but online treasures can now be found, and much easier.

A fine issue, as most are, and highly recommended.

If you’re an Oz fan and a member of the International Wizard of Oz Club, you’ve already received this latest issue of their magazine, which is a treat for art lovers, Oz and otherwise. The front cover features this charming watercolor by John R. Neill, the artist most associated with the Oz books, having illustrated all but one of the original L. Frank Baum series, and many of the ones by other authors. The accompanying article is about his granddaughter Jory Mason and her project to put many unpublished or long unseen pieces of his art online, and eventually (she hopes) into a book, one which is long overdue in my opinion. Have a look at her website to enjoy lots of wonderful Neill art.

Also in this issue is an article about and by book cover painter Michael Herring. Herring dropped out of the cover art scene some years ago at the top of his game to follow a new path toward more personal work, and he’s currently living and painting in Australia. You might know his work from covers for science fiction and fantasy novels for Star Wars, and Tolkien’s books, among many others. He also painted the paperback covers for the Oz books published by Del Rey. Michael describes his workaholic life as a cover painter, and why he decided to quit, but since you can only get the magazine if you’re a club member, I’ll summarize: he really enjoyed the actual painting, but the market was going more and more into the computer world, which he didn’t like as much. So, he and his wife decided to give it all up and moved to a small village in Australia. Sounds pretty cool to me, and they had enough saved to live on, so that made it work for them. Michael doesn’t seem to have any online presence, but there are two of his Oz paintings for sale here.

I’ve been an Oz Club member for decades, and just when I think every possible Oz subject has been covered in the magazine, they come up with new ones. Well done.

If you’ve been a science fiction fan for some time, Ursula Le Guin is probably an author you’ve read. If you enjoy her work as much as I do, her interview in this month’s Locus is worth seeking out. One nice thing about Locus interviews: they eliminate all the questions, and edit the answers together, so it’s rather like reading an author’s thoughts about his or her own work, and sometimes the world they work in, all quite fascinating in most cases. I haven’t read all Le Guin’s fiction, but have enjoyed much of it, and her thoughts about the young adult market here made me look forward all the more to reading her recent trilogy in that arena, which I will soon.

Also of interest to long-time fans is Fred Pohl’s account of his collaboration with Arthur C. Clarke, which also serves as an obituary from one of the founding fathers of American SF to one of those in Britain.

And, as always, great book reviews and complete SF and Fantasy releases to keep you informed. I rarely visit the Locus Website, but that’s another good resource.

These are not magazines you’ll find in any shop or bookstore, they’re club publications focused on the work of particular authors. This one is published by the International Wizard of Oz Club, and dwells on the work of L. Frank Baum and all things Oz. I’ve been a member since the 1970s, and enjoy their handsome, well-produced magazine, which comes out two or three times a year. This particular issue is focused on a series of books for girls, “Aunt Jane’s Nieces” written by Baum under the name Edith Van Dyne, which I’ve never read and don’t plan to, but the articles are still interesting. And other articles feature other series books by Baum aside from his most famous fantasy creations, as well as reviews and Oz news. Most issues have more Oz content. And comics folks show up from time to time. The back cover on this issue is by Eric Shanower, long-time member and Oz illustrator, and last year one issue had a cover and article about William Stout. The magazine is only one aspect of this very active club, which has several regional meetings annually around the country. You can learn more on their WEBSITE. “Mixed Moss” is the annual square-bound collection of articles focusing on the life and work of British author Arthur Ransome, published by The Arthur Ransome Society, or TARS. Ransome’s famous children’s series beginning with “Swallows and Amazons” is a major focus, but his other works are also well covered. One of the fun things about Ransome’s novels for children, most of which involve sailing, is that they take place in a melange of real locations around England that can still be visited. The Society, of which I’ve been a member since the mid 90s, has lots of information about this, and I’ve used it to visit many of the sites myself. They also have many meetings and activities for kids and adults in England, and a few elsewhere in the world, including the U.S. You can learn more on their WEBSITE also. I’m sure there are other author groups of equal merit, but these two have kept my long-term interest with their well-crafted magazines.