Summer 2010 Reading Spectacular #10

With one final entry, this year's Summer Reading Spectacular comes to a close.

After misplacing Eric Shanower's and Skottie Young's graphic novel adaptation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, I found it, picked it back up, and finished it off. The cover rightfully places Baum's name in large letters above Shanower's, as this is definitely a return to the original text both in plot points -- included are brief encounters with Kalidahs, the field mice, Hammerheads, and such -- and in the text itself, much of which is lifted directly from the original novel. Shanower has done a credible job of maintaining his commitment to the original story while keeping the pace going from panel to panel. Skottie Young's illustrations are full of whimsy and the occasional darkness, with hints of anime influence but uniquely his own, with inventive designs of the main characters and the world of Oz. Included at the back is a nice bonus: along with a cover gallery, the creators have included a "sketchbook" which shows some of the variant designs explored on the way to the characters' final looks in the book. The duo has already completed (if memory serves me) their follow-up, a graphic adaptation of The Marvelous Land of Oz.

And so, good readers (both of you), below is a lovely photograph of my summer reading. Though I certainly missed the Hermitage, the reading retreat I've taken for the past few years, I certainly managed to squeeze some reading into the summer. Looking it over, I realize I read fewer young people's books this summer than usual.



I had thought to include a photo for the Summer Screen Review; however, since some were in theatres and others belong to friends, it would have been an incomplete image in any case.