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scans_daily2014-03-15 02:08 am
ozaline) wrote in scans_daily2014-03-15 02:08 am
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Oz Squad #5 --Or why superbeings and World War II don't always mix--
The American comic book industry, or at the very least the superhero genre, was pretty much shaped and forged through World War II. Youth who felt powerless and afraid by events in Europe could find escape and comforting fantasies in heroes who would sometimes go and beat up members of the German High Command. In DC The fridge logic of having heroes who could easily topple the Third Reich lead lead to a retcon where Hitler's possession of the Spear of Destiny stopped Meta Humans from entering into his territory. Without such a plot justification when you have characters who clearly could stop or kill Hitler, I really think you either need to commit to having them do so (much like how Professor Manhattan single-handedly won Vietnam*) and play your scenario out there or have some other explanation. Otherwise you wind up creating a scenario with some unfortunate implications.
*Note not trying to equate Vietnam to Nazi Europe in any sense... I simply mean the effect a god like being would have on their side in a war.
Way back in 2011 Icon UK posted some pages from the first issue of Oz squad, where the Ozites were still dealing with some of the aftermatch of the Nazi invasion of Oz, including the horribly named Death Camp Ozchwitz, which I'm assuming was used to persecute any non-fully human Ozite though only the Munchkins are named. there's a lot that's not explained over the course of the Oz Squad series, perhaps partially do to a change in publisher and some of the original ideas being dropped half way through; with this issue in fact. I have the annotated Oz Squad coming to me in the mail as we speak so I'm very curious to learn more. Suffice to say somehow Oz was obviously in contact with the outside world during the Second World War and Hitler had his eyes on the Emerald City in addition to Europe.
So... there we have it. In Baum's Oz books the Magic Belt doesn't have very many limits; in the Lost Princess of Oz it was established it could only grant one wish per a day but it could still preform other feats of magic in the mean time and it wasn't quite clear what counted as a wish and what was a normal magical feat. But it certainly was never shown to be limited by range, it was able to teleport people from the outside world to Oz for example, and didn't require their consent to do so (as Ozma teleported Dorothy's Aunt and Uncle to Oz without forewarning). The belt is so powerful that many Oz books need to neutralize it, along with the magic picture and book of records before they can properly put our heroes in peril.
So if Dorothy could erase Goebbels from existence, why didn't she do this Hitler earlier? The Oz Squad version of Dorothy is perfectly willing to kill, though this might have been her first kill since her largely accidental melting of the Witch of the West. I know this is a bit like asking why Superman or Green Lantern don't take-apart Al Qaeda (as Frank Miller had the Goddamn Batman think about in reference to GL), but that problem is simply death with by just giving such real life terrorist threats a wide berth for the most part.
Oz Squad is an interesting if very uneven series, but it very clearly shows the follies of dropping someone with enough power to single handedly topple the Third Reich into the middle of World War 2.
Also: Poor Toto!
*Note not trying to equate Vietnam to Nazi Europe in any sense... I simply mean the effect a god like being would have on their side in a war.
Way back in 2011 Icon UK posted some pages from the first issue of Oz squad, where the Ozites were still dealing with some of the aftermatch of the Nazi invasion of Oz, including the horribly named Death Camp Ozchwitz, which I'm assuming was used to persecute any non-fully human Ozite though only the Munchkins are named. there's a lot that's not explained over the course of the Oz Squad series, perhaps partially do to a change in publisher and some of the original ideas being dropped half way through; with this issue in fact. I have the annotated Oz Squad coming to me in the mail as we speak so I'm very curious to learn more. Suffice to say somehow Oz was obviously in contact with the outside world during the Second World War and Hitler had his eyes on the Emerald City in addition to Europe.
So... there we have it. In Baum's Oz books the Magic Belt doesn't have very many limits; in the Lost Princess of Oz it was established it could only grant one wish per a day but it could still preform other feats of magic in the mean time and it wasn't quite clear what counted as a wish and what was a normal magical feat. But it certainly was never shown to be limited by range, it was able to teleport people from the outside world to Oz for example, and didn't require their consent to do so (as Ozma teleported Dorothy's Aunt and Uncle to Oz without forewarning). The belt is so powerful that many Oz books need to neutralize it, along with the magic picture and book of records before they can properly put our heroes in peril.
So if Dorothy could erase Goebbels from existence, why didn't she do this Hitler earlier? The Oz Squad version of Dorothy is perfectly willing to kill, though this might have been her first kill since her largely accidental melting of the Witch of the West. I know this is a bit like asking why Superman or Green Lantern don't take-apart Al Qaeda (as Frank Miller had the Goddamn Batman think about in reference to GL), but that problem is simply death with by just giving such real life terrorist threats a wide berth for the most part.
Oz Squad is an interesting if very uneven series, but it very clearly shows the follies of dropping someone with enough power to single handedly topple the Third Reich into the middle of World War 2.
Also: Poor Toto!
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Dorothy is called D.G.
Oz is called the O.Z. or Outter Zone
Tinman is their word for Sheriff even though they know the word sheriff...
The woman who is to be the villain has screen time to established to be the villain but does almost nothing we've seen Rita done in the first 5 minutes of Power Rangers. (making it rain in a pocket world to hurt someone and saying "The Bitch is off to see the wizard" doesn't work well when you don't know whats going on with her). I was actually surprise to hear them say "munchkin" in the episode... haven't really seen much outside the first episode though... but you get the point: Alot of pretentiousness and reworks that make it seem more like a fanfic of somework rather than alternate out looked like the Wicked series...
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I'll spoil one thing for you: D.G. isn't Dorothy she's Dorothy's descendent, Tin Man is supposed to be a sequel.
Anyway like I said in reply to another comment I don't mind a darker take on Oz if there's some point to it, Tin Man really didn't seem to have the heart needed.