The Wiz

I'm a little late to the party, but I am finally getting around to reading the stellar Wonderful Wizard of Oz comic adaptation written by Eric Shanower. (And published by Marvel Comics, of all companies!) The story and dialogue are extracted almost verbatim from Baum's original book, and then lushly visualized with some seriously fantastic art from Skottie Young and colourist Jean-Francois Beaulieu. It's a fantastic match of authors and material, if I have ever seen one!

The same team is already knee deep in adapting the sequel, "Marvelous Land of Oz." I don't know if they're actually planning on doing the entire Oz series -- that would be a pretty enormous project, after all -- but the series certainly seems to be in the best possible hands.

-Sam

2010

Happy new year, everyone! Were you away from the internet during the holidays, forgetting to read all your favourite webcomics? Because Sam and Fuzzy was still updating as usual while you were off carelessly gallivanting. Here are some of the comics you might have missed!

Dec. 25th: Employee of the Month, Pt. 9

Dec. 28th: Buddy Saves Christmas

Dec. 30th: How to Draw Fuzzy

Jan. 1st: Malcolm Explains the Universe

Catch up now and I promise, there will be no hard feelings.

-Sam Logan

Noosehead-members Malcolm and Nicole haven't been in the comic for awhile, but they were staples of the previous volume! If you have yet to read that 3-year, nearly-500-comic-long opus, now is as good a time as any!

Sam and Fuzzy Q & A: 2010 Edition
Got a question you want answered? Just drop me an email with "Q & A" in the subject line!

"Hmmm... Is it possible that Devi and Mr. Y are gonna be a couple? If not, they are totally my new funniest crack pairing ever." -Erin

Wow! I really didn't think any readers would pick up on that subtle romantic tension this soon in the game. I think I'd better change the entire plot for the next six years so that they don't wind up together after all. I don't want to be predictable, after all!

"Why does Mr. Y's mask sometimes cover his full face like previous Blanks, and other times only covers him from the nose up, with his mouth visible?" -Alon

Mr. Y is a much more manic character than his predecessors. I gave him the habit of keeping his mask hiked up largely so that his freakouts could be accompanied by his large, gaping screaming mouth. He does still wear his mask "full-face" on occasion... but primarily only during situations where he is doing something "official" and feels he is required to be in full uniform.

"While reading this comic, I realized for the fist time that I subconsciously assign voices to the characters based on voices I've heard before in real life. (And that the voice my brain is using for Mr. Y is that of Arsène Lupin III, from the Lupin the 3rd animes -- too funny!). When you envision each of your characters speaking, do you mentally substitute voices you are familiar with from real life, and if so, who's got whose voice?" -Adam

I actually can't say that I do! I certainly hear their intonation and enunciation in my head -- which I try to convey it as best I can in the text through bolding and punctuation -- but I don't think I've ever actually "heard" them with specific voices or voice actors.

What about the rest of you out there? Let me know whose voices you associate with the characters, if any! I promise I will keep a note of your choices for when we are casting the 200-million-dollar live-action/CG summer blockbuster adaptation. Just don't say Owen Wilson... he's taken.

"Is Y's shout of 'Enemies EVERYWHERE...' a reference to Mass Effect?" -Gurgy

No! It's just... it's just a thing you say. When there are enemies. (Everywhere.)

Reference spotting is a popular activity among some webcomic readers! Pretty much every webcartoonist I know has, at one point or another, received an email asking if one of their side-character's untied left shoelaces is a subtle homage to Spaceballs. In my case, aside from the few obvious pop culture parodies, any sly references you spot in my work are usually unintentional. But I'm more than happy to take credit for them anyway!

That's it for this week. Happy 2010, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this past week of stand alone strips. But it's all over now, and the "Employee of the Month" storyline begins anew on Monday. See you then!

-Sam Logan