Seven years ago, a former Newsarama writer named David Pepose came on WMQ&A, the predecessor to The ComicsXF Interview Podcast, to talk about his Action Lab comics series Spencer & Locke, which asked the question: What if Calvin from Calvin & Hobbes grew up to become a tortured, gritty police detective who still talked to his imaginary feline companion?
Action Lab is no longer with us, but Pepose most assuredly is, going on to write comics for AfterShock, Mad Cave, Dynamite and Marvel. And yet, he’s made time to come on our humble little show about once a year, to plug his comics, to talk about his dog, and to politely answer Dan and Matt’s questions as they pivot from overly serious to overly silly.
Seriously, David, it’s always a pleasure.
One of Pepose’s earliest comic series was a Kickstarter project called The O.Z., which spins a post-Wicked Witch Oz into a war-torn hellscape ruled with an iron fist not by the Tin Man but by the Scarecrow, in a meditation on the forever wars of the early 21st century.
That saga is coming to a close as Pepose, artist Ruben Rojas, colorist Whitney Cogar and letterer DC Hopkins launch the Kickstarter this Monday for the third and final installment of The O.Z., in which the granddaughter of Dorothy Gale and her allies launch a final assault on the Scarecrow and his minions.
To celebrate the launch, Pepose shared with ComicsXF this pinup by Hannah Templer (Cosmoknights, Overwatch, Vertigo’s upcoming Fanatic) of the book’s cast, including, from left, the Prince of Lions, the Tin Soldier, Dorothy, Toto and Jack Pumpkinhead. Check it out below, and keep scrolling for a preview.
And for more on Pepose and The O.Z., check out this week’s CXF Interview Podcast, available now for backers on our Patreon.
I’ma pet that Toto.
Check out a preview of the third and final installment of The O.Z. here, and keep scrolling for the basic deets:
THE O.Z. #1-3
Written by David Pepose
Art by Ruben Rojas
Colors by Whitney Cogar
Lettering by DC Hopkins
Main Cover by Ruben Rojas;
Variant Covers by Maan House, Joshua Hood, and Serg Acuña
What if The Hurt Locker took place in The Wizard of Oz? Find out in THE O.Z., returning to Kickstarter with its giant-sized finale by critically acclaimed writer David Pepose (Savage Avengers, Space Ghost, Speed Racer) and superstar artist Ruben Rojas (Proton, Rogues!, Leviathan Labs). Fans of Mad Max: Fury Road, The Old Guard, and Fables will love the return of the Ringo Award-winning action-packed fantasy adventure, available to order NOW on Kickstarter!
THE O.Z. follows Dorothy Gale’s granddaughter and namesake, a disillusioned Iraq war veteran who is caught in a tornado and dropped into the war-torn land of Oz. Now leading the Resistance against the evil Scarecrow’s regime, Dorothy must join forces with the Tin Soldier, the Prince of Lions and Jack Pumpkinhead if she hopes to find the all-powerful Silver Slippers and bring peace to the Occupied Zone… or as the locals call it, The O.Z.
“It’s been a long time in the making, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for THE O.Z. to reach its triumphant conclusion on Kickstarter!” said series writer David Pepose. “We’ve been so lucky to have the support of over 1,500 Yellow Brick Road Warriors across our previous two campaigns. That said, Dorothy’s adventures aren’t over just yet — our third campaign promises to be a blockbuster finale, and fans of L. Frank Baum’s classic Wizard of Oz will truly love how we conclude our epic saga of THE O.Z.”
THE O.Z.’s Kickstarter will fund the series’ 44-page third issue, with early bird specials and catch-up tiers for those who missed the previous campaigns. Rewards include:
- Behind-the-scenes materials including David Pepose’s script, Ruben Rojas’ raw inks, and Whitney Cogar’s untouched colors;
- Four covers by Ruben Rojas, Maan House, Joshua Hood, and Serg Acuña;
- Print and digital catch-up tiers collecting all three issues of The O.Z., as well as tiers including all fourteen covers of the entire Kickstarter series;
- Trade paperback tiers collecting writer David Pepose’s licensed and original titles, including Savage Avengers, Moon Knight: City of the Dead, Space Ghost, Speed Racer, Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Spencer & Locke, The Devil That Wears My Face, Scout’s Honor, and much more;
- Retailer-exclusive tiers providing additional discounts;
- A store signing with writer David Pepose anywhere in the continental U.S.;
- Plus many exciting stretch goals and add-ons, including a fully-illustrated map of The O.Z. by artist Kenneth Wagnon, a limited-edition bookmark by artist Ruben Mocho, and much more
Dan Grote is the editor and publisher of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Paul Winston Wisdom. Follow him @danielpgrote.bsky.social.
