As a child, Eric Shanower avidly read all the Oz books written by series creator L. Frank Baum, beginning with the classic story, The Wizard of Oz. Shanower decided that someday he would write and illustrate his own Oz stories. He became a professional cartoonist and proceeded to fulfil his Oz goal. He wrote and drew a series of Oz graphic novels, using the characters and concepts from the Oz books he'd read as a child, while adding new characters and storylines in the same spirit of the originals.

From 1986 to 1992, Shanower's five Oz graphic novels were published by First Comics and Dark Horse Comics. By the late 1990s, these graphic novels were out of print. Now, after ten years, IDW Publishing has brought them back in a one-volume edition titled Adventures in Oz. This special collection is offered in two formats: as a trade paperback and as a deluxe hardcover edition that includes 70 additional pages of sketches, backstory, and a look at Shanower's development process of the Oz books.

The original art for all five Oz graphic novels has been newly scanned, both the black-and-white and the color artwork, which Shanower produced separately to accommodate printing techniques of the 1980s. Scanning of color art in the 1980s wasn't as exacting as it is today, and the color reproduction in the original printings of these books was sometimes quite different than what Shanower painted.

That's all been solved. Shanower explains: "For the IDW book, John Uhrich has scanned every page, composited the black-and-white line art with the painted color art, and painstakingly gone over every single panel. This was an immense job and took over a year for him to complete. 99.99 percent of Uhrich's efforts were in line with my intentions, I'm pleased to say. That's very rare in comics publishing, rare in most aspects of life, I'd say. In the rare instances Uhrich mad a choice I didn't agree with, I had him change it, since I had full approval of the appearance of Adventures in Oz. As a result all the art will be much closer to what I originally intended. I'm very pleased with the look of all the proofs."

In short, Adventures in Oz could be considered a true "director's cut." "There were mistakes made in the original printings from First Comics and Dark Horse Comics," he said. "I'm making sure these aren't repeated. And I've made some minor changes in text and art, although I'm trying not to tinker too much, trying to just accept the work for what I did at the time. However, some of Dorothy's faces were just so bad that I've made minor adjustments."

For Adventures in Oz, Shanower has painted a brand-new cover, written a new introduction, and provided several new interior illustrations in color. A map of Oz will also be included, showing locations from the Oz graphic novels as well as locations from the original Oz books.

The five Oz graphic novels collected into Adventures in Oz are: The Enchanted Apples of Oz; The Secret Island of Oz; The Ice King of Oz; The Forgotten Forest of Oz; and The Blue Witch of Oz.

Read these hints of what Shanowers Oz stories are about: in the marvelous Land of Oz, magic is always around the next corner. Dorothy, the Scarecrow, and their many Oz friends can't stop plunging into one adventure after another. Come journey over the rainbow to help save Oz from the Wicked Witch of the South, ride an enchanted whirlpool that leads to a hidden island, explore the spooky Great Gray Gillikin Swamp, prevent a war between dragons and wood-nymphs, and soar in an emerald unicorn to the frozen land of the mysterious Ice King. Wonder and magic abound in five full-color stories by two-time Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Eric Shanower, collected here for the first time in one volume. L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz lives again in stories that Booklist calls "well-written" and "charming" by "the superbly talented Shanower."

In addition to the regular 256-page edition of Adventures in Oz, there will be a signed limited edition of that will include a 70-page bonus section. Shanower says, "I'm really excited about the extras in the limited edition. I've written an essay about how the Oz graphic novels came to be and my process in creating them. People will be able to see Oz artwork I've done throughout my life, starting when I was seven years old all the way up to now." Included in the bonus section will be:

"General Jinjur of Oz," the complete short Oz comics story which led to the graphic novels - Part One in color, script and layouts for Part Two (previously unpublished)

Artwork from Shanower's original proposal for the series.

The original endings of The Forgotten Forest of Oz (script and layouts) and The Blue Witch of Oz (full-color finished art), both previously unpublished

Pencil art for The Forbidden Fruit of Oz, 5 pages of the Trot and Cap'n Bill comics story that became The Enchanted Apples of Oz.

Illustrations from "The Ice King," the short prose story that became The Ice King of Oz.

Pencil art for 4 pages plus script and layouts for 2 pages of "The Story of Nebelle," the complete short comics story that became The Forgotten Forest of Oz.

Design sketches for characters and costumes, diagrams, and advertising art for the Oz graphic novels

Plus short Oz comics stories and various unpublished and little-seen Oz illustrations, many in full color, from the past 25 years