The Ozmapolitan of Oz
Encyclopedia
The Ozmapolitan of Oz is a 1986 novel written and illustrated by Dick Martin
. As its title indicates, the book is an entrant in the long-running series of stories on the Land of Oz
written by L. Frank Baum
and various successors.
, Dick Martin was a veteran Oz illustrator who moved into Oz authorship; The Ozmapolitan of Oz is Martin's single sustained work of Oz fiction. Though he was a neophyte novelist, Martin successfully delivers the humorous puns and verbal inventiveness that mark the Oz literature. He includes Decalcomania
, Xenophobia
, Yahooism, and Zymolysis in a list of human diseases; his "Game Preserve" is a Parcheesi
-like board game laid out in a landscape.
As both author and artist, Martin had control over the total expression of his fiction. Like most Oz authors, he supplied a human protagonist for young readers to identify with; unusually, he made his protagonist a teenager, a fifteen-year-old boy. In his illustrations, Martin made Dorothy Gale
appear somewhat older than she is generally portrayed; she looks like she is at least twelve years old. A decade and a half later, Dave Hardenbrook would also offer a teenage protagonist in his 2000 novel The Unknown Witches of Oz
; Martin does not go as far as Hardenbrook later would in making his teen hero a romantic interest.
. The idea was that the Wizard of Oz
started an Oz newspaper so titled (a conceit that Martin adopts for his novel). Reilly & Britton issued press releases in this Oz-newspaper form in 1904 and 1905, publicizing Baum's The Marvelous Land of Oz
and related projects. It is possible though not certain that Baum himself wrote some of these early "Ozmapolitan" press releases. The publisher (under its later name Reilly & Lee) issued more "Ozmapolitan" press releases in the 1920s, to publicize the novels of Ruth Plumly Thompson
, and in the 1960s for other products (including Merry Go Round in Oz, with illustrations by Dick Martin). Three decades later, Hungry Tiger Press
used the same publicity technique for issues of its Oz-story Magazine
.
The name has also been employed as the title of a periodical published by the International Wizard of Oz Club, edited and illustrated by Martin. Other fan literature has used the word as well.
of Oz. A chance meeting with Princess Dorothy leads to a plan to drum up news to promote the sleepy Ozite newspaper. Accompanied by a mifket named Jinx and Dorothy's cat Eureka
, "Tim" and Dorothy embark on a cross-country trip through the Winkie Country
. The plan is to meet the Scarecrow
at his corncob-shaped residence; but the plan quickly goes awry. The party encounter a fortune-teller and receive cryptic gingerbread-fortune-cookie predictions: Dorothy's is "A Fat Chance," Tim's is "A Blue Moon," and Jinx's is "A Silent Melody."
The Expeditioneers, as they call themselves, learn the meanings of these fortunes as they progress through an Art Colony, a Game Preserve, and a long and complex subterranean journey. They encounter strange creatures and phenomena, including a Trade Wind, an out-of-date inventor, and a dragon-like Tyrannicus Terrificus. They rescue a frozen (and therefore silent) water spirit named Melody, a cousin of the rainbow fairy Polychrome
. Melody later repays the favor by saving the travelers from the dragon.
After a long spell lost in caverns, the group meets up with the Scarecrow and his bosom friend the Tin Woodman
, who are sailing in the Scarecrow's new boat, the Blue Moon. They all return to the Emerald City, with abundant material for the Ozmapolitan. In the process, Tim's secret royal background is revealed.
(The idea of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman as boaters derives from "The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman," one of the Little Wizard Stories of Oz
first published in 1913–14. King Septimius has six older sisters, reminiscent of the Six Snubnosed Princesses in Sky Island
.)
At the end of the novel, the Wizard makes an offhanded reference toward returning to ballooning. this is ultimately realized in Eric Shanower
's The Giant Garden of Oz
.
portrait — and the travelers are appalled to discover that they have been magically transformed to resemble their portraits, instead of the other way around. Dorothy's portrait depicts her as "a willowy, boneless, wraith-like creature with soulful eyes, gazing off in different directions." Suddenly her physical form possesses the same "elongated arms and snaky fingers...." Tim becomes "a lumpy, bow-legged clown with green skin, purple hair, and mismatched ears." Dorothy proclaims, "We're victims of a Modern Art
movement." It is only with magical help (obtained from a fat man named Chance) that the sufferers can return to their natural forms.
Martin may have been writing mainly to amuse his young readers; but his handling of the subject suggests that he was out of sympathy with much of twentieth-century art.
Dick Martin (artist)
Dickinson P. Martin was an artist from Chicago who illustrated a number of books related to The Oz books series, most notably, Merry Go Round in Oz , the 40th and final title in the regular series, as well as many other children's books. He wrote and illustrated The Ozmapolitan of Oz, published...
. As its title indicates, the book is an entrant in the long-running series of stories on the Land of Oz
Land of Oz
Oz is a fantasy region containing four lands under the rule of one monarch.It was first introduced in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, one of many fantasy countries that he created for his books. It achieved a popularity that none of his other works attained, and after four years, he...
written by L. Frank Baum
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
and various successors.
Authorship
Like his predecessor John R. NeillJohn R. Neill
John Rea Neill was a magazine and children's book illustrator primarily known for illustrating more than forty stories set in the Land of Oz, including L. Frank Baum's, Ruth Plumly Thompson's, and three of his own. His pen-and-ink drawings have become identified almost exclusively with the Oz series...
, Dick Martin was a veteran Oz illustrator who moved into Oz authorship; The Ozmapolitan of Oz is Martin's single sustained work of Oz fiction. Though he was a neophyte novelist, Martin successfully delivers the humorous puns and verbal inventiveness that mark the Oz literature. He includes Decalcomania
Decalcomania
Decalcomania, from the French décalcomanie, is a decorative technique by which engravings and prints may be transferred to pottery or other materials. It was invented in England about 1750 and imported into the United States at least as early as 1865...
, Xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
, Yahooism, and Zymolysis in a list of human diseases; his "Game Preserve" is a Parcheesi
Parcheesi
Parcheesi is a brand name American adaptation of the Indian Cross and Circle game Pachisi. Created in India perhaps as early as 500 AD, the board game is subtitled Royal Game of India because royalty played using color-costumed members of their harems as pieces on large outdoor boards. Such a court...
-like board game laid out in a landscape.
As both author and artist, Martin had control over the total expression of his fiction. Like most Oz authors, he supplied a human protagonist for young readers to identify with; unusually, he made his protagonist a teenager, a fifteen-year-old boy. In his illustrations, Martin made Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale
Dorothy Gale is the protagonist of many of the Oz novels by American author L. Frank Baum, and the best friend of Oz's ruler Princess Ozma. Dorothy first appears in Baum's classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and reappears in most of its sequels...
appear somewhat older than she is generally portrayed; she looks like she is at least twelve years old. A decade and a half later, Dave Hardenbrook would also offer a teenage protagonist in his 2000 novel The Unknown Witches of Oz
The Unknown Witches of Oz
The Unknown Witches of Oz: Locasta and the Three Adepts is a 2000 novel written by Dave Hardenbrook, with illustrations by Kerry Rouleau. As its title indicates, the book is an entry in the long-running series of books about the Land of Oz, written by L...
; Martin does not go as far as Hardenbrook later would in making his teen hero a romantic interest.
The term "Ozmapolitan"
The word "Ozmopolitan" was first used in 1904, in promotional material created by Baum's publisher Reilly & BrittonReilly & Britton
The Reilly and Britton Company, or Reilly & Britton was an American publishing company of the early and middle 20th century, famous as the publisher of the works of L. Frank Baum.-Founding:...
. The idea was that the Wizard of Oz
Wizard (Oz)
The Wizard of Oz, known during his reign as The Great and Powerful Oz, is the epithet of Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, a fictional character in the Land of Oz, created by American author L...
started an Oz newspaper so titled (a conceit that Martin adopts for his novel). Reilly & Britton issued press releases in this Oz-newspaper form in 1904 and 1905, publicizing Baum's The Marvelous Land of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz
The Marvelous Land of Oz: Being an Account of the Further Adventures of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, commonly shortened to The Land of Oz, published on July 5, 1904, is the second of L. Frank Baum's books set in the Land of Oz, and the sequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This and the next...
and related projects. It is possible though not certain that Baum himself wrote some of these early "Ozmapolitan" press releases. The publisher (under its later name Reilly & Lee) issued more "Ozmapolitan" press releases in the 1920s, to publicize the novels of Ruth Plumly Thompson
Ruth Plumly Thompson
Ruth Plumly Thompson was an American writer of children's stories.-Life and work:An avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote...
, and in the 1960s for other products (including Merry Go Round in Oz, with illustrations by Dick Martin). Three decades later, Hungry Tiger Press
Hungry Tiger Press
Hungry Tiger Press is an American specialty publisher of books, compact discs, comic books and graphic novels, focused on the works of L. Frank Baum, other authors of Oz books, and related Americana. Perhaps most notably, the Press has published rare, early, long-neglected dramatic and musical...
used the same publicity technique for issues of its Oz-story Magazine
Oz-story Magazine
Oz-story Magazine was an annual periodical devoted to the literature and art of Oz, the fantasy land created by L. Frank Baum. It was published in six volumes between 1995 and 2000....
.
The name has also been employed as the title of a periodical published by the International Wizard of Oz Club, edited and illustrated by Martin. Other fan literature has used the word as well.
The plot
Septimius Septentrion is three weeks into a job as a printer at the Ozmapolitan in the Emerald CityEmerald City
The Emerald City is the fictional capital city of the Land of Oz in L. Frank Baum's Oz books, first described in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
of Oz. A chance meeting with Princess Dorothy leads to a plan to drum up news to promote the sleepy Ozite newspaper. Accompanied by a mifket named Jinx and Dorothy's cat Eureka
Eureka (Oz)
Eureka is a white kitten found by Dorothy Gale's Uncle Henry, that he gives to her telling her that the name means "I have found it!" She is introduced in Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz....
, "Tim" and Dorothy embark on a cross-country trip through the Winkie Country
Winkie Country
The Winkie Country is a division of the fictional Land of Oz. It is distinguished by the color yellow; this color is worn by most of the local inhabitants and predominates in the surroundings....
. The plan is to meet the Scarecrow
Scarecrow (Oz)
The Scarecrow is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum and illustrator William Wallace Denslow. In his first appearance, the Scarecrow reveals that he lacks a brain and desires above all else to have one. In reality, he is only two days old and merely...
at his corncob-shaped residence; but the plan quickly goes awry. The party encounter a fortune-teller and receive cryptic gingerbread-fortune-cookie predictions: Dorothy's is "A Fat Chance," Tim's is "A Blue Moon," and Jinx's is "A Silent Melody."
The Expeditioneers, as they call themselves, learn the meanings of these fortunes as they progress through an Art Colony, a Game Preserve, and a long and complex subterranean journey. They encounter strange creatures and phenomena, including a Trade Wind, an out-of-date inventor, and a dragon-like Tyrannicus Terrificus. They rescue a frozen (and therefore silent) water spirit named Melody, a cousin of the rainbow fairy Polychrome
Polychrome (fictional character)
Polychrome is a fairy and the daughter of the Rainbow. She first appears in The Road to Oz, the fifth of the fourteen Oz books by L. Frank Baum...
. Melody later repays the favor by saving the travelers from the dragon.
After a long spell lost in caverns, the group meets up with the Scarecrow and his bosom friend the Tin Woodman
Tin Woodman
The Tin Woodman, sometimes referred to as the Tin Man or the Tin Woodsman , is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum...
, who are sailing in the Scarecrow's new boat, the Blue Moon. They all return to the Emerald City, with abundant material for the Ozmapolitan. In the process, Tim's secret royal background is revealed.
(The idea of the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman as boaters derives from "The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman," one of the Little Wizard Stories of Oz
Little Wizard Stories of Oz
Little Wizard Stories of Oz is a set of six short stories written for young children by L. Frank Baum, the creator of the Oz books. The six tales were published in separate small booklets, "Oz books in miniature," in 1913, and then in a collected edition in 1914 with illustrations by John R. Neill...
first published in 1913–14. King Septimius has six older sisters, reminiscent of the Six Snubnosed Princesses in Sky Island
Sky Island (novel)
Sky Island: Being the Further Adventures of Trot and Cap'n Bill after Their Visit to the Sea Fairies is a children's fantasy novel written by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by John R...
.)
At the end of the novel, the Wizard makes an offhanded reference toward returning to ballooning. this is ultimately realized in Eric Shanower
Eric Shanower
Eric James Shanower is an American comics artist and writer, best known for his Oz novels and comics and the on-going retelling of the Trojan War as Age of Bronze.-Biography:...
's The Giant Garden of Oz
The Giant Garden of Oz
The Giant Garden of Oz is a novel written and illustrated by Eric Shanower, first published in 1993 by Emerald City Press, a division of Books of Wonder. As its title indicates, the novel is a volume in the ever-growing literature on the Land of Oz, written by L...
.
The Art Colony
Given the fact that Martin was an artist before he became an author, his treatment of the Art Colony in his novel's Chapter Six, "Artistic Interpretations," is noteworthy. Dorothy and her friends have their portraits painted by a family of animated paintbrushes. The portraits are wildly unrealistic and distorted in varying ways — Jinx gets a cubistCubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
portrait — and the travelers are appalled to discover that they have been magically transformed to resemble their portraits, instead of the other way around. Dorothy's portrait depicts her as "a willowy, boneless, wraith-like creature with soulful eyes, gazing off in different directions." Suddenly her physical form possesses the same "elongated arms and snaky fingers...." Tim becomes "a lumpy, bow-legged clown with green skin, purple hair, and mismatched ears." Dorothy proclaims, "We're victims of a Modern Art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
movement." It is only with magical help (obtained from a fat man named Chance) that the sufferers can return to their natural forms.
Martin may have been writing mainly to amuse his young readers; but his handling of the subject suggests that he was out of sympathy with much of twentieth-century art.