“The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West” is an action packed retelling of the original Wizard of Oz tale, but with a western theme. Landscapes filled with plateaus and mesas, along with magenta colored skies give authenticity to the setting. The creators do a wonderful job of blending in traditional elements of Oz. Familiar cornfields and the remnants of a certain yellow-brick road are also in place.

The best part of this story is Gale. The gun slinging, ruby spur-wearing heroine who is a drastic departure from the meek and soft-spoken Dorothy we know. Along with her faithful stead Toto, Gale blazes a trail in search of the Emerald City. A Clint Eastwood sneer on her face as she dispatches her foes.

I can’t say enough about the artwork by Alisson Borges da Costa. I discovered him on deviant Art and learned he would be the artist for this series. His setting and character designs are beautifully rendered. The writer, Tom Hutchison, does a wonderful job telling a story that will only get better as the issues go on.

“The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West” is published through Big Dog Ink (BDI). A fairly new publishing company founded in 2009. If you want to learn more of Gale’s exploits, you can catch up on the latest info posted on their website. You can also support the cause by heading to the fan page on Facebook.