Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz
Encyclopedia
Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz was a newspaper comic strip written by L. Frank Baum
and illustrated by Walt McDougall, a political cartoonist for the Philadelphia North American. Queer Visitors appeared in the North American, the Chicago Record-Herald, and other newspapers from 28 August 1904 to 26 February 1905. The series chronicles the misadventures of the Scarecrow
, the Tin Woodman
, the Woggle-Bug, Jack Pumpkinhead
, and The Sawhorse
, as the Gump flies them to various cities in the United States. The comic strip in turn produced its own derivation, The Woggle-Bug Book
(1905).
. Coincidentally, it ran at the same time as a comic strip featuring Oz characters that was written and drawn by W. W. Denslow
. Denslow has drawn the illustrations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
and shared in its copyright. After Baum and Denslow had a falling out, Denslow exercised his copyright through his strip, called Denslow's Scarecrow and Tin-Man, which ran in relatively few newspapers from December 1904 to March 1905 — an artistic and commercial failure.
The 27 Queer Visitors stories have been republished in book form as The Third Book of Oz (1989) from Buckethead Enterprises, which was censored. The Third Book of Oz also includes another early promotion project, "The Woggle-Bug Book" (written by Baum and illustrated by Ike Morgan); the volume is illustrated by Eric Shanower
. Hungry Tiger Press
corrected the censoring from the Buckethead edition but used The Visitors from Oz as the title, like the 1960 adaptation.
In June, 2009, Sunday Press Books released a collected edition of the newspaper strips in their original format and coloring. The book also included W. W. Denslow's competing strip Denslow's Scarecrow And Tin-Man as well as other comic strips by Walt McDougall, W. W. Denslow, and John R. Neill
.
L. Frank Baum
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author of children's books, best known for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
and illustrated by Walt McDougall, a political cartoonist for the Philadelphia North American. Queer Visitors appeared in the North American, the Chicago Record-Herald, and other newspapers from 28 August 1904 to 26 February 1905. The series chronicles the misadventures of 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...
, 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...
, the Woggle-Bug, Jack Pumpkinhead
Jack Pumpkinhead
Jack Pumpkinhead is a fictional character from the Oz book series by L. Frank Baum.-In Baum:Jack first appeared in The Marvelous Land of Oz. Jack's tall figure is made from tree limbs and jointed with wooden pegs...
, and The Sawhorse
The Sawhorse
The Saw-Horse, sometimes spelled Sawhorse, is a character from L Frank Baum's Oz books series. He first appears in The Marvelous Land of Oz.-History:...
, as the Gump flies them to various cities in the United States. The comic strip in turn produced its own derivation, The Woggle-Bug Book
The Woggle-Bug Book
The Woggle-Bug Book is a 1905 children's book, written by L. Frank Baum, creator of the Land of Oz, and illustrated by Ike Morgan. It has long been one of the rarest items in the Baum bibliography...
(1905).
Development
The project was designed to promote The Marvelous Land of OzThe 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...
. Coincidentally, it ran at the same time as a comic strip featuring Oz characters that was written and drawn by W. W. Denslow
William Wallace Denslow
William Wallace Denslow – usually credited as W. W. Denslow – was an illustrator and caricaturist remembered for his work in collaboration with author L. Frank Baum, especially his illustrations of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz...
. Denslow has drawn the illustrations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
and shared in its copyright. After Baum and Denslow had a falling out, Denslow exercised his copyright through his strip, called Denslow's Scarecrow and Tin-Man, which ran in relatively few newspapers from December 1904 to March 1905 — an artistic and commercial failure.
Re-publication
The Visitors from Oz published by Reilly and Lee in 1960, includes about half of Baum's Visitors stories rewritten and illustrated by Dick Martin.The 27 Queer Visitors stories have been republished in book form as The Third Book of Oz (1989) from Buckethead Enterprises, which was censored. The Third Book of Oz also includes another early promotion project, "The Woggle-Bug Book" (written by Baum and illustrated by Ike Morgan); the volume is illustrated by 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:...
. 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...
corrected the censoring from the Buckethead edition but used The Visitors from Oz as the title, like the 1960 adaptation.
In June, 2009, Sunday Press Books released a collected edition of the newspaper strips in their original format and coloring. The book also included W. W. Denslow's competing strip Denslow's Scarecrow And Tin-Man as well as other comic strips by Walt McDougall, W. W. Denslow, and John R. Neill
John 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...
.