Followup to the Oz questions...

[seawasp]

First, the obvious answers:

Yes, of course I've read the books, and more than just the first, I've read all of the 14 Baum originals and some others of the Famous Forty; the only one I've read that felt really "Ozzy" to me was the last, "Merry-Go-Round in Oz". (When I was young, it was one of the few guaranteed ways of finding a good present for me: locate a new Oz book I hadn't read yet).

Polychrome was the first girl I ever fell in love with. Before I knew what that word really meant.

I have watched/read several non-canon works. Some I actually enjoyed, despite not thinking I would ("Tin Man" being perhaps the most surprising), while others I absolutely cannot stand (Wicked, A Barnstormer in Oz)

And obviously by FAR my major impression of Oz came from the books.


It's interesting that a fair number of those who have read at least some of the other Oz novels do not remember Polychrome; she plays a strong part in three Oz novels.

Of those who DO remember her, it seems fairly split between "Yeah, rainbow's daughter/rainbow fairy" and "I LOVED her!!!".

I actually find quite interesting that a significant number of people really haven't read the books, yet HAVE read or watched secondary materials. I'd be very unlikely to even TRY such things unless I was really into Oz, so the apparent popularity of such things is an interesting side point.

I'm still not sure what that says about whether Polychrome will be salable or not...

Comments

[missingvolume.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the books in almost 30 years. I remember the Shaggy Man more but I think that has to do with the artwork.

[kgbooklog.livejournal.com]

I actually find quite interesting that a significant number of people really haven't read the books, yet HAVE read or watched secondary materials.

The whole point of doing movies and comic books and stuff is to increase the fanbase; I first heard about Dune from the second computer game. And yes, I realize you said "interesting", not "surprising".

[alex swavely (from livejournal.com)]

I have seen most of the related movies (even Zardoz), but hadn't read the books. This is probably because, at the time I would have been interested in it, I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and it totally freaked me out.

[lwe.livejournal.com]

Oh, I adored Polychrome -- I have a big poster of her, drawn by Eric Shanower. But you didn't ask whether we LIKED her, just whether we knew who she was.

Much of my fondness for her probably derives from the illustrations -- was the artist's name Neill?

[seawasp]

I was talking more about the group that said "Yeah, I remember the name but nothing else". :)

In the super-gauzy practically transparent clothes? John R. Neill, yes. Most of my Poly icons are versions done by him.

[julesjones]

It's at least thirty years for me, and while I know I read more than the first book, I don't know which other books I read, probably read them only once, and remember pretty much nothing about them. I suspect that it may be the same for some of the other people who liked them enough to look for a few more in the library, without wanting to collect or re-read them.

[hms42]

Missed you at Albacon this weekend... :(

[seawasp]

My wife was due to have our next baby today; going to the convention was, alas, not in the cards. As it turns out, the little girl has decided to be fashionably late. Which is a pain, as I have to stay on "High Alert!" until whenever she decides to make her appearance.

[lwe.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes, that is indeed one of the illustrations I was referring to.

[denelian.livejournal.com]

since Oz was written to, i guess, make an "American Fairy Tale", the Oz stuff is really interesting.


the *really* interesting comes from the 98% i got on a final Anthropology paper i did that attempted to explore the social ramifications and re-makes and re-toolings and re-everything having to do with Oz. i know kids (college kids) who have *never*, to their knowledge, watched or read anything about Oz, not even The Wiz or Wicked or anything, but can still tell me the basics of Oz, like they can of Snow White, or Sleeping Beauty, etc.

even more fun are the kids (actual kids, now) who have never experienced any of Oz, and try to write a story that is, in essence, The Wizard Of Oz - and are upset that it's not allowed, because it's plagarism. because kids pick up stories and then think they created them themselves... i remember, quite fondly, a "book" i had to write in 4th grade, that i thought was my own story, and my mom ruthless told me that it was the exact plot and characters from a sci-fi book i had read. crushed my little writer's heart, that... hehe.

but i enjoy examining the various "whys" of fairy tales, because i am weird :)


i send to thee and thine good wishes, upon the incipent occasion of a new member to thy tribe! also, i send as much "sleep" as i can. cuz you won't for the next 6 months...

[tychist.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering if there was a UK/US difference in responses. Possibly too few to make an assessment but I always thought Oz was a much bigger phenomenon in the US than here.

[seawasp]

I wouldn't be surprised, although the Oz books were translated into dozens of languages; their popularity stayed highest here and I suspect there are relatively few translations available currently.

[tychist.livejournal.com]

I don't think I was even aware of them as books until I went to the comp (senior school age 11 - 16 or 18) when I found one or possibly two in the school library. I read everything I could lay my hands on then (which was a good thing as the school burned down two months into the term and all the books were lose. I sincerely mourned that library.)

[tychist.livejournal.com]

Lost! I meant lost!

[seawasp]

To a point, but the idea would be to expand it into being part of the actual fanbase rather than creating a fanbase which doesn't actually intersect with the majority of the material, or so I would think.

[seawasp]

At least you mis-wrote it that way rather than replacing the O with a U...

[robert-marrion.livejournal.com]

The reaction to Polychrome was also somewhat gender-biased :-)

[tychist.livejournal.com]

I noticed that. :) I don't remember any character that would be a pin-up for females. Pity.

[hms42]

Gotcha. May the baby be healthy. You were missed.

[seawasp]

I missed going. I was looking forward to it earlier in the year.

Next convention for me looks to be Genericon.

[seawasp]

There's no real surprise there.

[seawasp]

In the old days, you'd be right.

However, in THESE days? Some of those male characters are grade-A Bishonen. Consider Prince Inga.

[tychist.livejournal.com]

I looked him up. The only images I can find show him blond and wishy-washy looking. Not pin-up material, or at least not for me. And Inga's a girl's name. Heh. :)

[baronger.livejournal.com]

I would say that it would be salable simply by being an Oz book.

The only thing being, is that now for a lot of people you will be the one that introduces Polychrome to them. No pressure *tease*

[seawasp]

Many anime feature beautiful, almost girly boys (sometimes not "almost" but so girly that it is common for people to think they ARE girls) which are generally called "bishonen". Lots of girls and even adult women find them attractive. There's several in Oz.

Polychrome and one or two of the other fairies are the only ones likely to attract reasonable male attention, though -- most of the other girls are around 12 or so.

[seawasp]

That was what I wondered, though; "Wicked" somehow sold, but it's a parody, or more "literarily" a deconstruction of Oz. I've noticed that those kind of things seem very popular, but to me they're almost anathema. I cannot offhand think of any I've liked (but I'm pretty sure there's one or two). So if that's the kind of Oz book which will sell these days, Polychrome is dead in the water, as it's written -- I think -- with genuine affection for and attention to the details of the world Baum created. Yes, it's not the same world... but, I would hope, it is what the "reality" of that world could have been, making allowance for the idea that Baum was taking stories he had been told and rewriting them for children (and later making stories up, at least partially).