The DC and Marvel WIZARD OF OZ Team-Up That Should Have Been

SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN: It’s the landmark movie’s 85th anniversary!

Ask yourself what the first DC/Marvel team-up was and you’re most likely to knee-jerk answer, “Why, that’s 1976’s Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man.”

Not true of course: It was the previous year’s MGM’s Marvelous Wizard of Oz treasury edition — an adaptation of the 1939 film classic, which is celebrating its 85th anniversary this month.

The oversize comic is credited to Roy Thomas — who did not create The Wizard of Oz — and original screenwriters Noll Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Wolfe; penciller John Buscema; and inker Tony DeZuniga, among others:

John Romita

But say DC and Marvel decided to use their own characters instead of the movie’s Tin Man, Cowardly Lion and Scarecrow.

It mighta gone down something like this:

Y’know, if DC and Marvel decide to start teaming up again — and anything’s possible — this should be their first project.

Want more SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN? Come back next week!

Want a commission? Send an email to KerryCallenArt@gmail.com. You can also find other work at linktr.ee/kerrycallen.

MORE

— WHAT IF the JUSTICE SOCIETY Never Disappeared From DC COMICS. Click here.

— A Scene You Will Not See in BATMAN AND ROBIN: YEAR ONE. Click here.

KERRY CALLEN spent much of his career as an artist and art director, developing product for Hallmark, but has also dabbled in comics for many years. As a freelancer, he creates work for a range of needs, spanning from Mad Magazine to children illustrations. He has two graphic novels available on Amazon worldwide, Halo and Sprocket: The Definitive Collection, as well as Dirtnap: Mystic Spit.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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10 Comments

  1. Huh?1 No substitute for Dorothy? With Mary Marvel and Supergirl just standing out there?

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  2. Later on Marvel did adapt the Oz sequels, but only got as far as a few books. I was hoping that the whole series that L. Frank Baum wrote would make it. Eric Shanower even made a few Oz stories himself.

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  3. Dorothy should be Lois Lane and the dog ought to be Krypto. 🙂

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    • Kansas…I vote for Lana.

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  4. Fantastic. I wanna read the book. NOW. Thanks

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  5. Kerry Callen does it again!

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  6. Toto,should be replaced by Lockjaw

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  7. I used to have the marvel Treasury of The Wizard of Oz and it’s sequel, the “Marvelous Wizard of Oz”..the year I got them, the Variety Club of St. Louis” telethon had Ray Bolger as a main guest. My wife and I took our newborn son over there to see him (1981) and the two Treasury editions. We got to meet Mr. Bolger and besides getting a big kick out of our son. He got an even bigger kick out of the two comic. he said He didn’t know they existed qand graciously autographed both of them and then told us some else: he had just finished recording the “Wizard of Oz” on tape. ( No CDs back then>) It was a magical 10 minutes, that was for sure. R.I.P. Mr. B.

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