Monthly Archives: March 2022

Jinnicky’s Body

We’re now up to the Oziana from the year I was born, 1977. The front cover shows the royal palace of Oogaboo, as drawn by Albert Chronic. The introductory page has a political cartoon by Bill Eubank that isn’t really that … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Characters, Comics, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Melody Grandy, Monsters, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Poetry, Politics, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forget That Girl

Today, I’d like to talk about Meng Po, a Chinese goddess who makes an appearance in Katie Zhao’s Fallen Hero. She’s a resident of Diyu, the underworld, which combines Taoist and Buddhist traditions. Meng Po makes a magic liquid that … Continue reading

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The Tigers Come at Night

Tiger Honor, by Yoon Ha Lee – Considering how quickly some of these Rick Riordan Presents books come out, it’s a little weird, but understandable, that it took so long for Dragon Pearl to get a sequel. This one focuses … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, Chinese, Families, Korean, Magic, Maps, Mythology, Names, october daye, Rick Riordan, seanan mcguire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Hammer and the Hood

I started playing Dragon Quest Builders recently, and there’s a place you visit early on that’s full of Hammerhoods, and even called Hammerhood Heights. These are a type of monster originally introduced in DQ5, small impish creatures who, well, wear … Continue reading

Posted in British, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, German, Humor, Japanese, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Scottish, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Standing Tall on the Wizard’s Dreams

The 1976 Oziana is the first with Jay Delkin as editor. The cover has an Oz alphabet designed by Bill Eubank. I know The Baum Bugle used these to start articles for a while, and at the time I was … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Celebrities, Characters, Comics, Eric Shanower, Jack Snow, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Melody Grandy, Onyx Madden/Jim Nitch, Oz, Oz Authors, Phyllis Ann Karr, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Technology, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Foes and More

It’s weird how the Irish religious festival of St. Patrick’s Day became mostly a day for drinking a lot here in the States, but that’s how these things often work. I don’t drink that much, but I did wear green, … Continue reading

Posted in Celtic, Christianity, Futurama, Greek Mythology, Holidays, Monsters, Mythology, Norse, Religion, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Truth or Sand Witches

The 1975 Oziana is the last one with Gary Ralph as editor, and the majority of it consists of one story, but it’s a good one. “The Romance of the Silver Shoes,” by Laura Jane Musser – A longer tale … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Characters, Greek Mythology, Humor, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Poetry, Roman, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Build Back Blockier

Dragon Quest Builders – I got this from Beth as an anniversary present, and even though I’m still working on some other games, I decided to try it out. I haven’t gotten very far, but I’ll give some early impressions. … Continue reading

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Abra Kadabra, I Want to Reach Out and Grab Ya

The 1974 Oziana starts with a mention of of some Oz manuscripts the editor, Gary Ralph, had heard about: Christmas in Oz, The Woozy of Oz, and Traleewu in Oz. There are books by Robin Hess and March Laumer with … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Characters, Comics, Humor, Jack Snow, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, March Laumer, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Phyllis Ann Karr, Places, Poetry, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Follow the Feline

Inherent Vice – I can’t say this movie really held my attention, and Beth said it didn’t for her either. It’s a Paul Thomas Anderson film based on a book by Thomas Pynchon, apparently following it pretty closely, and I’ve … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Camper Van Beethoven, Cartoons, Dreams, Drugs, Fairy Tales, Humor, Magic, Music, Television, The Simpsons, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment