IDW Publishing; $39.99

Back before Image Comics’ Age of Bronze was the highly acclaimed, impossibly detailed work of art that it is today, its creator, Eric Shanower, had already carved out a little bit of comic book immortality. From 1986 to 1992, he wrote and illustrated five original graphic novels set in the world of L. Frank Baum’s famous Oz series.

The Enchanted Apples of Oz; The Secret Island of Oz; The Ice King of Oz; The Forgotten Forest of Oz; and The Blue Witch of Oz were published by First Comics (the first four) and Dark Horse Comics (the last one), and each of them met with positive reviews and generated fond memories in their readers.

Beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written, the graphic novels dovetailed with the world created in the original books and found favor with Oz enthusiasts. By the late 1990s, though, these graphic novels were out of print.

In 2006 IDW did what should be considered a public service and brought them back in one excellent volume. Released in both trade paperback and signed, limited hardcover editions, Adventures in Oz belongs on just about everyone’s bookshelf.