[Los Angeles, CA]—[November 12, 2026]—The Hurt Locker meets The Wizard of Oz in THE O.Z., a new comic book series by Ringo Award-winning creators David Pepose and Ruben Rojas. Now presented in a 56-page, perfect bound prestige format for the very first time, THE O.Z. #1 marks an action-packed transformation of a childhood classic into a war story for the ages!
“Equal parts Mad Max and The Wizard of Oz, THE O.Z. was a Kickstarter success story that was years in the making—and today, I couldn’t be prouder that our Ringo Award-winning series will reach a brand-new audience at BOOM! Studios,” says writer David Pepose.
“Inspired by the stories of real-life veterans from my days as a newspaper reporter, THE O.Z. is an adventure that I’ve been burning to tell for nearly a decade,” he adds, “and with the incredible creative team of Ruben Rojas, Whitney Cogar, and DC Hopkins, this series remains one of the most beautiful and heartfelt projects I’ve ever worked on.”
They say there’s no place like home—but for war veteran Dorothy Gale, home is just another place that doesn’t exist anymore.Â
Decades ago, when a young girl said farewell to the magical land of Oz, she unwittingly plunged the country into civil war. A generation later, the name of Dorothy Gale lives on in her granddaughter, an Iraq war veteran grappling with PTSD.Â
When a tornado strands her in the place her grandmother once tried to save, will she be able to navigate its turbulent, magical landscape to ultimately bring peace while finding a way back home?
Fans of Mad Max: Fury Road, The Old Guard, Fables, or Dan Panosian’s The Last Boy and Alice trilogy will resonate with this series from Ringo Award-winning writer David Pepose (Space Ghost, Speed Racer) and superstar artist Ruben Rojas (Barbarian King, Legendary Stratos League) that explores the echoes of post-traumatic stress disorder, the impossible decisions of war, and the true cost of violence somewhere over the rainbow.Â
“Working on THE O.Z. has been an incredible journey,” artist Ruben Rojas notes with enthusiasm. “Getting to bring this dark, imaginative world to life and help shape its characters has been a truly rewarding experience. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created together, and thrilled that THE O.Z. is finding a new home at BOOM! Studios and reaching an even wider audience.”
Pepose adds, “You may think you know the story of Oz, but this is the story of what comes next—be sure to join our Yellow Brick Road Warriors this February, and tell your comics shop to order THE O.Z.!”
THE O.Z. #1 is available for pre-order from your local comic shop until December 21, 2026 and will hit shelves on February 3, 2027. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including iBooks, Google Play, and Kindle.
For continuing news on THE O.Z. and more BOOM! news, follow them on social media: @boom_studios (Instagram), @boomstudios (BlueSky, X, TikTok), and @BOOMStudiosComics (Facebook).Â
ABOUT THE CREATORS
A former newspaper reporter turned Ringo Award-winning comic book creator, David Pepose has written for titles such as Savage Avengers, Moon Knight: City of the Dead, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Punisher, Cable: Love & Chrome, Avengers Unlimited, and Darth Vader: Black, White & Red for Marvel Comics; Space Ghost and Captain Planet for Dynamite Entertainment; Speed Racer for Mad Cave Studios; as well as original series including Spencer & Locke, Going to the Chapel, The O.Z., Scout’s Honor, The Devil That Wears My Face, and Ten-Ton Titan Terrier. Raised in St. Louis, David now lives in sunny Los Angeles with his understanding wife and daughter, their rambunctious terrier, and at least six deadlines
Ruben Rojas is a Spanish comic book artist and illustrator whose love for comics began at the age of five. After earning his degree in Illustration in 2010, he went on to work on titles such as The O.Z. (BOOM! Studios), Barbarian King (Leviathan Labs), Legendary Stratos League (GoodDay’s Games), and Cthulhu Magazine. He currently lives and works in Tenerife, Spain.
ABOUT BOOM! STUDIOS
BOOM! Studios, part of the Random House Worlds portfolio of imprints at The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, is the home of world-class comic book and graphic novel storytelling for all audiences. Through three distinct imprints—BOOM! Studios, BOOM! Box, and KaBOOM!—the team has produced bestselling, award-winning original work, including Keanu Reeves’ BRZRKR, Something is Killing the Children, and Lumberjanes, while also breaking new ground with established licenses such as Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Dune, and The Expanse properties. BOOM! original series have been brought to life in media, including the feature film The Empty Man (20th Century Studios), the animated series Mech Cadets (Netflix), and most recently, the live-action series Butterfly (Prime Video).
