Dorothy's original group in Grimm Fairy Tales gives you a pretty good idea of how far Zenescope is willing to take a familiar story. You recognize the names immediately. Dorothy…

Dorothy's original group in Grimm Fairy Tales gives you a pretty good idea of how far Zenescope is willing to take a familiar story. You recognize the names immediately. Dorothy, Toto, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the lion, Glinda. Then you start reading what has actually happened to these people, and there is a lot more going on than their familiar appearances suggest. Oz already has people fighting over it when Dorothy arrives. The witches have armies, the people living there have suffered under them, and the Veridian Scepter is something both sides need. Dorothy wants to get home, but the journey puts her in the middle of that conflict. The people traveling with her have their own reasons for getting involved. Thorne has his family and his pride to think about. Bartleby has already been changed by the witches' cruelty. Glinda understands enough of the situation to help guide them, although even she can be badly hurt. Toto's connection to the scepter is what brings Dorothy into it in the first place. And Nicholas, the Tin Woodsman, needs a little extra explanation. He travels with them, but his loyalties become a serious problem. Calling everybody in this original group a dependable friend would leave out one of the biggest parts of the story. I'm keeping this to their original Oz adventure here. Each of them deserves a little room, because recognizing the name really doesn't tell you what this version of the character is going to do.