Peter Pan and the Warlords of Oz

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(Redirected from Rob Hand)

Peter Pan and the Warlords of Oz is a short-lived series of black and white comics by Rob Hand, self-published by "Hand of Doom Publications" in 1998 and 1999. It features grim-n-gritty versions of characters from Barrie's Neverland, plus L. Frank Baum's Oz books, Charles Dodgson's Alice books, Nazis, and the Thor of Norse mythology, engaged in violent battle. The stories show a familiarity with the original books, not just the movies, but that's about as far as the "authenticity" goes.

Four issues are known to exist:

Peter Pan and the Warlords of Oz #1, September 1998
Peter Pan and the Warlords of Oz vol. 2, #1, unknown date
Peter Pan and the Warlords of Oz: Dead Head Water, February 1999
Peter Pan and the Warlords of Oz: Wonderland Purgatory #0, August 1999 (back cover by Bret Blevins)

In the series, Nibs, Tootles, and Slightly are the only remaining Lost Boys, and they are secretly trying to escape from Peter before they grow up and he kills them. Peter takes them on a viking ship to have adventures with Thor, but they divert to Oz. There they find that the Scarecrow (left in charge of Oz at the end of the original Oz novel) has been co-opted by Nazi medical ghoul Josef Mengele. The Cowardly Lion has been killed, but Tinker Bell brings him back to life. With the Tin Woodsman, Tick-Tock the Crocodile, the Wicked Witch of the West (back from the dead), and the timely arrival of Thor, they defeat Mengele and his Aryan golem. Also appearing are Oz's Tik-Tok and Jack Pumpkinhead. There's a shark in there too. Wonderland Purgatory has Oz at war with Wonderland, and also drags Chthulu into the mix.

Reviewers reportedly described it as "ridiculously violent" and a "disgusting misuse of both Peter Pan and the Oz characters". There was also a spin-off series of perhaps two issues (called Hammer of Thor and/or Thor and the Hammer and the Cross) featuring Thor, accompanied by an older Nibs (who is said to be Norwegian). It even drags Jesus into the story.

Jason Wolf is credited with finished painted art on the covers. Rob Hand hasn't published much else; just a few short pieces he drew previously for Caliber's New Worlds Anthology in 1996.