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Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road no more: Elton John to provide foreword fora Wizard of Oz reboot comic (Don't call it Wicked)

Elton John is returning to the yellow brick road for a foreword to Ultimate Oz Universe this November

Published on Tue Jun 03 2025

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It’s been 52 years since Elton John said 'Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road,' but now he’s hoping to lure people back to the Emerald City — but this isn’t a celebrity endorsement for this December’s Wicked: For Good. Instead, the award-winning singer/songwriter/icon is lending his name and endorsement to a new comic book reinvention of the beloved Wizard of Oz property titled Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands.

John will provide the foreword to the graphic novel, according to People magazine. The book, to be published in November, is intended as the first in a series expanding the Oz mythology even further than creator L. Frank Baum did in the 14 book series that started with 1900’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The third book in the series, notably, was an illustrated story written by Baum, collected as Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz, suggesting that a comic book continuation of the series isn’t as far removed from the originals as many might have suspected.

“Every moment with a book is precious and I was dazzled by the first installment in The Ultimate Oz Universe, celebrating the legacy of Baum's genius and the heritage of color, unique characters and the triumph of goodness," John writes in the excerpt of the foreword shared by People. "It’s wonderful to see the love and attention [publisher] AWA, [author] Larry King and my close friend [Broadway producer] Kevin McCollum have lavished on the Baum books so few people know.”

The Lost Lands will introduce a new central character to Oz lore in the form of Tip, who has to explore the magical land of Oz in the 114-page book, meeting some familiar faces along the way. (The Tin Woodman will make an appearance, per the publisher.) Larry King will co-write with comic book author Cullen Bunn, with artwork from Mike Deodato.

Ultimate Oz Universe: The Lost Lands will be released November 12. We checked; that’s not a Saturday, the night that’s alright, alright. Still, we’re still standing. (We’ll stop, although we could make Elton John references for a long, long time.)

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Graeme McMillan: Popverse Editor Graeme McMillan (he/him) has been writing about comics, culture, and comics culture on the internet for close to two decades at this point, which is terrifying to admit. He completely understands if you have problems understanding his accent.