The 2024 feature filmWickedsaw overwhelming success among fans and critics alike, earning multiple Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. While its sequelWicked: For Goodwon’t hit theaters until November 2025,an upcoming graphic novelization gives fans more of the mind-blowing story, adapting the original book by Gregory Maguire
Before it was a stage play,Wickedwas a 1995novel written by Gregory Maguire, fully titledWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Now, the original story is being adapted with gorgeous art innew graphic novelWicked: The Graphic Novel Part I.
Wicked: The Graphic Novel Part I: An Enchanting Graphic Novelization of the Inspiration for the Major Motion Picture
Adapted by
Cover Art by
Scott Hampton
Experience the magic of Oz as you’ve never seen it before with this brand-new graphic novel adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s masterpieceWicked, the inspiration for the Broadway show and major motion picture - the first in a two-part series featuring gorgeous full-color illustrations by Scott Hampton.
Like Dorothy when she crash-landed all those years ago, prepare to be swept into a new and colorful world in this first-ever graphic novel adaptation ofWicked. While the long-running Broadway musical and major motion picture take inspiration from this iconic novel, this is Oz as Gregory Maguire wrote it - a fantastical story with dark edges that explores morality and ambition, love and friendship, and discovering one’s inner power.
Elphaba was born with emerald-green skin - no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz’s most promising young citizens.
But Elphaba’s Oz is no utopia. The Wizard’s secret police are everywhere. Animals - those creatures with voices, souls, and minds - are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals - even if it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Ever wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can even make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas.
Maguire went on to write more books in theWicked Yearsseries, includingSon of a Witch,A Lion Among Men, andOut of Oz- indeed, a new prequel novelElphieis also set for a March 2025 debut. Maguire has also explored the adventures of Elphaba’s granddaughter, Rain, in novels includingThe Oracle of MaracoorandThe Witch of Maracoor. But despite what’s now a sizable fictional world, this is the first timeWickedhas been adapted as a comic, with a preview of Scott Hampton’s art revealing it will be a visual feast.
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TheWickedGraphic Novel Will Take Fans to a Different Oz
There’s Never Been a Better Time to loveWicked
Gregory Maguire’s original 1995 novel differs quite a lot from the stage play that followed.Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westis even darker and geared towards a more adult audience, whereas the 2003 Broadway play presents the plot in a more family-friendly, yet still captivating, way.With Indina Menzel and Kristin Chenowethoriginating the roles of Elphaba and Glinda respectively, the Broadway show was an instant hit and won three Tony Awards, solidifying itself as the definitive version for fans and leaving Maguire’s source novel somewhat in its shadow.
The upcoming graphic novel therefore isn’t just a new way to enjoyWicked- it’s a way to go back to the source and revel in the differences, and the initial darkness, that kicked off so many incredibly popular versions of this story. Here’s our guide to exactlywhat makes the originalWickedbook darker, so you may judge if the comic is for you.
The World ofWickedHas Been Around So Long for a Reason
Gregory Maguire’s Story Is a Unique Telling That Inspired a Dynasty
Due to the massive popularity of the film, a graphic novel isn’t unexpected. Cynthia Erivo’sElphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda have captivated a whole new generation of fans, adding to the beloved status of the originalWickedmusical (and of courseThe Wizard of Ozitself.) A graphic novelization can expand that audience even further, while also digging into the grit of Maguire’s original vision.
With Hampton’s amazing art,Wicked: The Graphic Novel Part Iisn’t another adaptation of the same story - it’s a glorious retelling of the dark tale that started it all, and a way for fans to encounter their favorite characters as they originally existed.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked: For Good
Wicked: For Good concludes the two-part film adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway musical.
