It took me a minute to settle into this graphic novel. The lettering took some getting used to. I enjoyed the references to Oz but what resonated with me was the tin man wanting to be something other than what was expected of him...

Reviewed for No Flying No Tights.
https://noflyingnotights.com/blog/2022/12/06/tin-man/
A thoughtful coming-of-age tale that only slightly borrows from the original.

This had a bit of a slow start, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. The art was unique and I thought it went well with the story. The characters were all interesting and I loved the new view of Wizard of Oz. It was short enough to binge in one sitting, so I won’t go into detail. I recommend this to Wizard of Oz revision lovers who are open minded.

The Wizard of Oz is a story that lends itself surprisingly well to retellings as authors make different characters central or create different settings for the tale. Madson's take is a far cry from the original. There are certainly parallels in the characters but the main thrust of the story is vastly different. Tin Man presents us with a far more meandering, introspective story. It's a reflection on what it means to be alive, what drives us forward even after loss or when barriers seem insurmountable. It really tells it's own story, though, and could be appreciated even if you weren't familiar with the original story.

This story has a lot of heart (I'll see myself out). It is certainly more of a reimagining than a retelling, but it is chock full of easter eggs from the wider Oz universe of stories. This feels like the science fantasy take on the Tin Man's story (and a much less creepy one that LFB wrote to be sure). I like the robot elements present here; they are reminiscent of Asimov's treatment of humanoid robots, especially The Bicentennial Man story.

I like that idea of Nick Chopper as a robot looking for more. It's something that I have not seen much of in stories about one of the most prolific metal men in stories. Since the Oz universe predated R.U.R, it's not too surprising that the tinman is hardly ever compared to a robot --but that's the fresh take this story needed. There are elements of autonomy (bodily, social, and governing) that add serious depth to this story, and that's just the secondary story about the Tin Man himself.

The core story with the children dealing with loss echoes with relevance, especially at a time when so many children and teens have lost close family members. The story looks not only at the manifestation of depression in childhood and adolescence, but also personal growth in the same vein as Freaks & Geeks. This story is certainly for fans of Oz, but I think more so that it is for tweens looking for a branch to reach out to; it's for young people who want something to relate to that expresses that garbage dump, rudderless feeling of grieving youth.

(Note: While this author is not LFB, it is important to note that this story and stories like this one that build off of that universe or reference it were built by Baum, who promoted genocide publicly while he was publishing his original Oz works.)

A wonderful debut coming of age Graphic Novel. It's billed as a young adult title but both high school and middle school readers could get a lot out of this. It is a lengthy read clocking in at 220 pages. Leaves the reader with a great message. Undertones of The Wizard of Oz that will keep the fans reading until the end.

Tin Man is a story about finding friendship in the unlikeliest of places.

Campbell is a tin woodsman whose sole purpose in life is to chop down trees. He longs for more, and decides to seek out a heart, believing that, with one, he will be able to feel things he has never felt before and change his life.

Solar is in her last year of high school and is reeling from the recent death of her grandmother. She has abandoned her plans for the future and fallen in with a bad crowd. Her little brother, Fenn, doesn't understand why she's changed—she doesn't even want to help him build their rocket in the garage anymore.

This is very clearly a ‘The Wizard of Oz’ inspired story, but it isn’t a retelling. The Easter eggs were a fun touch though. I loved seeing a different and modern side of the tin man. We get more of his backstory, why he wants a heart, and what he does with it when he gets it. Campbell is a beacon of hope when both Fenn and Solar needed it the most. There was so much heart in this story and I absolutely adored it.

CW: death of a loved one, grief, bullying

Interesting retelling of The Wizard of Oz, or should I say inspired by. Formatting was awkward and difficult to read at time, from font choices, to speech bubble placement.

As the titles suggests the Tin Man really shines, pun intended, mostly on his own. Through a series of mishaps, a journey to correct, and adventure. This was a pleasant ride to experience.

**Thank you to ABRAMS Kids, Amulet Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.**

I was pleasantly surprised by receiving this book also in the mail. I loved everything about this graphic novel. The setting and the nostalgia of reading the Wizard of Oz but with a twist. The artwork is amazing and I can not wait to see what my own teens think about this one.

While I did like this graphic novel, it was honestly hard to read. I think the art style was nice but the speech bubble were difficult to read. I'm hoping that this was just because this is an ARC and that the finished book will be better. I did enjoy the story and the characters. I'm hoping to read this again once it's published to see if it is any better.

This is the perfect graphic novel for anyone who wondered what happened to the Tin Man after he got his heart. While this graphic novel is loosely connected to the Wizard of Oz, it is a spin-off and not really the SAME as the Wizard of Oz. Although, I think this story stands on its two tin feet.
The tin man in this story gets his heart, but it's not all he hoped and dreamed it to be. His heart doesn't mean anything until he finds someone to give it to and when that rejection hits, it's worse than not having a heart. With no one to love and no idea how to use his heart, Campbell, the star tin man of this story, throws his heart away. That's when Fenn finds his heart and Campbell in the junk yard. He is collecting parts to build a rocket ship. He started the project with his brainy sister Solar, but she's going through things and doesn't work on it any more.
I love all the symbolic possibilities of this graphic novel. I think it would be beautifully paired with How to Read Literature Like a Professor and could be used in the high school setting for an in-depth analysis of symbolism and allusions. It has powerful messages and reflects real life well!

"Equal parts The Iron Giant, The Wizard of Oz, Edward Scissorhands, and Freaks and Geeks." Yes, and yes, and yes and yes! In a very good way!

It’s a retelling of the Wizard of Oz with special emphasis placed on the Tin Man, which I think is very nice. I didn’t feel super attached to any of the characters, though, and I really did not enjoy the art style (which I assume is personal preference and not anything to do with the actual art style). Regrettably I’m going to give this three stars, and recommend that you just flip through this in a bookstore to see if it grabs you.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

Tin Man by Justin Madson is a modern and dramatic graphic novel inspired by the tinman character from the Wizard of Oz classic. A young boy meets our metal friend, Campbell, by chance in the junkyard, and they quickly form a friendship. Campbell, as well as the reader, also get to know the boys older sister, Solar, and all about her struggles.

This was a solid graphic novel probably intended for teen readers. I did appreciate the plethora of important themes this story brought up. The art was fine, and there were some sweet moments, but I felt a little detached from the characters. The pacing was a bit slow for me, and I was disappointed to feel like I got to know the human family better than the supposed "main character" himself. Overall, it wasn't a standout for me, but I'm sure there are lots of folks out there who will enjoy this one.

This is a spoiler free review.

Tin Man is a deeply emotional story about friendship and getting through tough times together. It is darker in tone than expected, but I really enjoyed reading it. There are so many themes in this terrific graphic novel including friendship, coping with death, bullying, being different, sibling bonding, and more. This story truly has a lot of heart.

In Tin Man we get to see two siblings, Solar and her younger brother, Fenn, bond with a tin man named, Campbell. The tin man from the Wizard of Oz has a name, a family, and a very relatable back story in this unique graphic novel. Plus we might finally get to see what it would be like, if I only had a heart!

Tin Man has a pair of siblings as the main characters of the story. Solar is a senior in High School. She’s dealing with a death in the family which has affected all aspects of her life. She’s given up on her dreams and pushed her family away. She’s especially pushed away her younger brother, Fenn. Fenn is a bit of loner at school. He’s more interested in reading comics and dreaming about the stars than school or anything else. Before the death in the family Solar and Fenn were really close. They were building a spaceship in their garage / tool shed. Now, Solar has given up on working on the space rocket which has deeply hurt Fenn.

At a time when both Solar and Fenn need to get out of their respective funks, they both find hope and friendship with Campbell, the tin man from the Tin Forest. Campbell forms special bonds with both kids. During the story we really see how much heart Campbell has and how his mechanical heart helps inspire both siblings.

Tin Man is a fun story that makes reference to the original L. Frank Baum The Wizard of Oz stories and the Judy Garland film. There is a storm, a tornado, a tin man who has an oil can he needs to use quite often, and much more. As you read Tin Man keep your eyes out for easter eggs in the artwork and in the story.

The illustrations in Tin Man are beautiful. The copy of Tin Man I was given is an ARC that’s entirely in black and white. I read the final version of this graphic novel will include artwork in full color. I like the black and white artwork in this version of the book, I thought the illustrations complimented the story so well. The stark black and white art reminds me so much of the beginning of The Wizard of Oz movie. As I read Tin Man I thought for sure at some point the illustrations would transform into bright full color. To see the art gradually change from black and white to color would have been the perfect homage to the film.

If you enjoy The Wizard of Oz series of novels or the film you will love this wonderful graphic novel that has a lot of heart, emotion, and grief. Tin Man also reminds me so much of The Iron Giant, two stories about kids who befriend metal men who have more heart than some human characters.

Stay awesome and keep reading!

Tin Man

Creative Team:

Written and Illustrated by Justin Madson

Loved the references to Wizard of Oz, although it is its own story adding on to the original story.

Nice artwork as well.

As per the descriptions given, this book is precisely a mash up of Wizard of Oz, Edward Scissorhands, etc.

The characters had their own stories of grief and coping experiences as well special bonds that were created along the way. The story speaks of loss of relative, identity crisis, loss of goal, persistence, bullying, friendship and sibling bond.

Portrayed in a simple artistic illustration, it was a treat to read.

Thank you #NetGalley, ABRAMS Kids and Amulet Books for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Fenn and his sister Solar used to be best friends, but when their grandmother passes away, Solar begins to change and they drift apart. Then one day, a Tin Man named Campbell unexpectedly arrives in their life and finds a way to bring them together again. This graphic novel was really cute. It was clearly inspired by the Wizard of Oz (as it had tons of references to the classic story), but wasn’t a retelling or an adaptation. Instead, Tin Man is it’s own sweet and unique story that I really enjoyed reading.

I wasn't sure about this book at first, but it really grew on me. I enjoyed all of the Easter eggs and references to Wizard of Oz., but I'll also admit it that, aside from those references, this didn't really feel like an Oz story. The titular Tin Man is part of a community that you know barely anything about from the book alone and the story overall could have been set anywhere. The part that stood out the most about the Tin Man to me, both here and in the original story, was his yearning for a heart and to feel human emotions. That part is strongly represented here. Other than being somewhat confused about the story's choice of setting, I really did like it. The story centers a brother-sister relationship after they grow apart in the aftermath of their grandmother's death. When the brother discovers the Tin Man, they befriend each other and, in turn, the Tin Man helps bring the family closer again. I agree with the blurbs comparing it to stories like the Iron Giant and think it does have a good emotional core. Overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of coming-of-age stories and stories featuring grief.

Note: I read an early copy of this book that was in black and white but the final copy will be in full color. I believe this took away from my experience of the book, as the artwork was less appealing and engaging than it would be if I had seen the full color version.

When Fenn comes across a Tin Man in a junkyard, he’s excited to bring him home and show him the rocket ship he’s been working on. Ever since his sister Solar started hanging out with new friends, she hasn’t had time for Fenn and their project, even though they used to do everything together. Campbell, the Tin Man, left home to get a heart, but by the time Fenn finds him, he’s feeling lost and unsure about whether this was the best choice.

This was truly a character story rather than a plot based book. The first half was really slow, with a lot of time spent setting up the backstory and explaining who the characters are. Occasionally, there would be a flashback to when Campbell lived with his father; this was a little confusing at first since it wasn’t clear what was happening. Care was given to setting up the relationship between Fenn and Solar - how it used to be and what it had become. A few times I found myself wondering what the point of the book even was, and it really took sticking to the final third or so of the book for it to make itself clear.

I think the biggest issue for me is the way this book takes inspiration from the Wizard of Oz while obviously being a completely different story. It’s essentially the story of what could have happened to the Tin Man if he lived in a more or less modern world - if he’d come into Kansas instead of the other way around. Tin People are a known thing, and there are mysterious and unexplained tornadoes popping up in the area, but other than that it feels like the “real” world. Various characters inspired by the characters from Oz appear throughout the story, but other than Campbell, the main characters are not taken from the Wizard of Oz (as far as I could tell - I’m not an Oz expert). Personally, I would have liked this better without the Oz references, because they felt so random. However, I think people who love the Wizard of Oz might appreciate this more than I did.

Overall, this is the kind of slow character based story that doesn’t really work for me, especially since I wasn’t really invested in any of the characters other than Campbell. Readers who love Oz or this type of book will likely enjoy this more, but it isn’t the first thing I’d recommend if someone is looking for a new graphic novel. I would also be interested to see it in full color, as this may have helped me enjoy the book more. 2.5 stars, rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for the eARC.