Shanower's first major published works were the
Oz graphic novels, which are
The Enchanted Apples of Oz,
The Secret Island of Oz,
The Ice King of Oz,
The Forgotten Forest of Oz, and
The Blue Witch of Oz released by
First Comics and
Dark Horse Comics between 1986 and 1992. was released in a hardcover collection on September 2, 2009. The follow-up,
The Marvelous Land of Oz' began in November 2009 as an 8 issue monthly comic series, while the third mini i.e.
Ozma of Oz, began in November 2010. The fourth and fifth books,
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz and
The Road to Oz, were also subsequently adapted by Shanower and Young for Marvel Illustrated. The collaboration concluded with their adaptation of the sixth book,
The Emerald City of Oz. In 2020, the six Oz graphic novels were rereleased in three collected volumes. Shanower also wrote the comic series Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland for
IDW. The first issue was released August 20, 2014.
Age of Bronze In February 1991, Shanower "conceived the idea to tell the story of the
Trojan War in the comics medium," aiming to combine "the myriad versions of the Greek myth with the archaeological record" to showcase the tale in "authentic historical detail." This aim has been manifested in the ongoing comic book
Age of Bronze, debuting in late 1998 from
Image Comics. As of 2018, the series has been collected in four (of a projected seven) volumes: •
A Thousand Ships •
Sacrifice •
Betrayal Part One •
Betrayal Part Two The seven volumes in their entirety will cover the complete story of the war. The books contain extensive
bibliographies, for the story, the setting and historical
Troy, drawing on the excavation work
Heinrich Schliemann (et al.) and the publication
Studia Troica. The book does not depict the gods or any mythical beings, with
Chiron portrayed as a human rather than a centaur. Similarly, the
Nymphs are portrayed as human priestesses rather than as supernatural beings.
Other work Shanower has also drawn a number of
one shot comics, such as
Ed Brubaker's
Prez "Smells Like Teen President" (for
DC Comics) and An Accidental Death (also written by Brubaker) published by Fantagraphics in 1993. For Marvel's Epic line, he illustrated The Elsewhere Prince (1990), based on characters created by the French cartoonist
Moebius. His work has appeared in magazines throughout the USA and Europe as well as in books and on TV. ==Awards==