Heading 1
The Graphic Novel Part 1
Art by Scott Hampton
Welcome to Oz
About the Graphic Novel
Scott Hampton has adapted Gregory Maguire’s classic masterpiece Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the inspiration for the Broadway show and now the major motion picture—in the first of a two-part series featuring gorgeous full-color illustrations by Scott Hampton.
While the long-running Broadway musical and major motion picture takes inspiration from this iconic novel, this is Oz exactly as Gregory Maguire wrote it; a story with dark edges that explores morality and ambition, love and friendship, and discovering one’s inner power.
Elphaba will become the Wicked Witch. She was born with emerald-green skin and like anyone different, she faces bigotry and a complete set of obstacles to her happiness. That is especially true in Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome 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.
Cover Art for Book 1 of
Wicked: The Graphic Novel
About the Artist
Scott Hampton was born in 1959 in High Point, North Carolina. In 1976, while still in his teens, Scott joined his brother Bo Hampton, working and learning under Will Eisner. This included some work on the groundbreaking A Contract with God: and Other Tenement Stories (Baronet Books, October 1978).
Scott's first professional solo comics work was the three-page story "Victims," published in Warren Publishing's Vampirella #101 in 1981. Scott's next significant project was Silverheels from Pacific Comics in 1983-4. Those issues were considered the first continuing painted comic.
Since then, Scott has worked as a freelance comic book artist. He is known for his diversity, having illustrated such iconic characters as Batman, Sandman, Black Widow, Hellraiser, and Star Trek, in addition to work on his creator-owned projects such as The Upturned Stone.
His recent works include Spookhouse, released in 2004 by IDW Publishing, in which he adapted his favorite ghost stories into sequential form, and Batman: Gotham County Line from DC comics in 2005. Scott is co-creator of Simon Dark with writer Steve Niles for DC Comics and has illustrated cards for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game.
Hampton is currently completing Book 2 of Gregory Maguire's Wicked into a graphic novel, scheduled to be published in March of 2026.
The Artist’s Process…
Astute readers, who now have the graphic novel in their hands, might notice that some of the printed pages do not completely match the the originals that will be shown on this site.
I spoke with Scott to ask about his process.
“I found myself drawn, pun not intended, to varying techniques, depending on the story beats and scenes. Sometimes, I would paint the entire page as panel-to-panel continuity like a normal comic page.
At other times, I would create a master background that I could repeat for different angles. In those instances, I would then paint the figures separately and bring them together with the background as layers in Photoshop. It’s a little like cell animation.”
It is probably no mystery that Scott was on a very short deadline to finish 176 pages in 8 months. To aid his speed, Scott could use the same painted background to produce multiple images and place them on the page in the form he wanted to tell the story. That is why you will see some images of Ephelba and Glinda that appear to have no background. Using photoshop he places them where he wants them. Still, there are some pages that are complete on one shet.
A perfect example of this is the graphic novel’s cover. The image, as printed, does not exist as a standalone piece. There were two proposed covers for the graphic novel: the blue one shown above and a second featuring Oz. The editors and production team at Little-Brown/William Morrow Paperbacks decided they liked components of each cover and combined those to make the finished cover. There is no single image that looks like the actual cover.
Most of the art is done on 2-ply Bristol board in pencil then painted with mixed media.
For comments, questions, or inquiries, contact info4wgn@gmail.com
A Tale of Two Covers…
The cover you see on the Graphic Novel does not exist per se. Scott Hampton painted two versions of the cover for approval by the editors: one with smaller figures on a blue background, and one with larger figures on a white background featuring Oz. The editors and production team at Little-Brown/William Morrow Paperbacks decided they liked parts of each cover and combined those using production techniques to create the final cover.
The originals are rendered in pencil and painted with mixed media on an 11 x 17" 2-ply Bristol board.
These covers are available for sale as a pair or individually. Please inquire if interested.
For comments, questions, or inquiries, contact info4wgn@gmail.com
Published cover -->
Version 1 $10,000
Version 2 $8000
If you compare the published cover to the two versions, you can see that the final cover used an enlarged figure of Elphaba from version 1, and the Glinda figure from version 2. Further, the published image used the Oz background of Version 2, and the blue background of Version 1.
To the left is the cover rough done in advance of Version 1 of the cover. The image was rendered in pencil on an 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper. It is signed in the lower right margin.
$125.00
Single Illustrations from the Graphic Novel
To my mind, this is one of the very best illustrations in the Graphic Novel. In the book, it appeared as the top portion of page 85... sans a few characters on the published pag. A tranquil shot of Glinda dipping her toe in the lake at Caprice-In-The Pines. The piece is rendered with mixed media and has an image area of ~10" x 15" on an 11 x 17" piece of 2-ply Bristol. It is signed in pencil by Scott in the lower right
$5000.00
When Hampton was approached to do this graphic novel, the editors asked him to do a piece to show his version of Elphaba. This is it. The very first image he did. This served as the bottom portion of page 3 of the Graphic Novel. The image area of this Elphaba is 9.5 x 11"; rendered in mixed media on 2-ply Bristol art board. Hampton has signed the piece in pencil in the lower right. The other three panels that make up this page are also available.
$2500
I AM OZ! THE GREAT AND THE TERRIBLE!
Definitely not the image of Oz most people think about, but Maguire's OZ was much darker than Baum's. This appeared as the bottom portion of page 123 of the Graphic Novel. The image area of this OZ is ~9.5 x 11"; rendered in mixed media on 2-ply Bristol art board. Hampton has signed the piece in pencil in the lower right.
$1250
Concept Pieces and Panel Components
from the Graphic Novel
The editors at William Morrow Publishers asked Scott to show them his interpretation of Glinda, Elphaba, and Elphaba as "The Witch". This is the first Concept art Scott did for Glinda and Elphaba and is currently unpublished.
The concept art for "The Witch" is also shown in this gallery, and was used as part of page 5 of the Graphic Novel.
The original is rendered in mixed media over pencil on a piece of 11 x 17" 2-ply Bristol art board and is signed in pencil in the lower right margin.
$500
This is a large illustration of Elphaba that was used on page 107 of the Graphic novel. Here, Fyero, Nessarose, and the other friends are at an inn drinking wine when Nessarose lets it slip that Elphaba sings. The friends demand to hear a song and she stands and makes up a song on the spot. If you compare the original to the published page, you will see that Scott changes the color of her dress and adds a background with Photoshop to speed up his process
The original is rendered in mixed media over pencil on a piece of 11 x 17" 2-ply Bristol art board and is signed in pencil in the lower right margin.
$250
This image appears on page 104 of the Wicked graphic novel. Here, Elphaba and her friends break the curfew while enjoying a night at an inn, drinking wine, talking, and sharing secrets. In this panel, Fireo reveals that he was married at the age of seven, but has not seen the girl in ten years. This scene features Elphaba, Fiyero, Nessarose, and others sitting around a table. The art was rendered using mixed media over pencil and has an image area of 4 x 10" on a piece of DC 2-ply Bristol art board. It is signed in pencil in the lower margin. Do note that the background was added with Photoshop.
$50.00
This image appears on page 106 of the Wicked graphic novel. Like the panel above, Elphaba and her friends break the curfew drinking wine, talking, and sharing secrets. In this panel, Nessarose reveals that Elphaba can sing and her friends ask her to sing for them The art was rendered using mixed media over pencil and has an image area of 5 x 8" on a piece of DC 2-ply Bristol art board. It is not signed, but can be. Note that the background was added with Photoshop.
$75.00
This sheet contains the images for five of the panels that appeared on page 44 of the Graphic novel. Most feature Glinda during a conversation with Madame Morrible. If you compare the original to the published page, you will see that Scott added two panels not on this page.
The original is rendered in mixed media over pencil on a piece of 11 x 17" 2-ply Bristol art board and is signed in pencil in the image.
$700
This image of Elphaba reading quietly in a chair that was used on page 45 of the Graphic novel. Gregory Maguire called this image "iconic". If you compare the original to the published page, you will see that Scott added several panels not on this page which will be included.
The original is rendered in mixed media over pencil on a piece of 11 x 10" 2-ply Bristol art board and is signed in pencil in the image.
$2500 SOLD
The Elphaba-Glinda-Fiyero Love Triangle
In Gregory Maguire's novel "Wicked," Elphaba first meets Fiyero at Shiz University where they become friends. Fiyero's charismatic personality and rebellious spirit initially attract Glinda but also spark a connection with Elphaba, who admires his courage and willingness to challenge the status quo. This produces a Love Triangle, adding complexity to their individual stories. Years after leaving Shiz, Fiero married Sarima but reunites with Elphaba in a secret, but passionate affair. On this sheet are several panels that appear on pages 142 and 3 showing Fiyero visiting Elphaba's humble apartment, making love, and Fiyero watching Elphaba in the moonlight.
The original is rendered in mixed media over pencil on a piece of 11 x 10" 2-ply Bristol art board and is signed in pencil in the image. Included will be another panel from a separate sheet.
$750
In Gregory Maguire's novel "Wicked," it is very clear that while Glinda prefers women, Elphaba is "Bi". This page continues the affair between Fiyero and Elphaba in more detail. On this sheet are several panels that appear on pages 153, 4, and 5. At the top, Fiyero is preparing to leave to visit Elphaba. As he reached the hallway, he turned and kissed his friend Tibbett. Down deep, Sarima knows where he is going and says, "If you should see her, tell her I miss her still". He does go to see Elphaba. At her humble apartment, they get into bed together to ponder the future.
The original is rendered in mixed media over pencil on a piece of 11 x 17" 2-ply Bristol art board and is signed in pencil in the image.
$850
On the page to the right, Glinda and Elphaba share a bed. While the musical and movie focus on the friendship and connection between Glinda and Elphaba, the book explores a more complex and potentially romantic dynamic. Gregory Maguire has stated that the lesbian subtext between Glinda and Elphaba is intentional, and there are scenes that some interpret as having lesbian subtext. In the book, Glinda is explicitly attracted to women, particularly Elphaba, Glinda and Elphaba kiss twice, and it is stated that Elphaba herself is bisexual. Maguire has also said that he believes that the musical and movie have watered down the queer elements of the story.
The image area of this piece is 8 x 11", rendered with mixed media on 2-ply Bristol art board.
$2000
Original Art for Sale
This is the first page you see in the graphic novel and is an iconic image of Elphaba flying on her broom. Perhaps (perhaps) the single best page in the book.
$8000.00 SOLD
This is page 4 of the Graphic Novel. It is the first (and only) appearance of Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the lion in Book 1. The published page was created by rearranging the panels as shown below. The image area of Dorothy and crew are 8.75 x 7"; mixed media on 2-ply Bristol art board.
$2500
This is page 5 of the Graphic Novel with one of the first shots of Elphaba, albeit dropping down from a tree. The published page was created using the large image and adding two panels as shown below. The image area of Elphaba falling from a tree is 9 x 7.75"; mixed media on 2-ply Bristol art board.
$1750.00
To the right is Scott's vision of the Emerald City modeled after the Cologne Cathedral. This was used on page 120 of the graphic novel.
Mixed media over pencil on 11 x 17" Bristol
$1500.00
This is a full illustration that includes Elphaba, Glinda, and Boq walking along with huge crowds and incredible buildings. Scott felt that it may be the most involved illustration he has ever done and is the only time in the graphic novel that all of these characters are seen together.
The piece has an image area of 9“ x 11“ on a larger piece of standard 2-ply Bristol board.
$2500
Original Art for Sale
Panel Pages from the Graphic Novel
This is the original for page 42 of the Wicked Graphic Novel. Here, Glinda has learned that her new roommate is Elphaba and is appalled because the "Munchkinlander" is green.
Here, Hampton depicts a clear vision of what Shiz University would look like with ornate architecture and Elphaba walking down a flight of weathered stairs.
The original is rendered in mixed media over pencil on an 11 x 17" piece of 2-ply Bristol art board.
$2000
To the right is the original art for page 34 of the Wicked Graphic Novel with a wonderful opening panel of a train traveling through the Oz countryside. On this page, Glinda is traveling by train to Shiz University and meets the goat professor, Dr. Dillamond, a member of the faculty of Biological Arts. Dillamond is one of the last animal professors at Shiz University who often complains that animals are facing persecution and have their rights stripped away. Later, he will warn Elphaba about the rising dark forces that threaten the speaking animals of Oz, including himself.
The original is rendered in mixed media over pencil on an 11 x 17" piece of 2-ply Bristol art board.
$850
Sales and Shipping
Thanks for looking!
I am not currently set up to accept Credit Cards. Sorry. Hopefully soon
1. Sales are on a first come, first served basis.
2. Prices do not include shipping or insurance (if desired) and are added to the final price
3. Payment can be by check, money order, PayPal, or Zelle
4. The item(s) will be shipped, and tracking info sent to buyer once payment clears.
5. For questions or inquiries, contact info4wgn@gmail.com
Wicked: The Graphic Novel Original Art
Own a Piece of Wicked Artwork
about.
Wicked: The Graphic Novel Part 1, with art by Scott Hampton, will be released on March 11, 2024. Originals from the book will be available for sale on this site.
