So I read the book Wicked a while ago after seeing the musical, and the musical was kind of campy compared to the novel, which covers more graphic subject matter and darker issues with very dry wit.

Basically, musical Elphaba (the eponymous “Wicked” witch) is an idealistic, magically gifted, activist with a mean unlucky streak who embraces the label “Wicked” even though it’s not really true. Novel Elphaba is a blunt intellectual, and an activist. At her worst, she’s an angst ridden, withdrawn, misanthrope who also seems to suffer from a similar case of chronic bad luck. In addition to this, it is implied that novel Elphaba might be a hermaphrodite, which isn’t a character flaw, but rather a factor that further adds to her tragic social alienation and hidden insecurities. Both are cool examples of protagonists, but novel Elphaba makes the musical Elphaba look watered down for more conventional audiences. In the end, it’s up to personal preference, but I enjoyed the book much more than the musical. It should also be noted that the plots share similarities, but are ultimately quite different, so it’s not a waste to check them both out.

Also, in case you didn’t notice, I did a painting of how I imagined book Elphaba’s appearance around her university years.  

- Tom