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Zatanna #2
Zatanna, Vol. 2: Shades of the Past
The latest volume in the series starring the Mistress of Magic. Everybody's got that one thing that just creeps them out beyond all reason. For Zatanna Zatara, it's "Creepy, horrible, soul-sucking puppets." But why is one of the most powerful sorcerers on Earth scared of little wooden men in cheap suits? Finding out is what's got Zee back in therapy... but she might not uncover the truth before the truth comes. Satanic sorcerer Brother Night lost his magical powers when Zatanna defeated him atop Mount Diablo. But in prison, he's forged a bloody pact that could make him the most dangerous nemesis she's ever faced! Last time, her friends barely escaped with their lives; this time, they might not be so lucky!
232 pages, Paperback
First published October 11, 2011
2 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
About the author
Paul Dini
727 books720 followersPaul Dini is an American television producer of animated cartoons. He is best known as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros./DC Comics series, including Star Wars: Ewoks, Tiny Toon Adventures, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, The New Batman/Superman Adventures, Batman Beyond and Duck Dodgers. He also developed and scripted Krypto the Superdog and contributed scripts to Animaniacs (he created Minerva Mink), Freakazoid, Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. After leaving Warner Bros. In early 2004, Dini went on to write and story edit the popular ABC adventure series Lost.
Paul Dini was born in New York City. He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in creative writing. (He also took zoology classes at Harvard University.)
During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects.
The episodes of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that were written by Dini have become favorites amongst the show's fans over the internet, although despite this as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series, Dini has made no secret of his distaste for Filmation and the He-Man concept. He also wrote an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series and contributed to various episodes of the Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the Empire.
In 1989, he was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures. Later, he moved onto Batman: The Animated Series, where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Batman Beyond. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers, until 2004.
He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was also the co-author (with Chip Kidd) of Batman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.
Dini has also written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an acclaimed oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross. (A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in late summer 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Superheroes.) Other books written by Dini for DC have featured his Batman Animated creation Harley Quinn as well as classic characters Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Zatanna.
Best known among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle, the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus. Dini also created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas. Perhaps his greatest character contribution is the introduction of Harley Quinn (along with designs by Bruce Timm) on Batman: The Animated Series.
In 2001 Dini made a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during the scene in which Jay and Silent Bob wear ridiculous looking costumes for a film being directed by Chris Rock, in which Dini says to them "you guys look pretty bad ass".
In 2006, Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics. That same year, he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary. In 2007, he was announced as the head writer of that company's weekly series, Countdown. Paul Dini is currently co-writing the script for the upcoming Gatchaman movie. Dini is also currently writing a series for Top Cow Productions, based in a character he created, Madame Mirage.
Paul Dini is an active cryptozoologist, hunter and wildlife photographer. On a 1985 trip to Tasmania, he had a possible sighting of a Thylacine. He has also encountered a number of venomous snakes, a Komodo Dragon and a charging Sumatran Rhi
Paul Dini was born in New York City. He attended the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California on an art scholarship. He attended Emerson College in Boston, where he earned a BFA degree in creative writing. (He also took zoology classes at Harvard University.)
During college, he began doing freelance animation scripts for Filmation, and a number of other studios. In 1984, he was hired to work for George Lucas on several of his animation projects.
The episodes of the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon that were written by Dini have become favorites amongst the show's fans over the internet, although despite this as well as contributing to interviews on the released box sets of the series, Dini has made no secret of his distaste for Filmation and the He-Man concept. He also wrote an episode of the Generation One Transformers cartoon series and contributed to various episodes of the Ewoks animated series, several of which included rare appearances from the Empire.
In 1989, he was hired at Warner Bros. Animation to work on Tiny Toon Adventures. Later, he moved onto Batman: The Animated Series, where he worked as a writer, producer and editor, later working on Batman Beyond. He continued working with WB animation, working on a number of internal projects, including Krypto the Superdog and Duck Dodgers, until 2004.
He has earned five Emmy awards for his animation work. In a related effort, Dini was also the co-author (with Chip Kidd) of Batman Animated, a 1998 non-fiction coffee table book about the animated Batman franchise.
Dini has also written several comics stories for DC Comics, including an acclaimed oversized graphic novel series illustrated by painter Alex Ross. (A hardcover collection of the Dini and Ross stories was published in late summer 2005 under the title The World's Greatest Superheroes.) Other books written by Dini for DC have featured his Batman Animated creation Harley Quinn as well as classic characters Superman, Batman, Captain Marvel and Zatanna.
Best known among Dini's original creations is Jingle Belle, the rebellious teen-age daughter of Santa Claus. Dini also created Sheriff Ida Red, the super-powered cowgirl star of a series of books set in Dini's mythical town of Mutant, Texas. Perhaps his greatest character contribution is the introduction of Harley Quinn (along with designs by Bruce Timm) on Batman: The Animated Series.
In 2001 Dini made a cameo appearance in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back during the scene in which Jay and Silent Bob wear ridiculous looking costumes for a film being directed by Chris Rock, in which Dini says to them "you guys look pretty bad ass".
In 2006, Dini became the writer for DC Comics' Detective Comics. That same year, he announced that he was writing a hardcover graphic novel starring Zatanna and Black Canary. In 2007, he was announced as the head writer of that company's weekly series, Countdown. Paul Dini is currently co-writing the script for the upcoming Gatchaman movie. Dini is also currently writing a series for Top Cow Productions, based in a character he created, Madame Mirage.
Paul Dini is an active cryptozoologist, hunter and wildlife photographer. On a 1985 trip to Tasmania, he had a possible sighting of a Thylacine. He has also encountered a number of venomous snakes, a Komodo Dragon and a charging Sumatran Rhi
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 16, 2014
Yarooh rof tenhsif sgnikcots!
This volume is about magic in the DC universe (i.e. Superman’s bitch). Paul Dini, one of the movers behind Batman: The Animated Series*, is the big contributor here. What you have is solid stripped down storytelling – no crossovers, no big events, no cameos by Batman. The Spectre, Detective Chimp (more Bobo, please!) and Dale Colton do make appearances.
Zatanna, a magician, is not a major player in the DC universe, but here she gets a worthy collection of stories. Her background is explored – she hates puppets, she threw up on Oscar the Grouch, she uses flash cards to memorize words backwards. ** A nice blend of workman-like art, humor, and action are a befitting tribute to a strong, well-developed and fascinating character.
Question: Was there ever a continuation of the Brother Night storyline?
*If you want a fairly coherent version of DC superhero comics, I would highly recommend checking these out (along with Superman, the JLA incarnations and Batman Beyond) on DVD. Sadly, DC did not take a cue from this for building their cinema world.
**She casts her spells by saying the words of the spell backwards. Example: Snug otni stibbar = Guns into rabbits! Also, see top of page.
This volume is about magic in the DC universe (i.e. Superman’s bitch). Paul Dini, one of the movers behind Batman: The Animated Series*, is the big contributor here. What you have is solid stripped down storytelling – no crossovers, no big events, no cameos by Batman. The Spectre, Detective Chimp (more Bobo, please!) and Dale Colton do make appearances.
Zatanna, a magician, is not a major player in the DC universe, but here she gets a worthy collection of stories. Her background is explored – she hates puppets, she threw up on Oscar the Grouch, she uses flash cards to memorize words backwards. ** A nice blend of workman-like art, humor, and action are a befitting tribute to a strong, well-developed and fascinating character.
Question: Was there ever a continuation of the Brother Night storyline?
*If you want a fairly coherent version of DC superhero comics, I would highly recommend checking these out (along with Superman, the JLA incarnations and Batman Beyond) on DVD. Sadly, DC did not take a cue from this for building their cinema world.
**She casts her spells by saying the words of the spell backwards. Example: Snug otni stibbar = Guns into rabbits! Also, see top of page.
July 19, 2017
m'I lla tuoba annataZ!
This was wonderful stuff, charming, refreshing, not overly burdened by the weight of backstory and mythology, at times outright hilarious, at times downright disturbing. That this character is not being tapped for a film or TV adaptation, or at least her own monthly series, is a real shame.
This was wonderful stuff, charming, refreshing, not overly burdened by the weight of backstory and mythology, at times outright hilarious, at times downright disturbing. That this character is not being tapped for a film or TV adaptation, or at least her own monthly series, is a real shame.
July 3, 2013
Dini has always written great Batman stuff, and Zatanna was one who showed up in a few of those. To read her in her own book is interesting, because she's always doing something different, and yet always battling evil, but still sometimes only on a minor scale. It is also nice to see her cosmic scale and how major she is (Interacting with The Spectre for one). Though there's no Batman appearance, that's OK. I would like to see more of Dale Colton and Brother Night...too bad this is the Second and Final Volume of Dini's series, and now she's been rebooted for New 52...but maybe we'll see something there?
June 28, 2014
These Zatanna graphic novels are great. I like the sense of whimsy and fun mixed with the intrinsic warning that magic can have an allure and be misused and abused by dark forces. While I am more afraid of clowns than puppets, I can completely see Zatanna's trepidation when it comes to puppets. And it turns out she has excellent reason for it. The story arc about the puppet was spooky in a good way, and it had plenty of twists to it.
Zatanna's stories go from humorous to very dark, and while Zatanna is a character with an inner light, she is very well equipped to handle even the worst magical bullies.
Unfortunately, this series got cancelled with the 52 reboot, so we don't get to see the conclusion of the Brother Night story. I hope that they come out with more Zatanna adventures outside of her work with the Justice League Dark. I really like her style.
Zatanna's stories go from humorous to very dark, and while Zatanna is a character with an inner light, she is very well equipped to handle even the worst magical bullies.
Unfortunately, this series got cancelled with the 52 reboot, so we don't get to see the conclusion of the Brother Night story. I hope that they come out with more Zatanna adventures outside of her work with the Justice League Dark. I really like her style.
November 4, 2011
I really felt that the book series took off after this story. Sadly, it appears that the company wide reboot killed this in its infancy.
September 19, 2016
Good! So this wasn't too bad! Unfortunately this is the last volume, as this series came out just before The New 52; so this collects the last 10 issues! This definitely wasn't a finale you'd expect, as it is very much just 5-6 short stories! Some stories were very good, and some were just okay, but overall I liked it! The Artwork also changed each story; the stand out being the 3-4 issues; Cliff Chiang (Who did the artwork for most of New 52 Wonder Woman) did; I really just like that kind of artwork! Some stand out issues; was this one issue, with an intense action scene; you'd expect to see in a batman comic! I don't think Paul Dini wrote all of them though, there were many teams working on this volume, which may throw some people off as like I said, there's no real main plot; just the random misadventures of Zatanna! But overall, a nice volume!
October 7, 2013
I loved this collection of stories. They really showcase what makes Zatanna one of my favorite characters: Her wit, playfulness and sass. Not to mention, her powers. As a writer, it seems only natural that I would love a heroine whose powers originate from her usage of words.
In one of these stories, we see a tween Zatanna, fresh from the orthodontist. She's sloshing her words so badly (not to mention, spraying everyone in range) that no one can understand her. While she's at the mall, a robbery occurs. Trying to live up to the example of her father, she pursues the crook but realizes that with the braces on her spells won't work. That's when she spies a "Speak 'n Spell" in an educational toy store. She snatches up the display model, types in a backwards spell and conjures a cage from her braces.
Another story pits Zatanna against a trashy hick with a nasty looking sword (with a fairy chained to it). Imbued with the fairy's energy, the sword is incredibly deadly and is able to cause a quick rewind in time. When Zatanna attempts to stop him, she learns that with this rewind ability, he is causing her backwards spells to go the other way, negating them completely. The solution: come up with palindrome spells. Pretty clever on the writer's part, I think.
Great stories. Read 'em!
In one of these stories, we see a tween Zatanna, fresh from the orthodontist. She's sloshing her words so badly (not to mention, spraying everyone in range) that no one can understand her. While she's at the mall, a robbery occurs. Trying to live up to the example of her father, she pursues the crook but realizes that with the braces on her spells won't work. That's when she spies a "Speak 'n Spell" in an educational toy store. She snatches up the display model, types in a backwards spell and conjures a cage from her braces.
Another story pits Zatanna against a trashy hick with a nasty looking sword (with a fairy chained to it). Imbued with the fairy's energy, the sword is incredibly deadly and is able to cause a quick rewind in time. When Zatanna attempts to stop him, she learns that with this rewind ability, he is causing her backwards spells to go the other way, negating them completely. The solution: come up with palindrome spells. Pretty clever on the writer's part, I think.
Great stories. Read 'em!
January 13, 2019
Paul Dini does an incredible job with this book, he makes me want to read more Zantana books.
December 3, 2021
I'm in love with Zatanna.
August 31, 2013
A fun read with a variety of stories. I love Zatanna.
August 17, 2025
oh Goatanna…..
December 29, 2025
2 Stars
what the helly
what the helly
August 31, 2013
Shades of the Past is the second trade paperback finishing off Paul Dini’s run on Zatanna, as well as the finale of the book before the big New 52 relaunch. Sadly, this was not one of the books to be relaunched either in neither the first wave nor any of the subsequent ones. It is quite a shame as well as she is a character with so much potential. Currently though you can find her in Justice League Dark for all new adventures.
I found this particular volume better than the first. There was more action in it which kept the story moving at a bit of a quicker pace and the stories themselves were more interesting. Also, it felt like Dini himself got a better handle on the character and was more comfortable writing her as the series progressed. Compared to the first volume which I looked at earlier, it was miles ahead better than the first. Not to say that the first one was terrible, but if I were to re-read them, I would definitely go for this one.
The best story dealt with a possessed marionette or more accurately a man transformed into one by Zatanna’s father Zatara. It was a good blend of story and action with just the right atmosphere to accompany it. It was fun, and creepy (talking dolls!) and it had Zatara – one of the best characters ever. It is not often we get to see Zatara in a comic and when it happens, it is usually pretty awesome. The other stories were good, but this one was the best by far. Good stuff all around.
Overall, it was a very solid ‘second’ chapter of the ongoing series. Again, it would have been nice to see where Mr. Dini would have taken us if the New 52 had never come along.
http://thetelltalemind.wordpress.com/...
I found this particular volume better than the first. There was more action in it which kept the story moving at a bit of a quicker pace and the stories themselves were more interesting. Also, it felt like Dini himself got a better handle on the character and was more comfortable writing her as the series progressed. Compared to the first volume which I looked at earlier, it was miles ahead better than the first. Not to say that the first one was terrible, but if I were to re-read them, I would definitely go for this one.
The best story dealt with a possessed marionette or more accurately a man transformed into one by Zatanna’s father Zatara. It was a good blend of story and action with just the right atmosphere to accompany it. It was fun, and creepy (talking dolls!) and it had Zatara – one of the best characters ever. It is not often we get to see Zatara in a comic and when it happens, it is usually pretty awesome. The other stories were good, but this one was the best by far. Good stuff all around.
Overall, it was a very solid ‘second’ chapter of the ongoing series. Again, it would have been nice to see where Mr. Dini would have taken us if the New 52 had never come along.
http://thetelltalemind.wordpress.com/...
August 22, 2015
This collection gets three stars, mainly for the art, which is pretty consistently good throughout, although there are a good number of different artists. Stylistically, they look similar, so it's not too disjointed from issue to issue.
The stories, however, are all over the place. Regular scribe Paul Dini only pens about half of these tales, and although he sets up a good number of subplots, none of them are resolved before the book's cancellation at issue #16. Most of these stories are one and dones, and although none of them are bad, it's evident that many were fill-ins and that Dini must have left the book all of a sudden.
Zatanna's characterization is the same, so the various writers were able to stay on point for that. These stories, though, seem to be a way to highlight Zatanna's cunning way to use her magic, and her place in the mystical DCU. It's very unfortunate that the Spectre story wasn't completed. The banter between Zatanna and the Spectre was interesting, and the promise of a future battle between the two would have been epic. Alas, not to be.
So this is a mixed bag. If you really like the character like I do, it's nice to see these full length stories, but if you're not a huge fan, you're not going to get a lot out of this.
The stories, however, are all over the place. Regular scribe Paul Dini only pens about half of these tales, and although he sets up a good number of subplots, none of them are resolved before the book's cancellation at issue #16. Most of these stories are one and dones, and although none of them are bad, it's evident that many were fill-ins and that Dini must have left the book all of a sudden.
Zatanna's characterization is the same, so the various writers were able to stay on point for that. These stories, though, seem to be a way to highlight Zatanna's cunning way to use her magic, and her place in the mystical DCU. It's very unfortunate that the Spectre story wasn't completed. The banter between Zatanna and the Spectre was interesting, and the promise of a future battle between the two would have been epic. Alas, not to be.
So this is a mixed bag. If you really like the character like I do, it's nice to see these full length stories, but if you're not a huge fan, you're not going to get a lot out of this.
November 29, 2022
Shame this got cancelled because of the reboot, Zatanna's misadventures were super fun to read.
March 29, 2013
Holy crap what a good read!
This is the exact opposite of everything I don't like about trade paperbacks:
It's a collection of (very clever or scary or funny) standalone stories, not a giant epic mess of retcon madness which is just a smaller part of a larger retcon madness.
The art is beautiful and consistent on every page, there's only one chapter that has more than one penciller.
A working knowledge of DC magic characters from the past helps the reader, but is not mandatory.
I would like to say no loose strings, but Brother Night pops up in the background, leading you to think he'll be there for the finish. He doesn't, but it doesn't take away from the enjoyability of the book.
It occurred to me about half-way through why I was enjoying this book as much as I was. It was like the 70s all over again and I was reading - not, not reading - getting sucked into a DC 100 Page Super-Spetacular.
This is the exact opposite of everything I don't like about trade paperbacks:
It's a collection of (very clever or scary or funny) standalone stories, not a giant epic mess of retcon madness which is just a smaller part of a larger retcon madness.
The art is beautiful and consistent on every page, there's only one chapter that has more than one penciller.
A working knowledge of DC magic characters from the past helps the reader, but is not mandatory.
I would like to say no loose strings, but Brother Night pops up in the background, leading you to think he'll be there for the finish. He doesn't, but it doesn't take away from the enjoyability of the book.
It occurred to me about half-way through why I was enjoying this book as much as I was. It was like the 70s all over again and I was reading - not, not reading - getting sucked into a DC 100 Page Super-Spetacular.
August 9, 2014
Good mix of stories in here ranging from awesome to annoying... quite a mix. However, overall not bad. I like Zatanna, I just would've liked some better writing I think. Something about the dialogue just wan't clicking for me. What I really wanna find now is some interactions between Batman and Zatanna because I remember I liked their friendship from Justice League Unlimited (the TV show) so hopefully that is represented in the comics too. Notice how I stress FRIENDSHIP not ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP. Really hate that prospect. Ugh *shivers*
August 18, 2017
It would have gotten five stars but it had witches being burnt at the stake in Salem. Research is not that hard writers.
Aside from that I liked it a lot. Great art, interesting storylines and I want to read more about her.
Aside from that I liked it a lot. Great art, interesting storylines and I want to read more about her.
March 10, 2023
I said in my review of the first volume that many of the people I follow thought the second volume was way better, and I am happy to say that I, too, found that to be the case.
Stories in the first volume felt rushed, with barely anything at stake, even when supposedly notorious villains were involved. On the contrary, volume two's stories feature the most mundane of bad guys but introduce way more entertaining plots.
Fear of Puppets (#8 - #11) is no doubt the best. The plot stands on its own (like any story in such a series should IMO) and uses returning characters from previous issues, characters from Zatanna's universe, and one tiny element from Identity Crisis, striking the perfect balance to keep most readers engaged.
Fear of Puppets also happened to have the best writer/artist pair in the series, written by Paul Dini, carrying on from the first volume, and drawn by Cliff Chiang/Jamal Igle, both new to me and quite talented.
The few remaining issues are a mixed bag of one-shots by different writers/artists, which I would guess were made about the time the New 52 reboot was announced (leading to a few abrupt cancellations that included this series).
The single issue by Paul Dini (#13) covers Brother Night's escape from prison (events from volume 1), which, though a fine issue, carries no significance given the continuity's termination.
Issues (#14-16) are brief magical adventures with nothing particularly memorable but are good for passing the time. A special mention, however, goes to issue #12 for being the worst, silliest issue in the entire series. One where Zatanna encounters a villain that can reverse her lines, breaking their magical effect until she gets around his spell using palindromes. My God, the shitty lines and terrible puns!
Regardless, though the stories in the series varied greatly, and despite its cancelation, I would still recommend picking up the few good ones and reading them in isolation to any fan of the character.
Stories in the first volume felt rushed, with barely anything at stake, even when supposedly notorious villains were involved. On the contrary, volume two's stories feature the most mundane of bad guys but introduce way more entertaining plots.
Fear of Puppets (#8 - #11) is no doubt the best. The plot stands on its own (like any story in such a series should IMO) and uses returning characters from previous issues, characters from Zatanna's universe, and one tiny element from Identity Crisis, striking the perfect balance to keep most readers engaged.
Fear of Puppets also happened to have the best writer/artist pair in the series, written by Paul Dini, carrying on from the first volume, and drawn by Cliff Chiang/Jamal Igle, both new to me and quite talented.
The few remaining issues are a mixed bag of one-shots by different writers/artists, which I would guess were made about the time the New 52 reboot was announced (leading to a few abrupt cancellations that included this series).
The single issue by Paul Dini (#13) covers Brother Night's escape from prison (events from volume 1), which, though a fine issue, carries no significance given the continuity's termination.
Issues (#14-16) are brief magical adventures with nothing particularly memorable but are good for passing the time. A special mention, however, goes to issue #12 for being the worst, silliest issue in the entire series. One where Zatanna encounters a villain that can reverse her lines, breaking their magical effect until she gets around his spell using palindromes. My God, the shitty lines and terrible puns!
Regardless, though the stories in the series varied greatly, and despite its cancelation, I would still recommend picking up the few good ones and reading them in isolation to any fan of the character.
September 30, 2022
If only some of Paul Dini's weirdness hadn't popped up a few times. You're telling me he thinks Zatanna, queen of suit jackets and bowties, would tell a friend she can't wear a suit and pants to a formal event and make her change into a dress because "she's a girl" ?? He also had Zatanna, queen of rocking a corset and fishnets, do quite a bit of shaming other girls by their outfits and that is just not who she is!
Zatanna needs another series and it needs to be written by a woman! Loved what Lilah Sturges did with her and the palindromes in this!
Zatanna needs another series and it needs to be written by a woman! Loved what Lilah Sturges did with her and the palindromes in this!
August 11, 2021
Good light fun. I didn't think Paul Dini's main baddie Brother Night was ever that interesting, so I'm not bothered the line got canned before that could get resolved, but I wish the run lasted longer as Zatanna is more compelling than the average superhero.
April 30, 2025
Continuing stories of Zatanna's life in San Francisco balancing her career performing magic, and battling the forces of evil, oh, and also her selfish, womanizing younger cousin, who's also a magician.
September 20, 2025
let her rest for a day hasn't she been through enough
March 18, 2016
This book was all over the place. Adam Beechen started off this book as the writer for issue #7. That's a standalone issue that is about Zatanna helping out a museum of magical artifacts that is about to open. Beechen returns for a backup story in issue #9 that is about the day Zatanna got braces as a teenager. He then comes back for issues #14 & #16. The first of those two issues about Zatanna and her cousin Zachary and him just doing whatever comes to mind & not paying attention to jis surroundings. Issue #16, which is the last issue of the series because DC comics was resetting their universe with the New 52 branding, is about a kid from Limbo Town, the home of Klarion the Witch Boy, showing up at Zatanna's house wanting to study magic under her. All of these issues feel like filler material. Issue #7 was just something to bridge the gap between the story that ended in issue #6 and the new one that started in issue #8. Writer Paul Dini had a story set to pit Zatanna vs the Spectre and keep Brother Night as a major nemesis in the series, but when DC decided to reboot their line of comics, Dini either quit or the DC editors told him he wouldn't have enough time to finish his story and it was just dropped. I've seen promo material telling what was going to be in issue #14 and it never happened because there was only going to be 2 more issues after that. The braces story is the best thing Beechen wrote, but it isn't as good as anything in volume 1 of this series. His writing gets 3 stars.
Paul Dini writes issues #8-11 and #13. As mentioned before, he looked like he a clear idea of what he was going to do in this series and that involved both the Spectre and Brother Night. Spectre makes one appearance and disappears when Dini was. The 4 consecutive issues Dini wrote were about a marionette that is alive. While I don't think this is anywhere near one of the best comics stories that I've ever read, it was the best arc in this series. I was really intrigued when the Spectre showed up in the series and was looking forward to that confrontation. It is too bad that it never happened. I liked where Dini was going and wish he could have at least wrapped the book up instead of having other people come in to do some throwaway issues to end the series. His writing gets 4 stars.
Matthew Sturges created the story for issue #12. This was definitely a filler issue. It's about a guy with fairy trapped and leashed to him that uses the fairy's power to make time run backwards with a flick of his sword in order to break the spell that Zatanna just cast. Since Zatanna's powers are utilized by speaking backwards, when he runs time backwards, it makes Zatanna speak her spell the way normal people talk. It was an interesting story for a filler, but too much of that could have been a bad thing. Glad they kept that story to a single issue. Sturges gets 4 stars for creativity in writing this.
Derek Fridolfs writes issue #15. This is about some witch hunters trying to kill Zee. This issue was right there with Beechen's writing as some of the worst in the series. He gets 3 stars. Averaging the scores out for all 10 issues, I ended up with a 3.6 star writing score.
This book has as many artists as it does writers. Chad Hardin draws issue #7. Cliff Chiang draws issues #8-10. Jamal Igle draws the backup story in issue #9, draws issue #11, and comes back for issues #13-15. Stephanie Roux draws issue #12. Travis Moore pencils the 2nd half of issue #14 for Igle. Finally, Victor Ibanez wraps up the series with pencils on issue #16. Igle and Moore have a style that is so similar I would not have known 2 different people drew issue #14 if it had not been written on one of the pages in the credits. They have the best art in the series. Zatanna looks great in their issues. I give them 4.5 stars. Hardin gets 4 stars like he did in volume 1. Cliff Chiang has a style that is too cartoonish looking for me. I'm not really a fan of his, but I have seen worse art. Stephanie Roux's art is right there with Chiang's in the cartoonish look. I give them both 3 stars for their issues. Victor Ibanez has some art that looks great and other panels that don't. I hate inconsistency in my comic art. He gets 3 stars. The overall art score is 3.3 stars after I averaged it all out.
The 3.6 star writing score and 3.3 star art score end up giving the book a 3.45 star overall score. I rounded that down to 3 stars for Goodreads.com. I wanted to love this series since Zatanna is one of my favorite DC characters, but the reboot definitely hurt this one. It isn't terrible, but it could have been so much better. It just needed a full time creative staff and enough time to finish what Paul Dini had started. I'd only recommend this to the most diehard Zatanna fans. Everyone else pick up something else. There are way better comics out there.
Paul Dini writes issues #8-11 and #13. As mentioned before, he looked like he a clear idea of what he was going to do in this series and that involved both the Spectre and Brother Night. Spectre makes one appearance and disappears when Dini was. The 4 consecutive issues Dini wrote were about a marionette that is alive. While I don't think this is anywhere near one of the best comics stories that I've ever read, it was the best arc in this series. I was really intrigued when the Spectre showed up in the series and was looking forward to that confrontation. It is too bad that it never happened. I liked where Dini was going and wish he could have at least wrapped the book up instead of having other people come in to do some throwaway issues to end the series. His writing gets 4 stars.
Matthew Sturges created the story for issue #12. This was definitely a filler issue. It's about a guy with fairy trapped and leashed to him that uses the fairy's power to make time run backwards with a flick of his sword in order to break the spell that Zatanna just cast. Since Zatanna's powers are utilized by speaking backwards, when he runs time backwards, it makes Zatanna speak her spell the way normal people talk. It was an interesting story for a filler, but too much of that could have been a bad thing. Glad they kept that story to a single issue. Sturges gets 4 stars for creativity in writing this.
Derek Fridolfs writes issue #15. This is about some witch hunters trying to kill Zee. This issue was right there with Beechen's writing as some of the worst in the series. He gets 3 stars. Averaging the scores out for all 10 issues, I ended up with a 3.6 star writing score.
This book has as many artists as it does writers. Chad Hardin draws issue #7. Cliff Chiang draws issues #8-10. Jamal Igle draws the backup story in issue #9, draws issue #11, and comes back for issues #13-15. Stephanie Roux draws issue #12. Travis Moore pencils the 2nd half of issue #14 for Igle. Finally, Victor Ibanez wraps up the series with pencils on issue #16. Igle and Moore have a style that is so similar I would not have known 2 different people drew issue #14 if it had not been written on one of the pages in the credits. They have the best art in the series. Zatanna looks great in their issues. I give them 4.5 stars. Hardin gets 4 stars like he did in volume 1. Cliff Chiang has a style that is too cartoonish looking for me. I'm not really a fan of his, but I have seen worse art. Stephanie Roux's art is right there with Chiang's in the cartoonish look. I give them both 3 stars for their issues. Victor Ibanez has some art that looks great and other panels that don't. I hate inconsistency in my comic art. He gets 3 stars. The overall art score is 3.3 stars after I averaged it all out.
The 3.6 star writing score and 3.3 star art score end up giving the book a 3.45 star overall score. I rounded that down to 3 stars for Goodreads.com. I wanted to love this series since Zatanna is one of my favorite DC characters, but the reboot definitely hurt this one. It isn't terrible, but it could have been so much better. It just needed a full time creative staff and enough time to finish what Paul Dini had started. I'd only recommend this to the most diehard Zatanna fans. Everyone else pick up something else. There are way better comics out there.
August 19, 2015
Whimsical, fun and a fairly unique tone!
I know of Zatanna, mostly from her JLD and when she's on some team or another, but this was my first series that she's the titular character and while I did enjoy the last arc, I found it to be a bit on the surface level and I wanted something deeper (especially in the characters department), man oh man did I get my wish.
World: There are a couple of artists this time around as there are a lot of one and dones (which I love) but the main artist is Cliff Chiang. His art is amazing and I've enjoyed it since New52 Wonder Woman, that's why I was so surprised when she drew 3 issues of Zatanna. He is perfect for the series, different and stylish yeah it just works. The world building around this time is great, superb and deep, all the things I wanted from arc 1. There is a lot of not only world building but history both in the world but also the characters, also a lot of world building was put into setting up the Night storyline which alas will not come to anything.
Story: Wonderful. A hope bunch of one and dones that all focus on Zatanna as a character this is just great. We learn a lot of Zatanna and her world while at the same time bringing consequences and setting up for a bigger picture in the DCU. The pacing is wonderful as they are fast one issue punches along with a 3 issue arc which is the best of the series. The dialog is snappy making for a fun read. However, because of the New52 reboot, this was one of the series that suffered. There is no end to the series and the things that were set up for (mainly the Night storyline) are never given a chance to be dealt with, and when the New52 launched Zee was once again put back into a role on a team without her own book...boooo.
Characters: The best part of this arc. We learn so much about Zee and her world, we get a huge dose of personality and personal voice, this is what I was waiting for. This is the arc where you grow attached to her as a character (especially the braces story) and man I wish this series would continue.
A great arc that finally creates a lot of momentum for the series, however because of the New52 reboot we never get to see where Dini and crew were going to take Zee. Shame, I hope that eventually DC will give a series once again as I find her fun and very different from other DC books.
Onward to the next book!
I know of Zatanna, mostly from her JLD and when she's on some team or another, but this was my first series that she's the titular character and while I did enjoy the last arc, I found it to be a bit on the surface level and I wanted something deeper (especially in the characters department), man oh man did I get my wish.
World: There are a couple of artists this time around as there are a lot of one and dones (which I love) but the main artist is Cliff Chiang. His art is amazing and I've enjoyed it since New52 Wonder Woman, that's why I was so surprised when she drew 3 issues of Zatanna. He is perfect for the series, different and stylish yeah it just works. The world building around this time is great, superb and deep, all the things I wanted from arc 1. There is a lot of not only world building but history both in the world but also the characters, also a lot of world building was put into setting up the Night storyline which alas will not come to anything.
Story: Wonderful. A hope bunch of one and dones that all focus on Zatanna as a character this is just great. We learn a lot of Zatanna and her world while at the same time bringing consequences and setting up for a bigger picture in the DCU. The pacing is wonderful as they are fast one issue punches along with a 3 issue arc which is the best of the series. The dialog is snappy making for a fun read. However, because of the New52 reboot, this was one of the series that suffered. There is no end to the series and the things that were set up for (mainly the Night storyline) are never given a chance to be dealt with, and when the New52 launched Zee was once again put back into a role on a team without her own book...boooo.
Characters: The best part of this arc. We learn so much about Zee and her world, we get a huge dose of personality and personal voice, this is what I was waiting for. This is the arc where you grow attached to her as a character (especially the braces story) and man I wish this series would continue.
A great arc that finally creates a lot of momentum for the series, however because of the New52 reboot we never get to see where Dini and crew were going to take Zee. Shame, I hope that eventually DC will give a series once again as I find her fun and very different from other DC books.
Onward to the next book!
November 15, 2013
Zatanna is one of those puzzling DC second-tier stalwarts who a) should be first-tier (she was in the goddamn Justice League) and b) frankly doesn't get the amount of attention the character deserves. Let's think about it this way: Zatanna is a homo magi, a branch of humanity who are freaking genetically magical!? You got me there. But, Zatanna is also a buxom, sassy stage musician who, with her top hat and fishnet stockings and utter disregard for pants, is top contender for best superhero costume ever. So, a hot, leggy sorceress who speaks her spells backwards and diddles around with the likes of Batman? I mean, c'mon, who lays Batman? Zatanna lays Batman.
What I'm trying to say is this character has a lot of fun potential that has a rich history and innate groundswell of popularity amongst the youth for the simple fact that she's a kickass witch-babe who battles evil puppets and modern-day Salemites trying to burn her at the stake. This fares way better than all the stupid Harry Pooter fan fiction you could shake a stick at. So why doesn't she have her own title/movie/at least a role in Guillermo Del Toro's Justice League Dark, a group of which she is a tight-pantsed member?
Inconceivable!
Anyway, this is a good comic. Zatanna got her own book, had it up until the stupid New 52 happened. It's a lot of fun--lotta humor, magical crap, and Zatanna daydreams about threesomes with hunky Hollywood people. If you don't like it you can go suna nwo ruoy llems!
What I'm trying to say is this character has a lot of fun potential that has a rich history and innate groundswell of popularity amongst the youth for the simple fact that she's a kickass witch-babe who battles evil puppets and modern-day Salemites trying to burn her at the stake. This fares way better than all the stupid Harry Pooter fan fiction you could shake a stick at. So why doesn't she have her own title/movie/at least a role in Guillermo Del Toro's Justice League Dark, a group of which she is a tight-pantsed member?
Inconceivable!
Anyway, this is a good comic. Zatanna got her own book, had it up until the stupid New 52 happened. It's a lot of fun--lotta humor, magical crap, and Zatanna daydreams about threesomes with hunky Hollywood people. If you don't like it you can go suna nwo ruoy llems!
February 22, 2015
This is my first time reading a Zatanna (I couldn't find a copy of Mistress of Magic) comic and I was more than impressed. Dini writes her realistically, with a personality that had me grinning or chuckling at a lot of the things she says. She's cool and powerful, but also relatable and spunky. She takes her work seriously but also has fun, and even though you know she's a "good" character, you never feel like she's TOO good (eg. laughing at Mikey's comment about them "both scoring tonight"). Even though Mikey isn't shown very often, what's seen of the relationship between her and Zatanna makes Zatanna even more likable (and Mikey too). Zatanna is pretty much the perfect character here. I believe she's even topped my list of favourite DC characters because of how well she's written by Dini.
As for the art, the issue covers are really nice - especially the ones by Adam Hughes. The art for the issues was fine, though not the best. In Cliff Chiang's issues, I wouldn't be able to tell Zatanna from his version of Wonder Woman (New 52) without their costumes, but hey, she still looks good (and WW doesn't make an appearance so *shrugs*).
As for the art, the issue covers are really nice - especially the ones by Adam Hughes. The art for the issues was fine, though not the best. In Cliff Chiang's issues, I wouldn't be able to tell Zatanna from his version of Wonder Woman (New 52) without their costumes, but hey, she still looks good (and WW doesn't make an appearance so *shrugs*).
January 9, 2016
Unfortunately the series ended with a ton of plots up in the air. Brother Night running around again. Some weird demon boy from Limbo Town. Zachary, the cousin who keeps almost dying. Etc. I assume those plot holes just got left up in the air because the series got cancelled, instead of just bad writing.
Some of the stories in this collection were interesting. Unfortunately almost none of them had conclusions. And some ended oddly. Like Zatanna was fighting this puppet guy. Next issue, he's human again and Zatanna is a puppet. Shortly thereafter . . . . Zatanna as a puppet was a dream. But then . . . that means the puppet guy story-line never actually ended. It just turned to mist. There was this magical explosion and . . . next issue Zatanna was a puppet, as I've said, and puppet guy was human again. Was the whole thing a dream? That seems highly unlikely. So . . . ended oddly.
Some of the stories in this collection were interesting. Unfortunately almost none of them had conclusions. And some ended oddly. Like Zatanna was fighting this puppet guy. Next issue, he's human again and Zatanna is a puppet. Shortly thereafter . . . . Zatanna as a puppet was a dream. But then . . . that means the puppet guy story-line never actually ended. It just turned to mist. There was this magical explosion and . . . next issue Zatanna was a puppet, as I've said, and puppet guy was human again. Was the whole thing a dream? That seems highly unlikely. So . . . ended oddly.
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