Mystik U

Mystik U #1-3

by Alisa Kwitney, Mike Norton (Illustrator)

Leave the world of the mundane behind and step through the magical school doors of Mystik U!

After a tragic accident, a young Zatanna Zatara, under the guidance of Rose Psychic, enrolls in a mysterious university that teaches the mystical beings of the DCU how to master their unique brands of magic. Will Zatanna fit in with her new classmates (including the Enchantress, Sargon the Sorcerer, Faust and more!) and unlock her true potential?

From novelist Alisa Kwitney (DESTINY) and Mike Norton (Revival, Runaways) comes an exciting new series! Collects issues #1-6.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels Comics, Young Adult, Superheroes

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2018

About the author

I'm the author of YA, graphic novels and novels for adults who still feel young, at least most of the time. Recent works include GILT, a graphic novel about time-traveling women of a certain age; Cadaver & Queen, a YA Feminist Frankenstein meets Grey's Anatomy tale, and Mystik U from DC Comics, which features Zatanna and other magical characters in their first year at college. I also co-host a Sandman podcast, The Endless, with Lani Diane Rich.

My first novel, Till the Fat Lady Sings, is also about college and romance and eating disorders. (It was my thesis at Columbia University's MFA Program, where I felt like an outlier for liking comic books and romance as much as literature.) I was an editor at Vertigo, the mature/dark fantasy branch of DC Comics, before going freelance. (I've also written two hormonal werewolf books as Alisa Sheckley.)

I live near the Vanderbilt Estate in Hyde Park, NY, with two dogs and a frightening number of books.

aka Alisa Sheckley

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I'm a big fan of DC's magic users even if there isn't a ton of stuff out there.
And maybe because there isn't a ton of stuff out there, I'm not 100% familiar with all of the characters' origins in Mystik U. I think I've read a fair amount of Zatanna comics for a woman in her 40's but, even so, I'm certainly not claiming to be an expert on anything about the lovely backwards speaking lady in fishnets and a top hat.<--didn't matter, I still enjoyed it.



Do to some magical time-traveling shenanigans, because of some vague end-of-the-world type fight with a cackling (yet unidentified) villain, Zatanna and the rest of the characters are reset to their younger selves by a powerful mage in a last-ditch attempt at a redo for the whole debacle.
OMG. Let the teen drama begin!



It's cute. Not amazing or earth-shattering, but cute. I'm not sure I would run around shoving this at random readers, but I think those of us who like the magical side of DC will get a kick out of it.



Like I said, I wasn't sure who all of these guys are, so it was a lot of fun getting to know some of them while the background mystery played itself out. If nothing else, it made me extremely curious about who some of these new (to me) characters were.



With only 3 issues, you aren't exactly being asked to invest a lot of time in this one, but it actually didn't feel too rushed. For what it was, it was pretty decent.



dednemmoceR rof snaf fo kitsyM CD! <--couldn't resist

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harry Potter meets the DCU. A mystical big bad has killed most of the mystical characters in the DCU so Zatanna and Dr. Occult revert time 7 years to when Zatanna went to mystical college. DC tries to have it both ways, being wishy-washy on if this is in continuity or not. From that point on it's the younger mystical characters of the DCU being taught by the older ones. Kudos to DC for dragging out some of their obscure characters like Plop! and Cain and Abel. This was actually a lot of fun and Mike Norton's art is spot on perfect. In the background, the teachers are trying to determine just who is going to turn evil. The last issue feels very rushed as they try and resolve that plotline before the end of the book. All in all, this was a pleasant surprise.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

"This school was founded 300 years ago to support students as they develop and learn how to use their powers responsibly . . . " -- Dr. Rose Psychic, president of Mystik University

Mystik U sort of feels like it was a practice run for the recent DC Ink series - which thus far has spotlighted Catwoman, Raven, Mera, etc. - with younger or teen versions of established female characters experiencing some real-life issues or problems along with the usual super-heroics. In this volume, we follow a college-age Zatanna (much like Black Canary, she is always a welcome presence for me at DC) as she is chosen to attend a specialized school that trains young adults to properly control / wield their magical or dark arts abilities. Z quickly makes friends with and is accompanied by an eclectic group of fellow 'MU' students - including her eventual Justice League Dark teammate Enchantress and also broody Sebastian Faust, son of long-time JLA villain Felix - on a series of low-key adventures that also occasionally poke fun at college customs. It may not be a 'must-read,' but it has its quiet charms (Zatanna gets to have a particularly romantic and perfectly-timed kiss) and there's even a Steve McQueen reference . . . which might be lost on anyone under the age of 30.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

DC doesn't seem willing to commit as to whether Mystik U is in continuity or not. But, let's hope for the latter, because the idea that most of DC's young mystics went to magic school together, tutored by DC's older magicians ... it's just way too cute to be part of the world's real story.

But, it's a great premise for a little limited series, and this volume makes fun use of it. Zatanna, Sargon, Faust, Enchantress, and a few newcomers all get great characterization, great interactions, and have fun hijinks in a classroom setting. It's at least as good as Gotham Academy, but with a cool cast of mystics instead.

The plotline that "one of these characters is a traitor" also gives everything strong immediacy, even if the solution to that is obvious from the start. Finally, the resolution is very nicely handled, creating the possibility for more stories in the future (and it's likely to be the thing to most encourage DC writers to bring this story into continuity).

Overall, a fun romp.

[Des Fox · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yikes this was bad. I was digging the art, and holding out for some creative surprises, but this is truly just a poorly paced mess of nonsense. The pacing is ludicrous, with characters full of utterly unbelievable interactions with their world. Nobody steps out of their nine-word archetype, and Zatanna is completely miscast as a helpless, pushy, weak-willed sap. The whole plot feels like nonsense with constant cliffhangers and swerves for swerve sake. It feels like not even the author knew how the series was going to conclude until the last minute. I don't feel like anyone except for Pia (I guess???) had a satisfying arc, and it certainly didn't help that the Dr. Occult/Psychic relationship was never laid out for newcomers.

This book is just dripping with the worst sort of magical fantasy plotholes, and as much as I wanted to enjoy "DC magic characters in school" I could not get over how poorly put together this story was. But hey, if you're a Zatanna fan, you really don't have many other choices.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this "Zatanna Goes to (Undergrad) Hogwarts" personally, I thought the writing had some zip to it and I liked how the cast of supporting characters were well fleshed out.



I sseug ti t'ndid lles llew hguone ot hsinif eht loohcs raey. Gard.

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Surprising and unexpected.

World: The art is fantastic, I loved Revival and this is Revival art. The world building here is also fun and choked full of fun easter eggs. I love the world, it’s fun, it’s fresh for DC and using Zatanna as our eyes into this world is fun. I know some are judging this as a Harry Potter rip off but there has been so much of that on the market for a while, this is just par for the course. Also, I may like to add that there have been saying that Rowling took Timothy Hunter from Books of Magic and changed him into Harry Potter so tit for tat I guess but the similarities are scary between those two characters (Hunter came first!).

Story: A very slice of life type of book and is slow and methodical compared to other DC magic books. There are no huge battles, there are some, but most of the time it’s about interactions between characters and discovery of a new and interesting world that is DC and Magic University (done to death manga and literature setting…not original to Rowling). The characters are fun, their interactions charming and interesting. I feel that the pacing was off a bit and I think that following the year by year approach that Harry Potter did is smart, but the 150 page count made the story a bit too compact for it’s own good. There was a lack of urgency in regards to Zatanna and her father and the story overall felt choppy because of the limited page count. If there was say 3 more issues there could have been a more solid overarching story and many more interesting and deeper dives that are characters, a splash of Giant Days would have made this book fantastic.

Characters: Zatanna is a good choice as the point of view for this book. She’s a fun character and playing with her younger years outside of continuity is fun. I like the interactions between her Pia, June and the rest of the gang it’s a fun mix of characters and reminds me of Giant Days and even DC’s own Superhero Girls. Add to that slice of life is a genre I love in Manga and I wish there were more of in Western comics and this attempt to meld the two and have characters that are slowly built up through dialog and interaction is fantastic. I liked the character work it’s solid, a couple of more issues would have made them even better.

I am surprised, I don’t understand the hate and the rating for this series cause if you can’t get behind a book like this because of the supposed ‘stealing’ of Harry Potter then get over yourself as Rowling took so much from literature that her work is just not as original as people think it is, sure she built a wonderful world (which I love to bits) but the lego pieces were not original just the same. I’m looking forward to more of this, but I don’t know if this is going to happen.

Onward to the next book!

*read individual issues*

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I liked Plop the best, which should tell you something.

[Jeremy DeBottis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This missed for me, and it was so disappointing that it did. I wanted to like this so much. Sadly the story was sort of cliche, and the worst part was how I felt like Zatanna was poorly written.
I understand that she is supposed to be a teenager here, but I didn’t like how a good deal of her characterization had to do with her having a crush on a guy. I think that happens to her as a character a lot, and it’s annoying.
The art is good, and the other characters are fun with a lot of little treats for people who have enjoyed the magical side of DC through the years. I guess I was simply hoping for a story where she doesn’t ride away with her arms wrapped around a guy on a motorcycle.

[Alex Sarll]

Essentially a DCU Hogwarts, complete with the obligatory 'are you sure they should be in a teaching environment?' characters (if you liked Snape, you'll love Mr E as Dean of Students!). Kwitney's introduction, despite its ostensible efforts to frame the series' long gestation as a fun, collegiate time which enabled it to be the best it could be, in fact confirms the general impression that DC has for some time now been a state of absolute chaos, with constant second-guessing, editorial revisions to their own revisions, briefs endlessly shifting, and departments not knowing what they're doing themselves, never mind what anybody else is. But while it's tempting to wonder what earlier versions would have been like, the one which was actually published is set within a time bubble created by the last magic-users as the terrible Malevolence destroyed them all, enabling them to have more time to prepare. Which also means that Zatanna has been de-aged and is one of the students, when you'd naturally expect her to be one of the teachers, especially given the rest of the faculty are established DC mystic characters (from Merlin to Rose Psychic), while most of the rest of the lead kids are legacy characters, descendants of various often-villainous wizards. This also means that yes, even within the palimpsest that is current DC continuity, this is yet another mini-revision, because there's nothing like constantly upending your timeline to make sure readers stay invested and feel the stories are meaningful. On the upside, I suppose without that excuse it wouldn't really be plausible to have characters like Cain & Abel, or the Three Witches, wandering around campus, and they are quite entertaining, although inevitably massively underused given the series' brief life. Instead, the main plot follows the kids trying to get along, fit in and such, as school stories will tend to – so basically a slightly aged-up version of the recently concluded Gotham Academy, except that there's also a 'which of the kids will become the Malevolence' subplot running, so it also feels like it's ripping off Avengers Academy. There are some fun bits and bobs along the way (the idea of a magically animated life-form derived from the physical and emotional gunk in a college's drains is horrifically brilliant), but overall, when it's been produced in such a mess of an environment, it's little wonder if it can't help but be a mess, any potential it had squandered in a rushed and generic denouement.

And now, of course, though I'd begun it before the news broke, it's the first Didio-era DC I've read since DC did for Didio. Which can't help but cement my feeling that, much as when Levitz left, what comes next will probably be even worse but all the same, good riddance.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A magical cataclysm in the present/future of the DC Comics magic multiverse leads to an intentional cosmic re-write of reality, in which the mages of that mythos are now students, teachers, and administrators of a mystic university. I was skeptical about the premise, but it's actually pretty entertaining, and allows for some new character development of Zatanna, the Enchantress, and a few other comics characters who could use some updating for modern times. A fun read it you don't over-analyze it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent outing for Zatanna but not her best.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a college-age version of Gotham Academy, Mystik U is fun, colorful, and filled with characters worth following. The cover and summary make it seem like Zatanna is the center of attention, but I'd hesitate to say that's true. In actuality, Mystik U follows a handful of freshman at a university for the magically inclined, as well as some of the university's support staff. The narrative hops around a lot, mostly focusing on character interactions and a few low-key Animal House-adjacent storylines. Small elements seem primed to pay off in the concluding battle against the Malevolence, but that aspect of the plot is actually the weakest element, resulting in a blah ending. But the characters and Mike Norton's art are great, making Mystik U well worth a read even if the ending isn't superpowered.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was like a 3.5 for me. I really liked the artwork and the characters were all pretty good. The supporting characters were way more interesting than Zatanna. I'm not convinced that Zatanna has an actual personality. Also, the stories just didn't grab me. I feel like I should have liked this more than I actually do. Hopefully the next issues will be better.

[Terence · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest weakness of this story is that Zatanna, the main protagonist, too often comes across as the "damsel in distress" who has to be rescued by her (usually male) friends.

On the plus side, not being well versed in this cast of DC characters, I never felt lost, though I probably would have gotten more out of it were I better read.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a blast with this one. Lots of magical characters from the DC Universe shown in different ways. Felt very much like a Harry Potter kind of story but had an interesting plot that worked a lot. Pacing was a little slow at times, but the characterization was good.

It's a fun read for anyone who likes Zatanna and would like a view into their mystical world.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

The faux Constantine of it all (no idea if Sebastian Faust is even a "real" character??") was amusing to me, but I liked this as a concept. Wish there was more.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not usually a great follower of DC Young Adult imprint...but I did enjoy this.
the story did meander a bit..but the characters were fun and crisp art work seemed to fit.

[Lucille · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup aimé !! Un côté de l'univers DC plus magique qui m'a beaucoup plus. Surtout c'est ici une école de magie (ok ma trope favorite on le sait tous) et les amis de Zatanna et elles-même sont super à suivre !

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5* I liked the school setting and how it focused a lot on the friendship between the group of students. However it was a bit short and the Malevolence never really felt as powerful and scary as it should have. I think the whole thing was just a bit too short the set evetything up and have a satisfying pay-off.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLOP IS SO CUTE 😭😭😭 I loved this a lot!! Would've loved more world building and slice-of-life content because magic school in the DC universe?? Would be amazing to know more about it. But for what it is, I liked it a lot

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book on the last day of March to squeeze in one last book for my monthly wrap up. I was disappointed there wasn't more to this series, but I had a great time with it. The characters were diverse, the art was wonderful, and it was cool to see magic in a university setting. I've always liked Zatanna from the Justice League series and it was fun to see her interact with people her own age that exhibited supernatural powers. I was having a great time with this cast of characters and I was sad to see it end. I highly recommend this series and I hope to read more about Zatanna's adventures!

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
Kwitney takes an interesting premise of DCU Hogwarts and turns it into a Twilight-inspired garbage fire.

Mystik U has a cast that's diverse and brimming with story potential and largely ignores them in favor of Zatanna and Sebastian Faust, the campus celebutantes. These two, with decades of lore and characters development behind them, have been reduced to the age-old romantic cliches of the "special" girl capable only of helpless tears and and the sensitive bad boy who rebuffs her "for her own good". It attempts to reframe Zatanna as a magical Jane Eyre, but the result is pure Bella Swan.

Reader, I vomited.

[Shell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5
1. I need a plop spin off
2. Zatanna's characterisation was a bit disappointing
3. The romance was cliche and not needed
4. Buut I am a sucker for stories set in boarding schools
5. Needed more Enchantress also.

[Eric · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crammed, cluttered, confused, this book has ten plots and none of them get any real focus or attention. Mike Norton's skilled line work is lost in a mess of half-formed characters and fan service mixed with a stale commentary on college/dorm life.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Solid story. But in a year I'll be asking myself if I read this. Nothing memorable about it though.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm hoping for a book two, because this was a pretty good setup but I'm really interested in getting more depth out of the characters.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. Love Zatanna but this one was not for me.

[Brunò · Rating 3 out of 5]

English/Spanish review:

Well, I'm not really versed about the Vertigo/magical side of DC stories so I hoped this would bring some light into the topic.

There's a big bad evil who has killed every magic user so Dr. Occult and Zatanna reverse time to change history before it happens. They characters end up as younger magic users are taught by older ones on a magical university. I think the set-up on a university is pretty fun with all that teenage drama and Harry Potter + DC mix-up, I'm not a fan of the how the why ended up working.



The big reveal ended up as underwhelming. Not only because three issues is so short for a standalone mistery to work out but since I barely knew anything about the characters and it didn't work that much to me (although it might be my fault for not knowing much).

I honestly ended up caring more about the teen drama than the actual main storyline. And I wanted more! Three issues is so little again. There's some pretty unknown characters on this series and I really did like how they interact with each other. I really hope Plop shows up again somewhere. Sebastian did really feel and look like he's Cyclops + Rogue, even the hair's the same. Not a fan of that.

The art was really on point. This is usually the kind of art that makes me want to read a book.



I guess I'll have to read more Vertigo. There's so much potential to this! I hope there'll be more.

Español:

Bueno, no estoy muy versado en el lado mágico/Vértigo de las historias de DC, así que esperaba que esto arrojara algo de luz sobre el tema.

Hay un gran mal que ha matado a todos los usuarios de magia, por lo que Dr. Occult y Zatanna invierten el tiempo para cambiar la historia antes de que suceda. Los personajes terminan como usuarios de magia más jóvenes a los que les enseñan los mayores en una universidad mágica. Creo que la configuración de una universidad es bastante divertida con todo ese drama adolescente y la mezcla entre Harry Potter y DC, no soy fanático de cómo el por qué de la situación terminó funcionando.



La gran revelación terminó siendo decepcionante. No solo porque tres números son tan cortos para resolver un misterio independiente, sino que apenas sabía nada sobre los personajes y no funcionó mucho para mí (aunque podría ser mi culpa por no sabiendo mucho).

Honestamente, terminé preocupándome más por el drama adolescente que por la historia principal real. ¡Y quería más! Tres números es tan poco de nuevo. Hay algunos personajes bastante desconocidos en esta serie y realmente me gustó cómo interactúan entre sí. Realmente espero que Plop aparezca de nuevo en alguna parte. Sebastian no me gustó tanto porque es literalmente Cyclops + Rogue. Incluso el pelo es igual, no muy fan de eso.

El arte estaba realmente en punto. Este suele ser el tipo de arte que me hace querer leer un libro.



Supongo que tendré que leer más Vértigo. ¡Hay tanto potencial en esto! Espero que haya más del estilo.

[Joe Bogue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystik U explores themes common to teenage coming of age stories but it does so through the lens of the DC Universe's magical characters. It is a deep dive into the DCU's magical community and there were many characters that I, even as a long time reader, did not recognize. However, the reader doesn't need to know who any of the characters are to get wrapped up in the story. The storyline follows several college freshman who are attending a mystic academy in order to learn how to control their magical abilities. Along the way the characters learn about themselves and share many humorous and touching moments.

The story features an intense opening and ending connected by a character driven narrative. This narrative starts from Zatanna's perspective and then expands to include the other main characters. Kwitney's dialogue really helps ground the story, even as other worldly events begin to unfold. Each character has a unique voice and their words are very believably written. These are supernatural characters who sound like normal humans. Considering that most dialogue in comic books is over the top and dramatic, this realistic language helped make all the characters even more relatable.

My biggest complaint with Mystik U is that some story elements are not explained very well. The biggest example of this being, its never really explained how the prologue fits with the ending. The timeline of events between the prologue and body of the story is also not laid out in the clearest way. This graphic novel was written to appeal to younger readers than myself, so maybe I'm just focusing on the wrong things. Yet I would have found the story much more satisfying if these moments were connected by a more solid through-line.

I really enjoyed the art in this book. The design of some of the characters is really creative. Seeing some of these mystical characters dressed as hipsters, instead of their traditional costumes, was hysterical. Every page also features unique panel layouts. This makes the story feel very dynamic, even during the dialogue heavy scenes. Norton does a great job capturing the character's emotions and highlighting the small moments they share with one another. I also liked Norton's choice of color palette. The colors he uses give this graphic novel a very youthful feel that perfectly matches the tone of the dialogue.

Despite my complaints about certain story elements, Mystik U is a very cool graphic novel. I love that it features strong female characters and is geared toward a younger audience. One of my biggest complaints about the mainstream comic book industry is that most titles are written to appeal to old white men. Yes, this demographic buys a lot of comic books, but comics now enjoy a very diverse readership. Its great to see that DC is beginning to tell stories that appeal to this wider audience. Its a trend I'm looking forward to seeing continue in the years to come. A trend started by Mystik U.