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Zatanna #0

Zatanna: Everyday Magic

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Everyday Magic, a Zatanna Zatara's story.

51 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

11 people are currently reading
325 people want to read

About the author

Paul Dini

726 books715 followers
Paul 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

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5 stars
101 (25%)
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108 (26%)
3 stars
130 (32%)
2 stars
45 (11%)
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17 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Sam Quixote.
4,803 reviews13.4k followers
June 25, 2017
Everyday Magic is the most uninspired Zatanna comic ever. It’s Paul Dini on autopilot as he snoozes his way through a by-the-numbers story. Constantine’s hand is cursed so Zatanna battles a sorceress to fix him. Which she does effortlessly with no tension. The end. Wooow.

There’s a truncated version of Zatanna’s origin included if you haven’t read it before so if you have, like me, it only makes the comic that much more tedious to get through. Also, don’t expect the art inside to be like Brian Bolland’s cover because it’s not. Rick Mays’s kiddie manga-esque art did nothing for me, accompanying Dini’s boring script to make Everyday Magic even more forgettable!

I suppose this run-of-the-mill comic is aptly named: it is very everyday. Pointless, unentertaining rubbish - disappointing given that Dini’s usually a quality writer.
Profile Image for Molin.
762 reviews
December 1, 2021
Is this just me or the picture on the cover and contents are different? 🤔

Anyway, i'm so excited about her but this comic nothing much exciting me..
Profile Image for John Kirk.
438 reviews19 followers
February 15, 2012
This was a fun little story. Not particularly significant or memorable, but it's a cheerful way to pass the time; I particularly liked the scenes with the rabbit. The artwork does tend towards fanservice (e.g. when she's soaking wet in a white shirt) but it's not too graphic. It took several years for Paul Dini to get an ongoing Zatanna series, and I haven't read that yet, but I'll try it out.
Profile Image for Jen.
744 reviews58 followers
July 2, 2009
A light and frivolous romp into Zatanna's magical world. Constantine makes a typically "lucid" guest appearance, stirring more trouble for poor Zatanna to amend. Not Dini's best work, but you can't deny this is all bizarre fluff and entertainment!
Profile Image for Jim Smith.
388 reviews45 followers
August 30, 2021
2.5 stars. Excellent Brian Bolland cover that features my favourite image of Zatanna, but the interior comic strip is drawn by somebody else and the writing never rises above mediocrity.
Profile Image for Cybernex007.
2,001 reviews9 followers
May 14, 2025
This was a really solid Zatanna one shot. I am about to move into reading Dini’s Zatanna run, and figured this would be the best place to start, and that idea really paid off. With Zatanna on tour this story starts us off with John Constantine as he is feeling the hole left in the city of San Fran, and in his heart, now that Zatanna is no longer in it…even if it’s only temporary. This leads him to Club Bewitched where he meets one of Zatanna’s “friends” by the name of Nimue. She’s heard that John is a good friend to have when you have troubles and she could really use his help. And when does John ever say no to a beautiful woman.

Meanwhile we jump over to Zatanna during the middle of her magic tour. She can’t complain about much, other than making way less than other magicians with big names and cheap tricks, and the announcer continues to get her name wrong. But it’s closing night in the venue she is at, and her agent let him know that if he pronounces it wrong again…she will turn him into an armadillo. But it’s shoe time as always, and aside from the card tricks, water traps, and getting drilled, she ends the show by taking an audience member, locking them in a cabinet,then slashing the cabinet and using a spell to send them back to their seat in a very impressive manner. After the show she ends up meeting the announcer, Hal, who finally got her name right. And after realizing he is quite charming, Zatanna bends up spending the night with him…completely missing her flight in the process and having to use magic to get there. But this also left her with the ability to leave her number for Hal in the future.

It’s at this moment the issue takes a step back and introduced us to Zatanna through a zaney cartoon rabbit. Aside from her all powerful magic that she inherited from her mother and learned to use from her top tier magician of a father…she also has personal life issues like everyone else. Namely having a social and dating life, seems that every man she comes into contact with just wants to use her powers to their gain. As Zatanna wakes up from her dream recap, she scolds her rabbit for invading her dreams and we get to see Zatanna finally arrive home after the tour. She feels an odd feeling in the shadows outside her house, but brushed it off and went inside. She is ready for a bath and a long nap…but once she gets to her room she finds Constantine naked on her bed with the room completely trashed. She is reasonably pissed and kicks him out of bed and uses a few spells to clean up. She then proceeds to try and throw him out as he explains that he was the one that taught her the protection spell on her house…and also knows how to get past it. But he isn’t just there because he can be, he has a but if a problem…and that’s when John shows her the screaming mouth that has formed in the palm of his hand that is constantly screaming out for his master.

Turns out that Nimue Ravensong isn’t a friend of Zatanna and is a “parasite who perverts the very nature of magic.” She is also very good at seduction spells, which she used to lure John in at his lowest in order to bite him and plant the spell on him. As soon as it appeared on John the demon attached to it showed up to collect and John went running. Seems that was the shadowy feeling Zatanna felt outside. But she knows exactly what this is, Nimue is offering John up to a minor demon, known as a trader, for some kind of powerful object. So either John’s life is forfeit or Nimue gives up whatever magical device she bargained for.

Zatanna being as kind and awesome as she is, immediately gets up and uses a spell to put on her “ELTTAB” dress, which surmounts to jeans and a leather jacket. Nice. So while John stays back and resists the urge to cut his hand off, Zatanna storms the castle of Nimue. As she breaks down her door, Zatanna enters to find Nimue at her old trick of turning lovers into frogs…more than likely to sacrifice them for power in some way. But Zatanna is not here to play games and immediately sits Nimue down to talk and get her to give up. And Nimue seems surprisingly willing to. She immediately hands over the trinket, but as Zatanna inspects the object she is shocked to find Nimue hitting her with a completely different wand. Seems Nimue employed the magicians tool of misdirection and used the real magical device on Zatanna. Turns out she traded John for a needle carved from one of the demon’s bones, which lets her siphon and redirect the life force of whoever it stabs…and in this case Nimue just got a full helping of Zatanna’s raw power. And this has left Zatanna quite weakened.

Meanwhile, it seems that Hal has chosen the worst time to show up and try and see Zatanna at her house, as Constantine was fully waiting and willing to open the door and talk to the chap in nothing but his trench coat. And wow does he have a lot he can say about the exploits of Zatanna and those who get close to her.

Back at Nimue’s condo she is getting ready to stab Zatanna in the heart and take all of her power, but this is Zatanna we are dealing with. And a bit of misdirection of her own, and a silently spoken spell, and Nimue has now turned into a sloth! Here’s the deal, either give up the object and release John…or spend the rest of your life swinging for kids in the nearby zoo. Nimue graciously accepts these terms and speaks the spell to give up the object and release John. But she still isn’t going down that easy, and as Zatanna turned her back she immediately tried to pick another fight. But remember all those ex-lover frogs I mentioned earlier…well Zatanna has no problem turning them back…and as you can expect they are quite angry at Nimue.

With Nimue running for her life, Zatanna returns home to finish things with John. Only to be pleasantly surprising to see Hal, but things quickly devolve as Hal seems ready to leave ASAP. Seems he picked up one too many of John’s stories about Zatanna’s exes and doesn’t want any of that. And with a promise to see her again when she is back on tour, he is out the door. Zatanna is quite reasonably pissed at John, again, as he ruined her chances at a normal social life. But he brings up a great point, someone had to tell him and it didn’t seem like she wanted to. People can get hurt when they get close to the famous Zatanna and her magic, and he is not only looking out for them…but for her as well. Either way, she sends him on his way with the demon bone wand. All he has to do is hand it over and speak a proper spell to get this situation off his back.

And with that over Zatanna can now enjoy a nice bath…accept that brain of hers has to keep ticking and as she realizes she made a mistake. When Nimue released the spell she spoke it under her name “Nimue.” But that’s not her real name! And names have power, so she wouldn’t be able to use her real name to cast it or release it. Zatanna jumps out of the tub and puts on her work clothes and teleports over to a very confused Constantine as the demon continues to try and kill him instead of taking the wand. Zatanna is able to show up just in time to blast it away, then using her own magic she speaks on behalf of Mary Ann Hoyt (aka Nimue) to release the claim on the gift and release John. She then stabs the wand into the demons head, properly sending it away this time…with a bit of a residual “bad deal” energy left over to give Nimue a good hospitalizing blast.

As the issue comes to an end Zatanna sees John off at the airport and heads back to her normal life. It’s days of grocery/magic shopping, confusing the three cup Monty scammers, visiting Nimue in the hospital, and continuing to fail at maintaining a relationship. It doesn’t take long until the mistress of magic is back on the road. Her adventuring days may be over, but the stage will always call her back!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
607 reviews42 followers
September 4, 2020
That was exceptional!

Paul Dini is a really fun writer who can take simple concepts and give them a modernist punch that never ceases to engage you. Zatanna is a great character who I rarely ever know anything about. Books like this make me love her instantly.
The art is so damn goooood! The colors especially. The humor was likewise a lot more smile-worthy then I had previously anticipated.

This was also a solid 45-ish pages. I think all comics should be that length. It feels like an actual story rather than a bland and skimmed 22 page scene that they print nowadays. (Get off my LAWN)!

You wanna know why Zatanna seems so cool?
She actually goes to the doctor and visits the defeated antagonist! That is so damn charming- helped all the more by the fact it's probably the funniest gag in the whole comic. Once I was done smiling it really kinda tugged at me. A superhero who goes and visits the supervillain in the hospital. It's only one panel but it truly sold me on the compassion (and exhaustion) of the character.

In conclusion your honor!
...it's a lot uv fun
Profile Image for Sarah.
1,771 reviews114 followers
Read
July 31, 2011
Short and cute but fun story about magic, demons, John Constantine, and dating troubles. Not Paul Dini's greatest work, but a fun quick read.
Profile Image for Rizzie.
558 reviews6 followers
January 20, 2020
Zatanna doesn't have many solo comics, but almost all of them are written by Paul Dini. And for good reason. Dini is always a pleasure to read, and this is no exception. You can tell how close the character is to his heart. Despite this being a mature readers Vertigo book with swearing and nudity, it's actually a very lighthearted story. I think it's a great introduction to the character if you've never read her before. The only issue I had is that the art is really offputting when it came to certain characters' faces. Thankfully Zee herself looks fine, but Constantine and others have such strangely large noses and deep jaw protrusions. This was during that period when many American comic artists were inspired by manga, but they learned all the wrong lessons. It's not bad art at all though. in fact it's quite good for the most part, just off sometimes. I wouldn't complain if the rest of the book wasn't so flawless.
Profile Image for Hilary "Fox".
2,154 reviews68 followers
August 26, 2021
Everyday Magic isn't the most inspired Zatanna story out there, but then again it really doesn't need to be.

It's a sweet short story that sees Zatanna trying to balance her work with her life and discover what's truly important to her. When Constantine shows up in her bed unannounced trouble is naturally going to follow. The story sees Zatanna against Nimue in an entertaining, if not particularly exciting standoff. It also sees her coming to terms with the fact that her addiction to magic is, well, just that. Everyone needs excitement in their life.

I wasn't the craziest about the artwork here, but I did really enjoy the writing and characterization. So. Not the best story, but still nothing to turn your nose up at. It's Zee, and she's great. Who can complain?
Profile Image for Andy.
1,910 reviews
February 13, 2025
This was just okay. Maybe I was expecting too much but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed. I liked Zatanna and enjoyed her interactions with the other characters. The plot was okay but not very compelling. The art was lackluster but not totally awful. It sounds like I didn't like it at all but actually I did find it entertaining and plan on continuing. I will just manage my expectations better.
Profile Image for grabbaloot.
5 reviews
July 26, 2025
This was a really fun read. A short but sweet and silly one-shot that had a really cute ending. Love this mix of a romantic comedy and sorcery. Would love to see Zatanna get a show in the DCU. Something akin to what She-Hulk in the MCU was trying to do.

Ella Purnell as Zatanna??
Profile Image for brey.
8 reviews
October 19, 2020
when will paul dini give zatanna a solo run she deserves?
Profile Image for Matt.
118 reviews17 followers
August 20, 2022
It’s so nice to see Zatanna’s day to day life even if the art style is not my cup of tea.
Profile Image for rick.
26 reviews
October 30, 2023
Soundless fart of a story, weeb art doesn’t suit the characters whatsoever.
35 reviews
February 3, 2025
7,6/10

Haven't read much 'Zatanna'.
This looks like a good introduction to what her day-to-day problems would look like.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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