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Zatanna #1
Zatanna, Vol. 1: The Mistress of Magic
Magic and police procedurals collide in San Francisco in this new series starring a DC Universe favorite: Zatanna.
Zatanna has long made her home in San Francisco, but right under her nose a sinister threat has developed: a crime boss who dominates the criminal underworld with dark magic. The terrifying Brother Night is making his play for the City by the Bay, and the police force–including hunky detective Dale Colton–turn to Zee for help. But Brother Night is a whole new kind of criminal, and if Zatanna thinks she can backwards-talk him down, then she's in over her top-hatted head! Superstar writer Paul Dini (BATMAN: MAD LOVE) is paired with the gorgeous art of Stephane Roux.
Zatanna has long made her home in San Francisco, but right under her nose a sinister threat has developed: a crime boss who dominates the criminal underworld with dark magic. The terrifying Brother Night is making his play for the City by the Bay, and the police force–including hunky detective Dale Colton–turn to Zee for help. But Brother Night is a whole new kind of criminal, and if Zatanna thinks she can backwards-talk him down, then she's in over her top-hatted head! Superstar writer Paul Dini (BATMAN: MAD LOVE) is paired with the gorgeous art of Stephane Roux.
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2011
9 people are currently reading
835 people want to read
About the author
Paul Dini
726 books717 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 67 reviews
June 16, 2015
It’s back to the past from the future in order to get to the present* as Jeff once again reads comic volumes out of their intended order.
In my defense, the library didn’t even have this one listed in their catalogue, it just magically (ha!) appeared on their shelves.
It’s volume one of Paul Dini’s run on Zatanna, DC’s Mistress of Magic, one of my favorite characters! So how does volume one stack up against volume two.
For starters, there’s more pandering fanboy art and less charm and those little quirky character moments that Dini incorporated into Volume 2. That said, this one includes two solid tales: one featuring Dale Colton and serial killer turned demon, Brother Night. Creepiest villain sidekick ever: A little kid named Teddy, who has a box full of giant bugs. “Hey mister, one to take a look at my box!” And before you can say, “Go away kid, you bother me”, you're bug chow. Aw shucks!
The second story involves the Demon of Avarice, a huge red devil with tasseled sweaty man-boobs. Here Zatanna teams up with her cousin and novice magician, Zachary.
When Zatanna casts a spell, she says the words backwards (eg. Nailliv daeh edolpxe), which can be challenging reading, but if you can overcome this minor inconvenience, I would wholeheartedly recommend this series.
Sadly the only spell not included in either volume was:
Rewop lrig kcub dekan!
*I have no idea what the hell that means either.
In my defense, the library didn’t even have this one listed in their catalogue, it just magically (ha!) appeared on their shelves.
It’s volume one of Paul Dini’s run on Zatanna, DC’s Mistress of Magic, one of my favorite characters! So how does volume one stack up against volume two.
For starters, there’s more pandering fanboy art and less charm and those little quirky character moments that Dini incorporated into Volume 2. That said, this one includes two solid tales: one featuring Dale Colton and serial killer turned demon, Brother Night. Creepiest villain sidekick ever: A little kid named Teddy, who has a box full of giant bugs. “Hey mister, one to take a look at my box!” And before you can say, “Go away kid, you bother me”, you're bug chow. Aw shucks!
The second story involves the Demon of Avarice, a huge red devil with tasseled sweaty man-boobs. Here Zatanna teams up with her cousin and novice magician, Zachary.
When Zatanna casts a spell, she says the words backwards (eg. Nailliv daeh edolpxe), which can be challenging reading, but if you can overcome this minor inconvenience, I would wholeheartedly recommend this series.
Sadly the only spell not included in either volume was:
Rewop lrig kcub dekan!
*I have no idea what the hell that means either.
November 3, 2016
World-famous stage magician and Justice League member Zatanna faces Brother Night, Fuseli the Nightmare, the ghost of her pop Zatara, and a demon lord from hell, Mammon, in The Mistress of Magic. Mage on!
I love Paul Dini but wasn’t impressed with this less than magical Zatanna book. Every issue is a villain of the week with Zatanna going up against whoever, “struggling” briefly before beating them with backwards-talking magic. It never feels like she’s really challenged and the stories play out too formulaically to be remotely engaging. Also, reading words backwards - how Zatanna casts her spells - is yllaer, yllaer gniyonna!
Stephane Roux and Chad Hardin’s art is fine, as is Zatanna’s characterisation - Dini knows how to write her perfectly, probably because his wife is her real-world equivalent! - but the stories in The Mistress of Magic failed to entertain. Very rote and unremarkable comics - gnitnioppasid ffuts, luaP iniD!
I love Paul Dini but wasn’t impressed with this less than magical Zatanna book. Every issue is a villain of the week with Zatanna going up against whoever, “struggling” briefly before beating them with backwards-talking magic. It never feels like she’s really challenged and the stories play out too formulaically to be remotely engaging. Also, reading words backwards - how Zatanna casts her spells - is yllaer, yllaer gniyonna!
Stephane Roux and Chad Hardin’s art is fine, as is Zatanna’s characterisation - Dini knows how to write her perfectly, probably because his wife is her real-world equivalent! - but the stories in The Mistress of Magic failed to entertain. Very rote and unremarkable comics - gnitnioppasid ffuts, luaP iniD!
May 11, 2015
Bullet Review:
I actually rather liked this. The first story is better - Zach, the whiney cousin was obnoxious and BLECH in the second - buy both were much better than I expect. Something with magic could have been oh so cheesy and goofy, but I thought Dini and crew did well.
I actually rather liked this. The first story is better - Zach, the whiney cousin was obnoxious and BLECH in the second - buy both were much better than I expect. Something with magic could have been oh so cheesy and goofy, but I thought Dini and crew did well.
August 24, 2016
Pretty decent! So I've been interested in Zatanna recently, so I thought i'd read up a little on her! This volume can be split right down the middle, into two stories. First one has what I guess is a Zatanna Villain, called Brother Night; hes this mob boss in hell, who wants to come into Vegas, and claim territory over other gangs; well okay! At the same time, a detective helps Zatanna on this case, and oddly enough he looks exactly, like Bigby from Fables, and Zatanna looks like Snow, when shes not wearing her usual outfit, CONCIDENCE???? I liked the first story, and Brother Night is a good villain, and he's always smiling amd has scars, so he kinds reminds me of the joker! The Second story is about some Demon lord who wants Zatanna's soul, its not too exciting; I still liked it, but not as much as the first story! It was also interesting to see Zatanna operate, and to see how she deals dishes out justice! Overall a nice read!
August 7, 2013
How odd, I really liked the 2nd Volume of this series, yet this was just boring and lame. Maybe it took that long to get into writing it well, but that's odd since Paul Dini is usually reliable. However I just couldn't get over that everything was a simple matter of she can use spells for everything, all she has to do is figure out how not to get gagged. Also a little overly sexual in the imagery department, plus not enough good supporting characters/no Batman appearances.
Not really all that interesting: Skip it.
Not really all that interesting: Skip it.
June 3, 2022
I would say this is a good introduction to Zatanna. As someone who has never come across the character, I would say this I learned a good chunk of Zatanna’s abilities, background and characterisation.
The art is absolutely gorgeous– the colours, panels etc. really emphasis that fantastical/magical element of this graphic novel together.
I’m excited to continue on with her story!
3 stars.
The art is absolutely gorgeous– the colours, panels etc. really emphasis that fantastical/magical element of this graphic novel together.
I’m excited to continue on with her story!
3 stars.
March 16, 2016
I love the character Zatanna and had been wanting to read this for a while. I'm not sure whether I've ever read anything by Paul Dini before, but I've definitely heard the name and I know who he is. This volume collects the first 6 issues of Zatanna and it has 2 different story arcs that last 3 issues each.
In the first story Dini creates a new villain called Brother Night that is both a ganster and mystically powered being. He made a deal with some demons that granted him mystical powers in order to serve them on Earth. He already has the magic side of the criminal element in San Francisco under his thumb, but now he wants control of the human criminal organizations as well. After brother night and his flunkies kill some major players in San Francisco's organized crime families, a policeman working the case calls Zatanna in. Vixen, Black Canary, and Zatara, who is Zatanna's father, all make appearances. I thought this was a little bit better of a story than the second arc.
In that next arc, Zatanna is set to perform at new hotel in Las Vegas for a week. When she first arrives, she runs into the Royal Flush gang. After capturing them, she returns the money they stole to the owner of the hotel where she is to perform. They have a conversation about the hotel owner's father had once employed Zatanna's dad and there is some flirting going on. Zatanna goes to get some sleep, but her cousin Zachary has thrown a party in her hotel room. After that, some demons show up. The story was ok but seemed a little silly in places. Between the 2 stories, I give Paul Dini 3.5 stars for his writing.
The series is drawn by Stephanie Roux for the first story arc. Her art is inconsistent. Zatanna will look great in a close-up in one panel, but have a different shaped nose in the next. The mouth of the main character looks different in certain panels too. Roux at her best in really good, but unfortunately, she doesn't keep that quality of work throughout. Her art is nicely detailed and has nice scenery in both the fore and backgrounds. The demon Fuseli looks the best of all the characters. I give her art 3 stars. If all the art looked like her best panels, it would've gotten 4 stars, but the uneven quality of the art hurt her score.
The first 2 issues of the 2nd arc are drawn by Chad Hardin. His Zatanna looks a little better than Roux's and she looks that good throughout his 2 issues. I really liked his version of the Royal Flush gang too. He matched them to the Rat Pack impersonators you'd see in Vegas. I loved the 3 female demons he drew. I love both forms they take. The environment also has lots of detail as do the clothing in his art. The final issue is drawn by Jesus Saiz. His art is consistent, but not as good of quality as Hardin's art. It's not even as good as Roux's art when she is at her best, but it is better than Roux's worst art. Combining Hardin's and Saiz's scores their art ends up getting 4 stars. That 4 star score averaged with Roux's 3 star score gives the book a 3.5 star overall art score.
Art and writing both receiving 3.5 star scores make this one easy to average. The book gets a 3.5 star total score. That is just a little south of the average rating for this site. I guess, since I'm such a huge fan of Zatanna, I was expecting a little bit more from this book. If both the art and writing had been just a tiny bit better, I'd end up owning my own copy of this series, but as is, I'm glad I finally read, but I won't be seeking it out to buy.
In the first story Dini creates a new villain called Brother Night that is both a ganster and mystically powered being. He made a deal with some demons that granted him mystical powers in order to serve them on Earth. He already has the magic side of the criminal element in San Francisco under his thumb, but now he wants control of the human criminal organizations as well. After brother night and his flunkies kill some major players in San Francisco's organized crime families, a policeman working the case calls Zatanna in. Vixen, Black Canary, and Zatara, who is Zatanna's father, all make appearances. I thought this was a little bit better of a story than the second arc.
In that next arc, Zatanna is set to perform at new hotel in Las Vegas for a week. When she first arrives, she runs into the Royal Flush gang. After capturing them, she returns the money they stole to the owner of the hotel where she is to perform. They have a conversation about the hotel owner's father had once employed Zatanna's dad and there is some flirting going on. Zatanna goes to get some sleep, but her cousin Zachary has thrown a party in her hotel room. After that, some demons show up. The story was ok but seemed a little silly in places. Between the 2 stories, I give Paul Dini 3.5 stars for his writing.
The series is drawn by Stephanie Roux for the first story arc. Her art is inconsistent. Zatanna will look great in a close-up in one panel, but have a different shaped nose in the next. The mouth of the main character looks different in certain panels too. Roux at her best in really good, but unfortunately, she doesn't keep that quality of work throughout. Her art is nicely detailed and has nice scenery in both the fore and backgrounds. The demon Fuseli looks the best of all the characters. I give her art 3 stars. If all the art looked like her best panels, it would've gotten 4 stars, but the uneven quality of the art hurt her score.
The first 2 issues of the 2nd arc are drawn by Chad Hardin. His Zatanna looks a little better than Roux's and she looks that good throughout his 2 issues. I really liked his version of the Royal Flush gang too. He matched them to the Rat Pack impersonators you'd see in Vegas. I loved the 3 female demons he drew. I love both forms they take. The environment also has lots of detail as do the clothing in his art. The final issue is drawn by Jesus Saiz. His art is consistent, but not as good of quality as Hardin's art. It's not even as good as Roux's art when she is at her best, but it is better than Roux's worst art. Combining Hardin's and Saiz's scores their art ends up getting 4 stars. That 4 star score averaged with Roux's 3 star score gives the book a 3.5 star overall art score.
Art and writing both receiving 3.5 star scores make this one easy to average. The book gets a 3.5 star total score. That is just a little south of the average rating for this site. I guess, since I'm such a huge fan of Zatanna, I was expecting a little bit more from this book. If both the art and writing had been just a tiny bit better, I'd end up owning my own copy of this series, but as is, I'm glad I finally read, but I won't be seeking it out to buy.
May 28, 2014
My first review got sucked into the Review Twilight Zone, so here we go again.
Zatanna is an interesting mix of showmanship, jocular affability and incredible magical aptitude. Her costume is a shirtwaist and tails, with a top hat, and she brandishes a magical wand. Her enemies tend to underestimate her abilities, big time. She's more than capable of taking on the practitioners of the darkest of magics, as evidenced in the story arcs of this book.
This book was an improbably successful mix of a light-hearted vibe and kooky magic tricks and a glimpse into the world in which sorcerers practice dark arts and demons trade power for souls. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. I think it's because Zatanna successfully straddles that line of fun-loving, cheerful stage magician and truly talented wizard who uses her skills to protect humans from the world of evil sorcery that she is familiar with through past battles and a heartbreaking loss.
I am watching "Young Justice" on Netflix (fantastic show, by the way!), and Zatanna was on an episode I watched today, and it was serendipity that I had read this around the same time. I think she's a cool character with a skillset that is distinctive compared to some of the more famous DC Comics heroes. I found Justice League Dark at my library, where she teams with other sorcerers and wizards to combat dark magic, and I'm looking forward to reading more Zatanna graphic novel content.
I'd recommend this to readers who aren't too squeamish about sorcery and magical content. One of the baddies is really, really bad, and some folks die in terrible ways due to evil magic, so not for the faint of heart.
Zatanna is an interesting mix of showmanship, jocular affability and incredible magical aptitude. Her costume is a shirtwaist and tails, with a top hat, and she brandishes a magical wand. Her enemies tend to underestimate her abilities, big time. She's more than capable of taking on the practitioners of the darkest of magics, as evidenced in the story arcs of this book.
This book was an improbably successful mix of a light-hearted vibe and kooky magic tricks and a glimpse into the world in which sorcerers practice dark arts and demons trade power for souls. It shouldn't have worked, but it did. I think it's because Zatanna successfully straddles that line of fun-loving, cheerful stage magician and truly talented wizard who uses her skills to protect humans from the world of evil sorcery that she is familiar with through past battles and a heartbreaking loss.
I am watching "Young Justice" on Netflix (fantastic show, by the way!), and Zatanna was on an episode I watched today, and it was serendipity that I had read this around the same time. I think she's a cool character with a skillset that is distinctive compared to some of the more famous DC Comics heroes. I found Justice League Dark at my library, where she teams with other sorcerers and wizards to combat dark magic, and I'm looking forward to reading more Zatanna graphic novel content.
I'd recommend this to readers who aren't too squeamish about sorcery and magical content. One of the baddies is really, really bad, and some folks die in terrible ways due to evil magic, so not for the faint of heart.
July 31, 2011
When I was just making my way into the early teen years of my life, Batman: The Animated Series was on the air. And I couldn't get enough of it. Being a comic book super geek, i would watch it after school because I never did my homework, never studied and still pulled A's across the board. I couldn't wait to watch more and more and more. Reruns, episodes I'd seen 10 times already. It didn't matter. And that's because of the writing. The writing was brilliant. Thanks to Paul Dini.
And now, with the Matt Wagner Madame Xanadu book cancelled, I had to find somewhere to turn. I needed a smart book with a strong female lead, deceptively simple art, and magic. What do I find but Paul Dini, childhood hero and fabulous DC writer taking on one of my pubescent fantasies (I like stockings and top hats) in the form of a solo Zatanna book.
It's not a blockbuster in the way that books like Superman. It isn't as dark as Batman. But it isn't as slow as Green Arrow or as confusing as any of The Flash books. What it has is smarts. It's a whip-smart book with punchy dialogue, an awkward but strong female lead, and great art. And these days most people want flashy blockbuster books with crossovers and deaths and resurrections and the big league power hitters. But here in Zatanna you get quirky, sometimes whimsical, solid storytelling and great, uncomplicated art that is, as I said, deceptively simplistic.
And now, with the Matt Wagner Madame Xanadu book cancelled, I had to find somewhere to turn. I needed a smart book with a strong female lead, deceptively simple art, and magic. What do I find but Paul Dini, childhood hero and fabulous DC writer taking on one of my pubescent fantasies (I like stockings and top hats) in the form of a solo Zatanna book.
It's not a blockbuster in the way that books like Superman. It isn't as dark as Batman. But it isn't as slow as Green Arrow or as confusing as any of The Flash books. What it has is smarts. It's a whip-smart book with punchy dialogue, an awkward but strong female lead, and great art. And these days most people want flashy blockbuster books with crossovers and deaths and resurrections and the big league power hitters. But here in Zatanna you get quirky, sometimes whimsical, solid storytelling and great, uncomplicated art that is, as I said, deceptively simplistic.
April 22, 2019
If you enjoy magic and a bit of horror thrown in, you will love this volume of Zatanna. It is an incredible collection, which I read through the DC Universe app. This book has people who want to stay alive at all costs, demons, monsters, and even some wonderful side characters. If you enjoy reading comic books, this is one you should check out to see if you enjoy Zatanna and her magic ways.
December 2, 2021
This is what i'm talking about. Interesting introduction of new characters. Zatanna was sassy i like it.
November 28, 2025
i loved this so much!! zatanna is such an interesting character, im so excited to read the rest of this series
August 17, 2015
Paul Dini?! Yes please!
I will be honest I read this simply because it was written by Paul Dini and the issues were on sale at Comixology. I like Zatanna, well I like her when she shows up in JL and JLD and Young Justice, I've never really read any of her other books but I knew enough to know what I was getting into, so how was Dini's take on her?
World: I will first say that the art is nice, the covers are gorgeous and the splash pages in the dream realm are beautiful. However, I found that the coloring to be a bit bland and on the boring side, I think more color and shading would have made the book pop. The world building here is minimal, a lot of things are assumed known to the reader and a lot of the side characters, locations and even how magic works in the world is also not explained. This is ok for me cause I know enough of her from reading Justice League Dark and other books, but I can imagine a new reader scratching their heads. It's not terrible as Dini knows how to tell a story and there is just enough world building to serve his story, just a minor gripe.
Story: There are actually 2 tales here in the 6 issues and I must say they feel very cartoony. What I mean is they are paced very much like a 3 episode arc and it reads wonderfully. In this day and age when most writers write for the trade it's nice to have these shorter tales, fast, fun and direct. The writing is paced well, the dialog is smooth, the style and tone is light and very Zatanna. I did however see that with the shortened storylines charactere development is on the lighter side, I'm not saying it's not there, but just lighter. I liked the stories, they were not super creative or memorable, but they were fun and very well executed.
Characters: Fun characters, Zatanna of course gets the bulk of development and story but Zach and others also get a sizable chunk. They are fun characters to read, but because of the time constraints of the books there was not really any deep character development. The side characters were merely there to support the story. Add to that because the world building was very light, a lot of the characters that inhabit Zee's world do not really get a lot of explanation or introduction, they are just there, unless they need to serve the story. This is the book's weakest area. After 6 issues I don't really know much about Zee and her personality is fairly basic and surface. Shame.
I liked the book, it was a fun read, but ultimately not something memorable and something I will reread. Zee has a lightness to her character that I think is sometimes missing in the DCU.
Onward to the next book!
I will be honest I read this simply because it was written by Paul Dini and the issues were on sale at Comixology. I like Zatanna, well I like her when she shows up in JL and JLD and Young Justice, I've never really read any of her other books but I knew enough to know what I was getting into, so how was Dini's take on her?
World: I will first say that the art is nice, the covers are gorgeous and the splash pages in the dream realm are beautiful. However, I found that the coloring to be a bit bland and on the boring side, I think more color and shading would have made the book pop. The world building here is minimal, a lot of things are assumed known to the reader and a lot of the side characters, locations and even how magic works in the world is also not explained. This is ok for me cause I know enough of her from reading Justice League Dark and other books, but I can imagine a new reader scratching their heads. It's not terrible as Dini knows how to tell a story and there is just enough world building to serve his story, just a minor gripe.
Story: There are actually 2 tales here in the 6 issues and I must say they feel very cartoony. What I mean is they are paced very much like a 3 episode arc and it reads wonderfully. In this day and age when most writers write for the trade it's nice to have these shorter tales, fast, fun and direct. The writing is paced well, the dialog is smooth, the style and tone is light and very Zatanna. I did however see that with the shortened storylines charactere development is on the lighter side, I'm not saying it's not there, but just lighter. I liked the stories, they were not super creative or memorable, but they were fun and very well executed.
Characters: Fun characters, Zatanna of course gets the bulk of development and story but Zach and others also get a sizable chunk. They are fun characters to read, but because of the time constraints of the books there was not really any deep character development. The side characters were merely there to support the story. Add to that because the world building was very light, a lot of the characters that inhabit Zee's world do not really get a lot of explanation or introduction, they are just there, unless they need to serve the story. This is the book's weakest area. After 6 issues I don't really know much about Zee and her personality is fairly basic and surface. Shame.
I liked the book, it was a fun read, but ultimately not something memorable and something I will reread. Zee has a lightness to her character that I think is sometimes missing in the DCU.
Onward to the next book!
January 9, 2016
Wrote a really long review. It died when my browser died.
soooo . . . .
Briefly: Never specifically cared about Zatanna when saw in other people's comics . . . but this by Paul Dini . . so took a chance, both on a non-Harley Quinn Dini story, and on Zatanna. Was bored.
First story arc involved some evil hippie dude who made a deal with the devil in the '60s to basically have a bunch of power, and be immortal, and have a groovy skull head. From the '60s to "now", whenever "now" might be, evil hippie dude was content with being the power in evil magic circles in San Fran. Then decides, what the heck, let's take over the non-magical side of crime in San Fran as well. Zatanna, probably due to her being based in San Francisco, took this badly. So she fought . . um . . Brother Dude? Brother Blood? Bloody Skull Dude? I can't even recall the guys name now. So, right, she fought him.
Second story arc involved some evil business dude who made a deal with the devil in the . . . heck if I know, 1950s? to remain young and pretty. And powerful. And in control in Vegas. All for the low low price of other people's souls. Oh, and his own after a certain point in time. Zatanna, not knowing this, wanders over to Las Vegas to do a show. With a contract with this "Benji" guy. Since she has a really really lovely pure soul, the devil dude, Mammon, would be really happy to add her to his collection of souls. He'd give Benjman Benji Somethingorother just oh so much for it. So Benji attempts to get Zatanna's soul. Meanwhile, Zatanna's cousin, Zatanna's Cousin (what, I'm not good with names), is also doing some shows in Vegas. And there are these hell minions zooming around. Three of them. They fight Zatanna. Then the Benji guy unleashes zombies onto Zatanna. The end.
Right. So. Ok enough stories, I guess. I was mostly bored.
soooo . . . .
Briefly: Never specifically cared about Zatanna when saw in other people's comics . . . but this by Paul Dini . . so took a chance, both on a non-Harley Quinn Dini story, and on Zatanna. Was bored.
First story arc involved some evil hippie dude who made a deal with the devil in the '60s to basically have a bunch of power, and be immortal, and have a groovy skull head. From the '60s to "now", whenever "now" might be, evil hippie dude was content with being the power in evil magic circles in San Fran. Then decides, what the heck, let's take over the non-magical side of crime in San Fran as well. Zatanna, probably due to her being based in San Francisco, took this badly. So she fought . . um . . Brother Dude? Brother Blood? Bloody Skull Dude? I can't even recall the guys name now. So, right, she fought him.
Second story arc involved some evil business dude who made a deal with the devil in the . . . heck if I know, 1950s? to remain young and pretty. And powerful. And in control in Vegas. All for the low low price of other people's souls. Oh, and his own after a certain point in time. Zatanna, not knowing this, wanders over to Las Vegas to do a show. With a contract with this "Benji" guy. Since she has a really really lovely pure soul, the devil dude, Mammon, would be really happy to add her to his collection of souls. He'd give Benjman Benji Somethingorother just oh so much for it. So Benji attempts to get Zatanna's soul. Meanwhile, Zatanna's cousin, Zatanna's Cousin (what, I'm not good with names), is also doing some shows in Vegas. And there are these hell minions zooming around. Three of them. They fight Zatanna. Then the Benji guy unleashes zombies onto Zatanna. The end.
Right. So. Ok enough stories, I guess. I was mostly bored.
November 23, 2015
So guess what's really annoying...
reading words backwards!
I've read many a story where Zatanna pops up and of course she stsac a wef slleps, but trying to read backwards spell after backwards spell gave me a headache, and the rest of the writing didn't help much either.
This volume is very slow going although it did improve in the last few issues. The tone seemed off to me, it wasn't campy or serious so it just turned out kind of lame. There was a real lack of humor, character development was pretty much "I do magic and my dad is dead", and the plots were so completely generic and boring I had no real urge to continue reading.
There is so much you can do with Zatanna but Dini seemed content with keeping it simple and as a result it was simply boring.
reading words backwards!
I've read many a story where Zatanna pops up and of course she stsac a wef slleps, but trying to read backwards spell after backwards spell gave me a headache, and the rest of the writing didn't help much either.
This volume is very slow going although it did improve in the last few issues. The tone seemed off to me, it wasn't campy or serious so it just turned out kind of lame. There was a real lack of humor, character development was pretty much "I do magic and my dad is dead", and the plots were so completely generic and boring I had no real urge to continue reading.
There is so much you can do with Zatanna but Dini seemed content with keeping it simple and as a result it was simply boring.
August 13, 2015
This is a cute collection of stories starring Zatanna. In the first story, she fights an evil demonic crime lord who has his eyes set on controlling organized crime in San Francisco. In the second, she takes her show to Las Vegas, where she and her cousin Zachary fight against a man who has sold his soul to the devil, but wants to buy some time by offering up Zatanna's soul instead.
Really nice art and coloring, and writer Paul Dini gives Zatanna a nice laid back, almost humorous voice. I'd love to see Zatanna back in her own series some day.
Really nice art and coloring, and writer Paul Dini gives Zatanna a nice laid back, almost humorous voice. I'd love to see Zatanna back in her own series some day.
April 18, 2016
Okay, now the bar to beat as my favourite DC Comics heroine. Very well written, clever, witty, and I just loved it (clearly, read it in like, an hour). Off to get number 2! Wish there were more graphic novels at my library about her though...
August 6, 2014
My first read on Zatanna, I like her spunk and sassiness - this may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...
October 11, 2016
Interesting new character. Decent
June 8, 2020
Not the best story, the villains were one dimensional and things were too quickly resolved. Zatanna deserves better.
April 14, 2024
Bangers and Mash: character - Zatanna
May 16, 2021
Again, I really *want* to like Zatanna but... I just don't get her. Is there a bunch of backstory missing here? Are we supposed to know her cousin? Her crew including Mikey (who I'm going to assume is a butch-acting, femme-looking power-tool-wielding lesbian with long hair but in overalls, until I'm told otherwise)? Any of these random cops?
The story in this isn't bad, but it just has like, no stakes. OK, so some magic dude is trying to take over organized crime in - wait this is San Francisco? OMG, it looks like Vegas are you kidding me? Hm. Anyway - HOW has this never happened or been attempted before? I feel like someone could just smack this Brother Night character up the head and say "DUH" and this is a non-story. But no, somehow, we're doing this, and it's a surprise. OK, if that's the case, then this should be kind of a big deal. He has some serious firepower behind him, too. But...Zatanna dispatches these jokers with ease, including the specially-deployed-to-deal-with-Zatanna dream imp that she just... makes a deal with him and lets him go easy. ? She has a whole scene looking over a crime scene with cops and then never talks to them again basically. So it's not like we're building a relationship there, or if we were trying, wow that was superficial.
I know that a lot of comics in general but especially from older areas really - REALLY - just focus on the action. Like punching and splash pages where a dramatic line is said, faces of anguish and colored sparkage or clouds that would for sure be special effects beyond any TV series' budget except for HBO. I always long for more character development, living on those drips of drama between teammates, housemates, extremely slow-burn love relationships that take decades to get off the ground. Maybe I'm an outlier there. But Zatanna really takes the cake. The whole thing is so action-to-action point it feels pretty much phoned in.
I thought Paul Dini was supposed to be some shit or something.
And for the love of Jean Grey why can't anyone consistently draw Zatanna to look the same every time we see her? I've never seen a character more misaligned and just, not cared about. She looks like a DIFFERENT PERSON with every artist - hell sometimes within the same book. Even some Sandman characters didn't have this problem. Again. THE FISHNETS AREN'T EVERYTHING. If she's a real person we're supposed to care about it would be nice if her height, entire face, and everything else didn't shift so constantly and erratically. Honestly, I think intellectual property rights and licensing might be the only thing holding the girl together as a character because it's certainly not the kind of long-term triangulation and characterization we see from other characters that have been handled by multiple writers, been in multiple series, gone through multiple incarnations, died and came back maybe more than once, and still, somehow have this essence, this thing that's really when everything else boils away who *they* are. Zatanna doesn't have that. She barely has a face. All she really has? Are a top hat and fishnets.
The story in this isn't bad, but it just has like, no stakes. OK, so some magic dude is trying to take over organized crime in - wait this is San Francisco? OMG, it looks like Vegas are you kidding me? Hm. Anyway - HOW has this never happened or been attempted before? I feel like someone could just smack this Brother Night character up the head and say "DUH" and this is a non-story. But no, somehow, we're doing this, and it's a surprise. OK, if that's the case, then this should be kind of a big deal. He has some serious firepower behind him, too. But...Zatanna dispatches these jokers with ease, including the specially-deployed-to-deal-with-Zatanna dream imp that she just... makes a deal with him and lets him go easy. ? She has a whole scene looking over a crime scene with cops and then never talks to them again basically. So it's not like we're building a relationship there, or if we were trying, wow that was superficial.
I know that a lot of comics in general but especially from older areas really - REALLY - just focus on the action. Like punching and splash pages where a dramatic line is said, faces of anguish and colored sparkage or clouds that would for sure be special effects beyond any TV series' budget except for HBO. I always long for more character development, living on those drips of drama between teammates, housemates, extremely slow-burn love relationships that take decades to get off the ground. Maybe I'm an outlier there. But Zatanna really takes the cake. The whole thing is so action-to-action point it feels pretty much phoned in.
I thought Paul Dini was supposed to be some shit or something.
And for the love of Jean Grey why can't anyone consistently draw Zatanna to look the same every time we see her? I've never seen a character more misaligned and just, not cared about. She looks like a DIFFERENT PERSON with every artist - hell sometimes within the same book. Even some Sandman characters didn't have this problem. Again. THE FISHNETS AREN'T EVERYTHING. If she's a real person we're supposed to care about it would be nice if her height, entire face, and everything else didn't shift so constantly and erratically. Honestly, I think intellectual property rights and licensing might be the only thing holding the girl together as a character because it's certainly not the kind of long-term triangulation and characterization we see from other characters that have been handled by multiple writers, been in multiple series, gone through multiple incarnations, died and came back maybe more than once, and still, somehow have this essence, this thing that's really when everything else boils away who *they* are. Zatanna doesn't have that. She barely has a face. All she really has? Are a top hat and fishnets.
September 1, 2018
If you're somehow still interested in "Zatanna: Mistress of Magic" (more like "Zzzzzzz: Mistress of Moronic Villains, Formulaic Plots, and Uninspired Use of Reality-Bending Magic" despite the low rating, "Weiver, lepsid eht s'redaer tseretni!" Why? Because it isn't any good. Help save a tree and avoid this book.
There are two stories, each three issues in length, collected in this volume. Both have Zatanna dealing with uninteresting magic-using villains. Neither are any good.
The first one, concerns a warlock kingpin with the uninspired name of "Brother Night." After he kills the criminal leaders of San Francisco, Zatanna is on to him. She crashes his secret lair and stomps all over his minions ... and then let's him go with a warning for no other reason than to pad the plot. She could end it here, but doesn't. Because then the story would literally end in four pages.
But what about the souls of the thirteen children Brother Night is holding hostage? Perhaps that is why Zatanna date not move against him? No, because in the final battle, Zatanna literally says "Release them!" And he does.
Perhaps there was some clever plan to hold Zatanna at bay? Nope. Zatanna literally refrained from taking action so the story could be stretched into three meaningless issues.
The second story, this time with a casino magnate as the monster of the week, is barely any better. You see, he wants to marry her, so he can then trade her soul to Mammon (hell demon of riches and avatroce; subtle, ain't it). But she's saved in the nick of time by whatever.
This volume is a bigger waste of time than my autocorrect which continually autocorrects "Zatanna" into "Savanna," forcing me to go back and change it back on my tiny phone keyboards.
There are two stories, each three issues in length, collected in this volume. Both have Zatanna dealing with uninteresting magic-using villains. Neither are any good.
The first one, concerns a warlock kingpin with the uninspired name of "Brother Night." After he kills the criminal leaders of San Francisco, Zatanna is on to him. She crashes his secret lair and stomps all over his minions ... and then let's him go with a warning for no other reason than to pad the plot. She could end it here, but doesn't. Because then the story would literally end in four pages.
But what about the souls of the thirteen children Brother Night is holding hostage? Perhaps that is why Zatanna date not move against him? No, because in the final battle, Zatanna literally says "Release them!" And he does.
Perhaps there was some clever plan to hold Zatanna at bay? Nope. Zatanna literally refrained from taking action so the story could be stretched into three meaningless issues.
The second story, this time with a casino magnate as the monster of the week, is barely any better. You see, he wants to marry her, so he can then trade her soul to Mammon (hell demon of riches and avatroce; subtle, ain't it). But she's saved in the nick of time by whatever.
This volume is a bigger waste of time than my autocorrect which continually autocorrects "Zatanna" into "Savanna," forcing me to go back and change it back on my tiny phone keyboards.
February 20, 2023
This is one of your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man kind of comics, going about Zatanna's day-to-day superhero life while showing a little bit of her personal life as well.
While I am usually a fan of this superhero genre, with a high tolerance for cheesiness and cheap plots, I still haven't enjoyed this one (at least so far, as a few of the reviewers I follow noted that the second volume gets better).
My main issue so far is with the series villains, particularly how much fuss they make compared to how swiftly they lose. Take Brother Night, for example. He introduces himself as this hotshot mafia boss from hell who came to earth to extend his domain, only to lose his powers and everything he ever had two issues later.
I know that Zatanna is a tricky character to write for due to how her powers work, but that also makes a lot of room for creativity, little of which I saw utilized by Paul Dini. I mean, if all Zatanna's powers are good for is Telekinesis, then many people can do that far better than her.
Additionally, because of how rushed the series is, there is very little time left for Zatanna's friends and other supporting characters to be explored, which is one of the things I enjoy most about similar series.
Regardless, I am still interested in reading the next volume due to a few positive reviews that I came across, and am happy to see that Detective Dale makes a second appearance there. Who knows? Perhaps he will actually do something useful this time!
While I am usually a fan of this superhero genre, with a high tolerance for cheesiness and cheap plots, I still haven't enjoyed this one (at least so far, as a few of the reviewers I follow noted that the second volume gets better).
My main issue so far is with the series villains, particularly how much fuss they make compared to how swiftly they lose. Take Brother Night, for example. He introduces himself as this hotshot mafia boss from hell who came to earth to extend his domain, only to lose his powers and everything he ever had two issues later.
I know that Zatanna is a tricky character to write for due to how her powers work, but that also makes a lot of room for creativity, little of which I saw utilized by Paul Dini. I mean, if all Zatanna's powers are good for is Telekinesis, then many people can do that far better than her.
Additionally, because of how rushed the series is, there is very little time left for Zatanna's friends and other supporting characters to be explored, which is one of the things I enjoy most about similar series.
Regardless, I am still interested in reading the next volume due to a few positive reviews that I came across, and am happy to see that Detective Dale makes a second appearance there. Who knows? Perhaps he will actually do something useful this time!
August 23, 2017
I liked the story, but I keep forgetting how annoying trying to work out Zatanna's spells are...
September 8, 2018
3.5 aunque sea solo por la referencia a Saturno devorando a su hijo de fondo en una escena en el infierno. 😆
September 23, 2018
Meh. Didn't love it.
April 7, 2019
Her magic is uninteresting because she just says whatever backwards and then it happens.
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