Review: Zatanna #11 By Paul Dini And Jamal Igle

Reviews, Top Story

 

I do love a good cliffhanger, and Zatanna #10 ended with a fairly big one – our heroine was placed in a spot that even she, with all her escape artistry, couldn’t get out of, transformed into an inanimate doll and forced to dance at the whim of the mad puppeteer, Stringleshanks.  So, naturally, Zatanna #11 has a lot of work to do within its pages. And it does the job well, with a little extra on the side.

First off, I notice that the artist has once again changed in the middle of a storyline, this time to Jamal Igle. More than anything, the constant changes hurt the series, making it hard to get a central feel for things. When I think of this series, I don’t think of any specific arc or any specific moment – I think  of a jumble, a mixed bag of different characters  seen through different interpretations. That being said, Jamal Igle’s style is hardly a bad one – I especially love his attention  facial muscles, the creases around the skin, muscle structure. He has a great attention to detail, and it shows throughout.

The main attraction for this issue, though, isn’t that, or even Zatanna – it’s Mikey,  Zatanna’s friend, assistant, and up until now, a relatively minor character. We learn that Mikey has an incredible deductive mind as she puts together the clues that lead her to Zatanna’s rescue – none of the clues she picks up on are unreasonable, but things that a normal person would never think to even think to make note of. We also learn that she has a strange enchantment that bounces back any mystical effect thrown at her – something that was hinted at in earlier issues, but finally shown here.

On top of that, it seems like Brother Night, the villain from the first arc, has made a recovery and is slowly starting to regain enough power to take back what he once had and then some. How did he manage that? What new power is he working with? Does he have a new gameplan? It all comes together to make a neat little bundle of suspense, giving a lot to look forward to in future issues and solidifying its place in my pickup list.