INID – RETIRW
NIDRAH – SLICNEP
REHCUAF – SKNI
IREILAVAC – STIDE – DOOG WOHS SIHT KEEW
Zatanna is a character with a history dating back nearly forty years, yet she only gained her first ongoing this year. How does that happen? Aquaman launches a new title every 5-8 years with inevitable cancellation to follow. Firestorm has had one lengthy run and two utter flops. The Freedom Fighters keep coming back for some reason. Blade was seemingly created just so Marvel would have a book to cancel. Lest we forget that Dr. Fate, Hawkman, Doom Patrol, and even my personal favorite, Iron Fist, are characters whose titles are doomed to failure sooner than later. Such memorable characters as Anarky, Speedball, the Creeper (twice), Nomad, Claw: the Unconquered (twice), and Foolkiller all had ongoing series long before Zatanna. Why has nobody gotten a Zatanna series off the ground before?
This series has not hit on all cylinders quite yet, but Paul Dini is building a strong foundation for a potentially long running book with a playful but horrific tone. That’s a rare mixture for comics, especially in the superhero arena. This issue sees the second part of Zatanna’s trip to Las Vegas. She does battle with fire demons using a hastily holy-water-ified swimming pool to end her torment. She then tangles with a guy named Raymond that’s dealing with a demon to stay alive as long as he provides fresh souls. The demon stuff has a bit of the funny-scary feel of early Spawn with the Violator making the hero’s life hell, only, you know, better written. The story comes to a close with our heroine facing down a zombie army. I have to admit there’s not much better than watching Zatanna fight zombies …well maybe if she was working her backward magic on some nasty Nazis.
The best sequence comes towards the end when Raymond uses a potion to mesmerize Zatanna. Zee has a running inner monologue that comments on what she is outwardly doing against her power. It’s a neat little piece that really takes a good script and makes it great. It’s one of those highly memorable flourishes that will be remembered long after the finer details of the storyline pass from memory.
Chad Hardin does a strong turn as the fill-in artist for Stephane Roux. He did some interesting fantasy pencils as a semi-regular on Mike Grell’s recently canceled Warlord. Hardin has a gift for presenting women in a beautiful manner. The magical battles are dynamic, especially the blazing fields of fire and the funnels of water featured in the opening sequence. My only problem is with the odd angle many of his mouths are drawn. They have a distractingly-silly slant and the teeth look quite weird. All told it’s a minor quibble mixed with otherwise eye-catching work. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Chad Hardin, hopefully on a regular series.
This issue features plenty to make me want to actually buy the next issue. There’s magic-filled action and some good character work between Zatanna and her cousin, Zach. I like the dynamic Dini’s setting up for the future. He laid out a lot of the pieces that any aspiring long-term ongoing demands. There’s Zatanna’s gig as a magical performer, the start of a rogue’s gallery, and a supporting cast that should pay future dividends. Dini has built on the promise of Zatanna as a regular featured player and he appears to have plenty of fun stories to tell.
