Zatanna #13 – Review

By: Paul Dini (writer), Jamal Igle (penciller), Jon Sibal (inker), John Kalisz (colorist)

The Story: Beware, Zee—you’re coming dangerously close to becoming a crazy cat lady.

The Review: DC has quite a lot of iconic characters, many of whom have some kind of hold on our public consciousness even if you’ve never read a comic.  But the true test of a character’s popularity comes out when they have to carry their own title.  Many of the great DC superheroes couldn’t make it—just look at Aquaman’s on-off solo career.  What determines the longevity of these titles is often not just the star him/herself; it’s also the strength of the supporting cast.

Besides her namesake father and cousin, Zatanna has no closely associated characters of her own, so Dini’s had to build her cast from the ground up.  Despite the multiple appearances of stagehand Mikey and Detective Dale Colton, you still have little to no idea who these people are, or where their association with Zee comes from.  Colton has particularly been a mystery with his inexplicable affinity for handling occult matters.

Dini finally makes a thorough effort to clear out some cobwebs from Colton’s history, which smartly ties into his strict watch over Brother Night.  The truth about the detective’s origins certainly has a suitably sordid flavor, not the least of which involving his mother’s mad ravings and behavior.  But how these revelations will develop his character in the long-term, or flesh out his role in this series—those questions remain open-ended.

Speaking of Brother Night, Dini also takes some pains to pump up his street cred as Zatanna’s first ongoing villain.  Since their early encounters mostly involved Zee dismissing his various lackeys, and most of his power originated from a much bigger demonic source, it was easy to classify him as an overblown thug.  But the ease with which he sways his fellow prisoners (and others) to his bidding, and the dark magicks he uses to break out (ladder of human bones—sick) indicates he may be much more competent a foe for Zatanna this time around.

Zee also gets to rub shoulders with some of her fellow magical ilk, this issue featuring one of the most formidable of all, the Spectre.  Her interaction with him is as it should be: breezy, yet at the same time deadly serious (“I’m here to prevent any fight, you cosmic douche!”).  Things look hunky-dory between them for now, but no doubt they’ll butt heads later—otherwise, what’s the point of involving him in the first place?

Despite the Spectre’s unhesitating description of any confrontation with him being “A short fight, no doubt,” it’d still be an interesting match-up for Zatanna.  She is, after all, the Justice League’s primo magician, and the most recognizable face of magic in the DCU.  It’d be a disappointing sign of her power levels if she couldn’t hold her own for a while against a cosmic force like the Spectre.

Igle’s work is serviceable, but his lines are a bit sloppy and his style not completely suitable (read: run-of-the-mill) for this title.  Kalisz’s coloring looks similarly by-the-numbers, and downright wrong in some spots: Zee’s purple hair on page three.

Conclusion: For a while, this series has read more like a bunch of Zatanna special issues strung together; now it’s starting to feel more like a real ongoing.

Grade: B-

– Minhquan Nguyen

Some Musings: – Of all the atrocities committed man-against-man in this world, the Spectre chooses to deliver God’s wrath to an embezzler.  Oh, boy.

– Those are some of the most incompetent prison wardens ever; they stand idly observing Brother Night, never once wondering aloud how he snuck in a tattooing needle.