The first issue of Zatanna did a great job of setting up the title character’s new tour and immediately throwing her into a wild and wacky mystical adventure. Here, Jamal Campbell deepens the mystery and gives us some incredible illustrations to go along with it.
Once again, the visuals are the reason for the season here, and while Campbell isn’t taking us on a tour of Old Hollywood in this issue, the book is still full of inventive set pieces. Some of the highlights include a sea of ghouls (including zombified superheroes), a hotel room made of gore and viscera, and more magical blades than you can shake a Blue Devil at. There’s a lot going on here, and Campbell is still holding back some tantalizing answers from the reader. As Zatanna searches for the mysterious forces that have left her powers on the fritz, we also get to spend more time with the villains of the series, who are delightfully wicked.
DC
This issue also brings in a number of Zatanna’s colleagues from the magical side of the DCU, with Blue Devil, Detective Chimp, and Madame Xanadu rushing to her aide. It’s a joy to see all of these characters interacting again, lightly referencing previous missions with Justice League Dark and Shadowpact, but mostly just enjoying each other’s company. It’s clear that Campbell has a lot of affection for these characters and their long history together. The story embraces an “everything happened” approach to continuity while still providing an easy entry point for new or lapsed readers. The characterization and dialogue between these characters are on-point as well, showing us the familiarity they have with one another and filling in some important gaps for the reader.
However, I do hope more of this series is focused on a Zatanna solo adventure. For as cool as it is to see these characters and as much fun as Campbell clearly has playing in this sandbox, my hope is that Z doesn’t have to constantly get bailed out by other characters. It’s also a little odd that she manages to escape her predicament (kind of) from the end of last issue. Sure, the sword in her chest is messing with her powers and those creepy spectral hands aren’t too far behind (an incredible visual), but I’m not totally clear on the rules here.
Still, those are minor gripes about a very entertaining second chapter. The final page brings us a surprise guest star (whom Zatanna weirdly doesn’t seem to recognize at first), which should provide some fun tension in the next issue.
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