DC’s stage magician supreme is finally stepping into the spotlight of the Absolute Universe. Writer Kelly Thompson has revealed the first look at Hayden Sherman’s design for Zatanna via her Substack, offering fans an early glimpse at one of the most anticipated additions to Absolute Wonder Woman.
According to Thompson, bringing Zatanna into the new continuity presented a few unique challenges. Not only did Sherman have to conceptualize her signature stage-ready look, but also design how she’d appear while imprisoned in Veronica Cale’s Area 41, the mysterious facility that’s been at the center of Absolute Wonder Woman’s recent arcs.
“Zee was tricky for a lot of reasons — including that Hayden wasn’t going to get to be the first one to draw her in costume in story (that’s Matias Bergara in next month’s Absolute Wonder Woman #14),” Thompson explained. “So Hayden had to both think of her eventual ‘Zatanna Costume’ and also what she would look like while trapped inside Cale’s Area 41 Prison. As usual, Hayden pulls it off brilliantly.”
For fans tracking her Absolute Universe timeline:
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First appearance: Absolute Wonder Woman #12
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First in-costume appearance: Absolute Wonder Woman #14 (art by Matias Bergara)
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First cover appearance: Absolute Wonder Woman #16, which features Zatanna front and center in her full magical glory (see below).
The design reveal marks another milestone in Thompson’s bold reimagining of DC’s magic mythos within the Absolute line. Sherman’s design, as Thompson teased, bridges the gap between Zatanna’s elegant showmanship and the darker, more dangerous tone of the Absolute Universe.
With her full debut right around the corner, it looks like fans are about to see Zatanna like never before, both on stage and in the shadows.
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