Zatanna #1, written and illustrated by Jamal Campbell, opens as if we were attending her show, and you can feel her stage presence coming off of the pages. She explains that magic has lost something: The Prime Magus, the greatest overseer and guide of magic, as there hasn’t been a Prime Magus in over a millennium. Until her.
Following the theme of Zatanna performing, we see the iconic “Come One, Come All!” magic show introduction. This page is the first of many double-page spreads in this issue and it’s absolutely beautiful. Campbell’s artwork is truly stunning and it really shines in the double-page spreads, which typically contain a large image with smaller panels in an L-shape.
DC
After the introduction to her show, we’re quickly thrown to Zatanna trying to rescue Vi’irra, who is possessed by a plague spirit. She brings in Allura, her former family’s rival turned pet bunny in Zatanna #6 (2025). It’s nice to see small things from her mini-series in the first issue and I hope we get to see storylines that weren’t fully wrapped up in her mini come back.
We see Zatanna trying to fight the plague spirit in Vi’irra’s mind while Allura tries to keep Vi’irra safe by keeping her down. We quickly see that Allura is not the harmless spirit that Zatanna described her as in her mini but she seems to follow Zatanna’s orders.
In fighting the spirit, we get the first look at Prime Magus Zatanna in a double-page spread, and it is breathtaking. This page is completely different from the other pages in the issue, showing how truly powerful Prime Magus Zatanna is. While the other pages are very colorful and vibrant, this page uses color in a different way. Zatanna and the other figures on this page are heavily shaded and almost black with purple as the highlight color. This makes Zatanna look incredibly powerful and honestly a little bit scary, which is fitting for the Prime Magus.
After Zatanna defeats the spirit, we see the return of the agents who were talking in the beginning of the issue. We learn that the agents are part of the Department of Extranormal Operations and are under the orders of Special Agent [REDACTED] or Agent Di Manes. I love the name and his character design; it fits with Zatanna and her realm of magic.
Agent Di Mones is interfering with magic since it’s considered a threat that multiple US citizens have died after interacting with the spirit, and Zatanna clearly feels a certain way about the D.E.O. interfering with her magic.
The last couple of pages do an amazing job of wrapping up this issue while setting up the story for the rest of the series. This issue ends exactly as it starts off, first with Zatanna narrating it, and then with the narrator announcing the upcoming show, which in this case, is the rest of the series.
The last two pages have me so excited for the next issue, foreshadowing four events including a storyline from last year’s mini-series that wasn’t fully wrapped up.
Jamal Campbell didn’t disappoint when it comes to this issue. To have an amazing story or beautiful artwork is an incredible feat on its own but to do both is truly beyond belief. The Zatanna miniseries last year was phenomenal and Campbell was able to match the excellence of the miniseries with this first issue. I’m excited to see this series continue.
DC
I loved the design of Agent Di Mones and I’m excited to see more of him and hopefully some of his backstory in future issues. The sneak peak of the puppeteer has me excited to see his full character design.
Ariana Maher does an amazing job with the lettering, especially when it comes to Zatanna’s spells. They are notoriously difficult to read as they’re spelled backwards, but Maher makes reading them a little easier as her spells are in all caps and in large, easy to read lettering.
Jamal Campbell’s writing and artwork make the perfect stage for Zatanna to shine.
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