Zatanna: Bring Down The House #3 – Mariko Tamaki, Writer; Javier Rodriguez, Artist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: The main selling point of this series is the stunning art. Mariko Tamaki is a great writer, no doubt, and she’s weaving a compelling tale of a young woman who has been running away from her legacy since a traumatic childhood. On its own, it’s great character-setting work with a good deal of suspense – but when paired with Rodriguez’s surrealist art, magic happens. When we last left off, Zatanna had escaped from the Casters – a mysterious group of cult-like magic guardians who accused her of stealing magic. However, now she’s confronted by a mysterious figure with rabbit ears who has another grievance – accusing her of mistreating rabbits. Which…maybe a little, but the response seems harsh as Zatanna is catapulted into a nightmarish landscape where she’s hunted by a demonic, pointy-toothed rabbit out for blood. Seems a little harsh for having to be pulled out of a hat!
After a daring escape in a segment that feels like a pastiche of Alice in Wonderland and Twin Peaks, Zatanna escapes and tries to lay low – only to find a surprising ally in the rabbit girl, who isn’t working for the Casters but had her own agenda. She’s able to shed some light on the Casters, and that reveals that the villains may not have only been targeting Zatanna – but Zatara as well, dating back decades. Did Zatanna truly kill her father, or was there a larger conspiracy going on here? The plot is getting more and more compelling, and the addition of a fan-favorite wild card in the cliffhanger makes me think we’re headed for a pretty strong conclusion. This is a perfect Black Label book, taking the core foundations of the character while putting them in a darker and stranger situation than you’d be able to pull off in a regular book. Looking forward to seeing how the last acts play out.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
