Zatanna #3 – Jamal Campbell, Writer/Artist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Easily one of the most visually stunning books coming out of DC each month, Jamal Campbell’s reinvention of the magical corner of the DCU has been getting deeper and deeper into the dark underbelly with each issue. As this issue begins, Zatanna is caught in another world – an old Hollywood black-and-white party where she’s the guest of honor. She gets all the attention she could want from guests, including a very clueless Bruce Wayne, but he’s not the organizer. That goes to the most powerful star in Hollywood – Basil Karlo, who in this reality is still human, handsome, and has a loving wife and children. And as Zatanna realizes that this is all his illusion, cast out of clay with the help of the Lady in White, she starts to unravel it – and that makes his mental state unravel with it. I’ve always been a fan of stories that portray just how broken Clayface’s psyche really is.
As Zatanna battles to escape from this twisted alternate reality, Blue Devil is dealing with his own challenge – he’s been captured and tortured by Brother Night, the closest thing Zatanna has had to an arch-nemesis until now. He’s pretty clearly a mastermind in all of this, but it’s not clear if he’s pulling the strings or just part of a much bigger conspiracy. As always, Jamal Campbell’s art is stunning and deeply creepy in places, but his writing is what consistently surprises me here. Aside from a few short stories, I’m pretty sure this is the only comic Jamal Campbell has ever written, and this is an amazing debut. It’s been so long since Zatanna had a spotlight series in the main continuity, and this one not only does her justice, but expands her world so she starts to feel like she finally has her own ecosystem of allies and villains. Along with Mariko Tamaki’s Black Label series, it’s been a great year for the character.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
