Zatanna #4 – Jamal Campbell, Writer/Artist; Edwin Galmon, Artist; Andrew Dalhouse, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: An incredibly detailed writer-artist like Jamal Campbell can’t always do a full monthly schedule, so it’s always good to see when a fill-in artist brings their own unique flair to a comic. Edwin Galmon takes over besides Campbell doing one page to kick open the issue, and there’s a very intriguing plot device to this issue. Zatanna, seeking more information on her role as Prime Magus, chooses to meet with the last being to hold that role, the Egyptian God Zehuti, in the afterlife. There, she finds out that she’s the fourth, not the second, Prime Magus – and that the other two have played far more dangerous roles in DC history. The first, Hecate, is one of the DCU’s biggest magical wild cards, and the second, the Upside-Down Man, was one of the most terrifying new DC villains in a long time. And so the best way to discover more about these mysterious figures is clearly…to tell some stories.
Zatanna delves into different realms, with each segment of the issue inspired by the past of one of these three figures. Hecate, who was born of magic and never part of humanity, is the gateway to a story about an ongoing war between faeries. The Upside-Down Man, who was corrupted by magic, leads us to a dark story involving cursed beasts in historic Europe. And Zehuti, who was the first Prime Magus to seek out knowledge rather than power, provides us some fascinating insight into the history of magic in the DCU. This issue doesn’t feature the DEO’s mysterious new magical enforcer, leaving that plot hanging a little longer, but it’s a a great little done-in-one that shows us how Zatanna is operating in her new role. It’s more like we’ve been invited along for one of her shows, except that this time the show is about the magical structure of the universe.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
