Zatanna #2 – Jamal Campbell, Writer/Artist/h2>
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Jamal Campbell is essentially running a one-man show on this title, a rarity in big-two comic books these days, and that allows him to pull off some things that are pretty exciting to see. After all, he can write whatever madness he wants in the magical world, and his artist knows how to pull it off! Zatanna’s new role as the Prime Magus of the DCU has essentially made her a magical guardian, and she spends the first few pages of the issue pacifying a giant bone-like dragon in another realm. But that has gained her the attention of the DEO, who has appointed a new magical liaison whose job is to keep tabs on and neutralize any magical threats – including, potentially, Zatanna. This new agent isn’t overtly villainous so far, but from his first appearance, it’s clear he’s a ruthless figure who might be set up to clash with Zatanna as she tries to save magic – and he tries to hunt it.
After Zatanna returns to her inner sanctum and puts on a great show for the reader, she’s off on her next mission, which takes her to the strange far-off realm of…Memphis, one of the US’ jazz capitals. There, she teams up with antihero Papa Midnite, a fan-favorite frenemy of John Constantine’s, to investigate a mystery with the help of a deceased Jazz singer. This ghost tells the story of another singer who was so beloved that she had her life and voice magically extended by the Gods for centuries, until she finally passed on – but now, her patron spirit doesn’t know what to do without her and is turning into a monster. This leads to a spectacular exorcism disguised as a concert in a stately old music hall, one of the most inventive segments I’ve seen in a DC book in a while – at least, until the DEO shows up and manages to ruin everything. Fantastic stuff, maybe even a step up from Campbell’s first series.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
Ray Goldfield
Ray Goldfield is a comics superfan going back almost thirty years. When he's not reading way too many comics a week, he is working on his own writing. The first installment in his young adult fantasy-adventure, "Alex Actonn, Son of Two Seas", is available in Amazon now.
