Zatanna: Everyday Magic

    (Vertigo, 2003)
™ and © DC Comics, Inc.

This breezy, lighthearted (how often can you say that about a Vertigo title?) one-shot celebrates the inherent sexiness (fishnet stockings, nice figure) and overall likability (cute magicks à la Samantha Stevens) of Zatanna, a magic-using character who first appeared in 1964 in Hawkman #4.

The daughter of master magician John Zatara, she performs spells by reciting words backward. Despite her lengthy career (including stints in the Justice League and on Batman: The Animated Series), this is arguably her finest moment.

Cute, cartoonish art (with more than a little manga influence), nice coloring (by Brian Miller), and a funny, sloppily drunk John “Hellblazer” Constantine (he needs Zatanna’s assistance in removing a curse) make the story as fun to look at as it is to read. There are amusing references to Tony Bennett and I Dream of Jeannie, humorous vengeance spells, ample insight into Zatanna’s character (her magic usually spells doom for romantic involvements), a playful jab at her real-life fans (she gets miffed when people mispronounce her name), and much more. Simply delightful.

— Brett Weiss
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