Hey, That's My Cape!: Abracadabra 2-10-10

Posted at 10:00 AM Feb 10, 2010

By Jill Pantozzi

​I used to want to be a magician when I was young. Maybe we all went through that phase, but I was slightly more serious about it than my friends. There was just one problem - I sucked. I had absolutely no talent for slight-of-hand, the basis for just about every magic trick, and my rabbit skills consisted of petting. Fortunately, it didn't leave me bitter. To this day, I still marvel at those who can do magic and make it look easy. It's probably why I love Zatanna so much.

Zatanna is one of the most popular, non-famous characters in comics. The general public probably has no clue who she is, but to comic readers, DC in particular, she's kind of a big deal. There's just something about Zatanna everyone loves. Maybe it's the top hat, the tuxedo coat or her penchant for speaking her spell backwards (NAMTAB POTS!). More than likely, it's the fishnets. Either way, after her longtime membership in the Justice League and with a few mini-series under her cummerbund, she's finally getting her very own ongoing from DC.


DC announced the news last week and while you might think this new series is appearing...out of thin air, truthfully, it's been in the works for years. Writer Paul Dini has had an ongoing love affair with the character for a while (not to mention his wife is a real magician) and he's finally getting the chance to make her a star. French artist Stephane Roux will be taking up the tremendous task of drawing those spectacular fishnets each month. This will be his first ongoing as well.

Zatanna has a diverse past. Her mother went missing and her poor father died more than once, but it's one that has ever been deeply explored up until this point. "That's both a blessing and a challenge for me as a writer," said Dini, "That said, I've been having a lot of fun populating her world with new characters, friends and allies as well as an entirely new mystical rogues gallery." Dini also plans to explore her relationship with her cousin, fellow magician and all-around annoyance Zachary Zatara. Hopefully he'll explore her remarkable romantic past as well. She's been linked to Constantine, from Vertigo's Hellblazer comic, but more importantly to Bruce Wayne. Could you just imagine the backwards speech in bed? Lucky bitch.