ZATANNA MAKES MAGIC IN MARCH

[MattBrady]

<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZATCv1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZATCv1_t.jpg" width="175" height="266" align="right" border="0" alt="Zatanna cover by Brian Bolland"></a>Don't call it a comeback, she's been here for years.

Though Zatanna might not be mired in continuity or story limbo a la Firestorm or Hawkman circa 1995, the backward-talking magician certainly hasn't been clocking in a lot of page time lately. Writer Paul Dini and artist Rick Mays – along with cover artist Brian Bolland – are looking to change that in March when the long-awaited Vertigo Zatanna one shot hits stands.

With the one shot, the creators are hoping to give readers a quick peek into the life of DC's resident magician with the hope that fans will come back looking for more. The story won't just give insight into what Zatanna does, but it will also give her a chance to interact with an old friend, and lover, John Constantine.

"Basically it's a little window into this character's world," Dini said. "We see her on the road and at home. We get a fast run-down of who she is and what her professional and personal lives are like. She has to deal with her old lover John Constantine who shows up, still acting his usual jerky self, but in need of her help. It's not a big Zatanna saves the world story, but it's a good one that defines the character I think, and sets the stage for more stories to come."

Aside from being able to bring back an underused character, Dini noted that Zatanna's innocent look and slighly silly manner of casting spells (she says words backwards) as a major draw, especially for someone who wields such a powerful weapon: magic.

<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZATANNA.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZATANNA_t.jpg" width="175" height="266" align="left" border="0" alt="Zatanna by Rick Mays"></a>"I've liked the character ever since I first saw her in a Supergirl back-up feature," Dini said. "I thought she was really cute and I liked the fact she was going around doing actual magic and no one seemed to care. If she had more of a sorceress look, people might be scared of her, but as she sported an old-style magician's outfit, the reaction always seemed to be 'Hey, Zatanna's here. Let's see some card tricks.' Magic can be very sinister, but she always put a rather innocent face on it."

While Zatanna's costume has clear showbiz roots, some critics denounce her duds as sexist. Dini disagrees. The costume could actually be seen as empowering, Dini said.

"Jeez, sexist as compared to who, Wonder Woman? Black Canary?" Dini said. "All the superheroine outfits push it to some degree in that direction. If they wanted to be practical, to say nothing of comfortable, they'd all be wearing sweats when they were out fighting crime, and that would be the end of your teenage boy sales. Seriously though, I know what you mean. Fishnets have that legendary bad girl appeal to them, and in some ways it strikes readers as a more provocative look than when a heroine is running around in a formfitting spandex costume.

"Still, it is a major element of Zatanna's design and it makes sense she'd want to look as enticing as possible when she's on stage. Keep in mind that a big part of any magician's routine, be they male or female, involves misdirection. They need to put your attention elsewhere so you're not watching what they're doing with their hands. That's why many classic male magicians used pretty girls as assistants in their acts -- anything to divert you. Zatanna takes it a step further - she is the pretty girl and in a twist, she has a lot of cute guys on stage to act as her assistants. That, in and of itself, is sort of setting the whole magician tradition on its ear.

"Granted, Zatanna is prone to use as much real wizardry in her shows as she is sleight of hand or illusion. But she still knows the value of having good patter (the dialogue a magician keeps going with the audience) and how to control her audience's attention and direct it where she wants it at all times. To that end, she also varies her outfits throughout her act. She'll start off in her traditional outfit, switch to a genie look to do the Indian Rope Trick, then don a white tux for her finale. She mixes it up, as any showgirl would. Over the last few years there has been a growing demand on the LA club scene for classic burlesque acts. Not just a pretty girl doing an exotic dance, but a whole emphasis on elaborate props, multiple costumes and Las Vegas-style staging. I showed Brian Bolland's cover to a friend who is a renowned burlesque artist and she just flipped for Zatanna's look and attitude. I knew if I got her seal of approval, we were on the right track.

<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZAT1_09.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZAT1_09_t.jpg" width="175" height="266" align="right" border="0" alt="Zatanna page 9"></a>"Many of the young ladies performing those routines today say they get a feeling of empowerment manipulating fantasy that way and that definitely added to my thinking about Zatanna and the stage persona she adopts. And that is a role she plays. She does not usually dress or act that way off-stage."

Revamping the costume was never brought up, Mays said.

"There was just some debate about the type of boots she'd be wearing," Mays said. "However, Shelly [Bond, Zatanna editor] wanted me to take full advantage of all the opportunities to play around with the character's personal sense of fashion when she's out of costume."

The one-shot will hopefully open the door to a few more Zatanna stories. Stories which Dini and Mays are already gearing up to tell.

"Oh, there are plenty more stories to tell," Dini said. "I'm working on a mess of them right now."

Alex Segura Jr. contributed to this article

[Matches Malone]

It's a shame this character has been so marginalized for so long - she was once one of the heavy hitters in the DCU. IMO part of the problem is the grouping of Zee with all the other mages in the DCU, most of whom aren't very interesting or are tied into the Vertigo line. If they'd bring Zee back into the mainstream I think she'd have more of a following. Hopefully that's what Dini has in mind.

[cncoyle]

Paul Dini + Zatanna = My Money

I love Zatanna and Dini just can't miss any target. Maybe this book will draw WB's attention and develop a live-action "Zatanna" show. She's a perfect character for the reasons listed in this article--she's not mired in any in-depth continuity and she's interacted with nearly every DC hero AND been in the JLA. Greenlight it already!

[jasinmartin]

Looks good. Of course I dig Dini and Mays work already so this looks like a good project all around to me. Especially since a fringe DC charachter like this wouldn't sell to me without some great creators attached. Also, it'd be too easy for them to play up the cheesecake factor on this charachter, so it's nice to see they went the other route.

[John Osen]

I agree. I'd love to see her in the JLA. :)

[L'Zoril]

my god! her nose is huge for christ's sake!
we're talking gandalf size nose here.

[Jeffbot]

<img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZATCv1_t.jpg" width="175" height="266" align="right" border="0" alt="Zatanna cover by Brian Bolland">

I'm a fan of Brian Bolland's artwork, but she looks way too much like Diana Ross here.

[EvolutionBaby]

Dini and Zatanna... sign me up.

I loved seeing her in action in the recent JLA arc, but thought she was perhaps a little out of character. Hopefully this will sell well enough to lay the foundation for a monthly. DC's strongest books right now are their '2nd tier' character books like Hawkman and Green Arrow. With the new Aquaman book, a Zatanna monthly could be a great addition to that line up.

[Just a guy]

I heard this book was going to be under the Vertigo imprint. Does anyone know if this is still the case? If so, would it be for the emere reason of seeing her nekkid, or would there be a pretty sinister story involving Constantine? The latter would be pretty cool, but the book sounds wicked sweet with Dini on it already.

[Act of God]

[quote]Originally posted by Jeffbot:
<strong><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZATCv1_t.jpg" width="175" height="266" align="right" border="0" alt="Zatanna cover by Brian Bolland">

I'm a fan of Brian Bolland's artwork, but she looks way too much like Diana Ross here.</strong><hr></blockquote>

;) And since when is that a bad thing?Diana is BEAUTIFUL!

[Atlas8141]

Zatanna`s one-shot sounds like it`ll be interesting,the preview art looks good too.I might give it a try.

[can1]

[quote]Originally posted by Jeffbot:
<strong><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/Vertigo/ZATCv1_t.jpg" width="175" height="266" align="right" border="0" alt="Zatanna cover by Brian Bolland">

I'm a fan of Brian Bolland's artwork, but she looks way too much like Diana Ross here.</strong><hr></blockquote>


Or Michael Jackson

[SpaceMonkey]

...ti ot kool ollahcaB sirhC a fo dnik sah krowtra ehT...taht ekil I...tuo taht kcehc ot evaH

[xdemon]

SEY!!!

I have been looking forward to this one-shot for a while.

[kcekada]

I think I would have preferred Brian Bolland doing the interior art and cover art.

The first time I saw the cover image with those funky hip boots, I wasn't sure what to make of them...

But now, I'm sure that I don't like them. They look ridiculous with that outfit. What's the sense in wearing fishnets, if you're going to cover them up?

KC

[Looney As A Toon]

[quote]Originally posted by Just a guy:
<strong>I heard this book was going to be under the Vertigo imprint. Does anyone know if this is still the case? If so, would it be for the emere reason of seeing her nekkid, or would there be a pretty sinister story involving Constantine? The latter would be pretty cool, but the book sounds wicked sweet with Dini on it already.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I also heard it was a Vertigo project ... possibly to allow the use of Constatine although, back in '96 when Hal Jordan died, in GL 81, a memorial service for Jordan was held and most DC characters showed up including Constaintine and Swamp Thing.

Also, being Vertigo, perhaps the language might be a little loosened up { hmmm, I wonder what George Carlin's 7 Dirty Words You Can't Say on TV would look like spelled backwards! :D )

Also, needless to say, a quick peek inside Zatanna's shower wouldN'T hurt fanboy sales none too much...

HO YM RAED DOG!! GIB LEWOT RAEPPA YLKCIUQ!!! :eek: :D ;) :rolleyes:

[SpaceMonkey]

GEEZE, y'know what? You're right...let's all boycott the series because of her boots.

[ATKokmen]

[quote]Originally posted by SpaceMonkey:
<strong>...ti ot kool ollahcaB sirhC a fo dnik sah krowtra ehT...taht ekil I...tuo taht kcehc ot evaH</strong><hr></blockquote>

Just to nitpick, although Zatanna's speech patterns have been done inconsistently from story to story, purists still say: "It's words backwards, but sentences forward."

So a phrase like "Making Magic" from the home page headline would 'properly' be translated into Zatanna speech as "GNIKAM CIGAM" not "CIGAM GNIKAM"...

[SpaceMonkey]

Good lord, cancel the series...

You guys crack me up :)

[d477wt]

boring character
boring powers
boring history
low selling comic
:)

[Taylor Porter]

I think it would be cool if there was an occasional one-shot, or even mini-series, but a monthly would get old pretty fast, I think. I don't think that every good character should necessarily have a monthly.

[SpaceMonkey]

It depends, man...Lots of people really dig that hocusy-pocusy stuff...perfect book to give as a gift to that pagan in your family (c'mon...everybody has one, admit it)...You guys are so quick to just DENOUNCE something..if you don't dig the character, fine, but just because YOU don't doesn't mean someone else won't. It's PAUL DINI for the love of God...He could make Red Tornado into a cool character if he had to.

[PopCultureKid]

With Dini and Bolland on this project, I'd be surprised it it wasn't fantastic!

[Grendel Prime]

That cover is saah-weeet! Bolland is so consistently good. Another work of art, that perfectly captures the spirit of the character.

This should be a mainstream DC book, in my opinion. More to bridge the gap between DC and its lost little sibling Vertigo. Remember when the JLA showed up in Sandman, and vice versa? I like it, and would like to see more.

[Matches Malone]

Does anyone know how the Zatanna/ Adam plotline from JLA #255-257 ever played out? At the end of #257 Zee and Adam disappear for parts unknown, with J'onn thinking she's been possessed, etc. Was this storyline ever followed up? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

[Rob Staeger]

This looks like fun, and with Dini writing, I'm sure it is. Mays' art looks strong without being flashy. I'm there.

Rob

[Jennifer M. Contino]

Cool article, guys! I can't wait to read this! Zatanna is awesome!

Jen

[SpaceMonkey]

JEN CONTINO FROM SEQUENTIAL TART!

WOW!

You never reviewed my book : )

What's shakin'?

[samnoir]

It's great to see Vertigo branch out a bit more from Dark Fantasy. Even if the story that Dini comes up with is not dark, it's refreshing to see a character that is not a brooding trench coat wearing misanthrope.

Although it does start to dull the line between the Vertigo books and DC books again.

Do people feel that they should remain seperate? Is this a response to slipping Vertigo sales? Is this in response to Max and Marvel Knights?

________________________

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<a href="http://cgi6.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=samurainoir&completed=0&sort=3&since=-1&include=0&page=1&rows=25" target="_blank">Richard Corben's Neverwhere Graphic Novel for sale on eBay. The Fully Painted Original Den saga from 1978. This was the basis for the Heavy Metal animated film. </a>

[Lex]

[quote]Originally posted by Looney As A Toon:
[QB]Also, being Vertigo, perhaps the language might be a little loosened up { hmmm, I wonder what George Carlin's 7 Dirty Words You Can't Say on TV would look like spelled backwards! :D )

Also, needless to say, a quick peek inside Zatanna's shower wouldN'T hurt fanboy sales none too much...[QB]<hr></blockquote>

In my opinion, if you want pointless swearing then check out Marvel's MAX line. I would rather see more mature stories without resorting to swearing, gore and nudity. And I see that as one of Vertigo's strengths. They don't need the shock factor in their books.

And I don't think it's smart to bring mainstream characters over to Vertigo just to have them start swearing. Isn't there going to be a Superman project in Vertigo soon? It would be a huge disservice to his character to have Clark Kent start swearing. And I feel that Dini has a too much respect for Zatanna to do that to her character.

EDIT: Forgot this: I'm very excited about this project. It sounds like it's going to explore Zatanna's character in a lot of new and exciting ways. I'm very hopeful for this project and any projects that follow.

[ATKokmen]

[quote]Originally posted by Matches Malone:
<strong>Does anyone know how the Zatanna/ Adam plotline from JLA #255-257 ever played out? At the end of #257 Zee and Adam disappear for parts unknown, with J'onn thinking she's been possessed, etc. Was this storyline ever followed up? :confused: </strong><hr></blockquote>

Zatanna's next appearances after JLA #257 were in The Spectre (not the late 80s Ostrander Spectre series, but the early 80s Moench Spectre series.) I believe the plot line from JLA was addressed there, but I can't offhand recall how...

[Falkner]

[quote]Originally posted by kcekada
I think I would have preferred Brian Bolland doing the interior art... <hr></blockquote>

Haw Haw! Bolland drawing interior art! Yeah...like he'll ever do that again! That's great! Best one I've heard in A WHILE!!

[Jennifer M. Contino]

[quote]Originally posted by SpaceMonkey:
<strong>JEN CONTINO FROM SEQUENTIAL TART!

WOW!

You never reviewed my book : )

What's shakin'?</strong><hr></blockquote>

I'm a little behind in my comics reviewing since I started writing full time. :D But hopefully I'll get to it :)

JEN

[Peter Svensson]

From what I understood, the Vertigo Superman book is a book about the effects of Superman on real people, not a superhero book. Sort of Vertigo meets Realworlds.

[SpaceMonkey]

JEN!

Congrats on the full time gig! (I was wondering why I haven't seen you in the Tart for the past coupla months)...What is it? Is it the PULSE gig or something else?

That's so nifty! Good for you!

[Elayne Riggs]

[quote]Originally posted by Matches Malone:
<strong>It's a shame this character has been so marginalized for so long - she was once one of the heavy hitters in the DCU. IMO part of the problem is the grouping of Zee with all the other mages in the DCU, most of whom aren't very interesting or are tied into the Vertigo line. </strong><hr></blockquote>

I thought part of the problem was that so many people submitted proposals for Zatanna series or miniseries or one-shots that DC was kind of overwhelmed, and it took this long to pick one out of the doubtless dozens and green-light Dini's proposal.

- Elayne

[Elayne Riggs]

[quote]Originally posted by SpaceMonkey:
<strong>...ti ot kool ollahcaB sirhC a fo dnik sah krowtra ehT...taht ekil I...tuo taht kcehc ot evaH</strong><hr></blockquote>

No no no: Sentences forward, words backwards.

Your post should read "evaH ot kcehk taht tou... (adday adday)."

Oop, I see someone else has already pointed that out. Umm....

Looking forward to this. Zatanna's probably my favorite DC character, and I'd love to write her myself someday (my treatments have yet to approach the proposal stage at this point). This should be great fun!

- Elayne

[Slangword]

[quote]Originally posted by kcekada:
<strong>I think I would have preferred Brian Bolland doing the interior art and cover art.

The first time I saw the cover image with those funky hip boots, I wasn't sure what to make of them...

But now, I'm sure that I don't like them. They look ridiculous with that outfit. What's the sense in wearing fishnets, if you're going to cover them up?

KC</strong><hr></blockquote>

Darn good point! Still, I'll be buying the book.

--Scott

P.S. Oh, and I think that when Doug Moench used her in the Spectre, he revealed that the person she had gone off with was some sort of mystic creation, not an actual person.

I'm still trying to figure out who wrote those issues of JLA and the Zatanna special that came out at about the same time. Was it Gerry Conway, but edited so heavily he wanted his name off the books, or was it someone else?

[Dave Cummings]

I am so getting this. Mainly for Rick Mays work. He is one of those artists who are totally underrated. You should definitely check out Kabuki Agents:Scarab, the Arsenal mini, the final 3 issues of Gen 13 as well as Ultimate Spiderman/Shang Chi. He is just a great artist.

~Dave

[Jer-el]

One question: When?

This one-shot does look like a lot of fun. Her role recently in JLA has made me want more of Zee. I also want more Firestorm, Atom, and Jason Blood...hopefully I can have it all. :cool:

[blankpoint]

I'm sure this series will be great.. Vertigo and Zatanna are a great combination - It's been too long since DC let characters move into the Vertigoverse (...)

The one title that should have been Vertigo on relaunch and wasn't was Green Arrow - a new take on the Mike Grell version. The Smith relaunch is alright, but what we need is a dirty, dark and murky Green Arrow - an updated version of the '80s version.

And I think Legends of the Dark Knight has gone from being the best Bat-title to being processed cheese. Make it a mature title, perhaps issue it as quarterly low-priced graphic novels - $8.99 or something for a small-format (like some of the Oni titles or the manga GNs) 100 pager.

...

Rick Mays is a damn good artist. Check out his Arsenal mini and of course - Kabuki Agents: Scarab which was amazing - like all Kabuki.

[COREMARK]

I can't wait for this book to come out!

[J Wyatt]

Zatanna in fishnet = a good thing
Wanda is back in her body stocking = a good thing

Get Black Canary back in her fishnets!

[John Carter of Mars]

[quote]Originally posted by Falkner:
<strong>

Haw Haw! Bolland drawing interior art! Yeah...like he'll ever do that again! That's great! Best one I've heard in A WHILE!!</strong><hr></blockquote>

It's my understanding that Bollands' vision has been degrading badly over the past few years. Apparently he works on boards much larger than the standard, allowing him to actually see what he's doing. Now this is shop counter gossip but my source is pretty reliable. I love Bollands' stuff and if a cover is all he can manage, I'll always be happy to pony up the fee.
Knee high boots and fishnets? Hoo boy, what's this book about again? :eek:

[Elayne Riggs]

[quote]Originally posted by John Carter of Mars:
<strong>It's my understanding that Bollands' vision has been degrading badly over the past few years. Apparently he works on boards much larger than the standard, allowing him to actually see what he's doing. Now this is shop counter gossip but my source is pretty reliable.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Not reliable enough, I'm afraid. Bolland hasn't worked on boards at all in at least a few years. He works entirely on computer. It even says it on <a href="http://www.brianbolland.com" target="_blank">his website</a>: "All of Brian's recent artwork is created 100% digitally - without the use of paper, pencil, ink or paint. Using Photoshop on a Macintosh, Brian draws the images directly into the computer using a device called a WACOM tablet." In a recent interview he said the computer was easier on his eyes to be able to enlarge the stuff on a computer, but that's probably more to do with getting older (I just got a 17" monitor at work, yay!) than failing eyesight. Please don't spread rumors about someone having failing health, particularly when part of the rumor (the bit about the boards) is so easily disproven with a 2-second click. If unchecked, such gossip (even if arising out of well-meaning concern) can have a deleterious effect on someone getting work.

[quote]<strong>I love Bollands' stuff and if a cover is all he can manage, I'll always be happy to pony up the fee.</strong><hr></blockquote>

The "all he can manage" bit probably comes from the fact that Bolland is an extremely meticulous (okay, slow) artist. Also, at this point I imagine his work commands high enough fees that he doesn't need to do interior art.

[quote]<strong>Knee high boots and fishnets? Hoo boy, what's this book about again?</strong><hr></blockquote>

That part of it is, alas, about the male gaze and fetishism. It's an uphill battle to get beyond that immaturity sometimes, but try we must! :)

- Elayne

[JimHughs4]

[quote]Originally posted by Elayne Riggs:
<strong>

That part of it is, alas, about the male gaze and fetishism. It's an uphill battle to get beyond that immaturity sometimes, but try we must! :)

- Elayne</strong><hr></blockquote>

Mmmm... fishnets and thigh-high boots...must stop wallowing in immaturity!
"Honey, I'm just reading it for the Paul Dini story!"
"Didn't Rick Mays draw that gay issue of Nomad you made me read?"
"Yeah, but the guys were in fishnets too!" :D

[SunWuKong]

[quote]Originally posted by d477wt:
<strong>boring character
boring powers
boring history
low selling comic
:) </strong><hr></blockquote>


I think you really understimate the creative entourage this comic will have. I don't know how well you follow Paul Dini's work but you really should follow it since he is one of the premire writers of comics and cartoons there is. Whatever he touches turns to gold, especially DC properties! Also, I know a lot of people who will buy this comic just for the Brian Bolland cover itself!

[newarrior]

[quote]Originally posted by SunWuKong:
<strong>Also, I know a lot of people who will buy this comic just for the Brian Bolland cover itself!</strong><hr></blockquote>

Anything about Zatanna...I'll buy.
Anything by Dini...I'll buy.
Anything by Bolland...I'll buy.
Most anything by Vertigo...I'll buy.

Yeah, I think I'll be buying this.