Legion World Forums LEGION COMPANION Dr. Gym'll's Cultural Rarities Zatanna

http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=34213

This looks like it might be a fun book.

.eerga I

Love the art work and it does look like fun, but not a whole lot of substance in the preview pages.

Hey, its Z in fisnets. Whats not to love?

*yes, I am a male and thus have my moments of male chauvanism. 'taint gonna 'pollagize, neither.



Oooooh, Princess Projectra in fishnets.

Hoping that tehre is a bit of exposition going on in those pages...and yeah Ric, how can you go wrong with Zee in Fishnets.

def add her to my buying list!

I'm giving it a try.

Agreed. Zee is one of those characters that under right writer I enjoy & under others I'm somewhat indifferent to. Oh and as her costume goes, I'm one of the few guys who prefers her sans-fishnets.

I like two of the outfits I know. The fishnets and the blue/white JLA Detroit era one. The ponytail one, not so much.

She also wore leathers for a short (all-too-short IMO) time in the mid-90s.

Not familiar with that one. Any idea of an issue or anything.

The leathers debuted in an Esteban Maroto-drawn Zatanna mini-series, which I haven't read. I saw them when she made a guest appearance in Ostrander's Spectre, but I can't remember the issue, only that it was somewhere in the first 30 issues.

I have the spectacular Ostrander Spectre at my folks...I'll check into it soon.

I had a dream about Zatanna last night and in it she was wearing her George Perez-designed blue and white costume. Proof positive that that is her best outfit!

I agree with you Blacula, I always liked that outfit the best. I didn't realize until a few years ago that it was basically a tuxedo costume.

This book has been on my pull list since it was announced over a year and a half ago. Dini has been working wonders with Zee in his Batman work. The guy gets her, and even more makes her work in a world of super-heroes.

With her life as a performance artist, I gotta say the fishnets is the best look for her. Everything else screams super hero spandex, and Zee just doesn't seem at home with that crowd.

I'm pretty much with CJ 100%. I've been waiting for this comic since Dini's first usage of Zatanna in Detective a few years ago. He writes her effortlessly and I feel like his stories with Zee will maintain the level of quality he had with Batman plus with the quirkiness Zatanna brings.

I also agree on the fishnet stockings / magician look, which differentiates her from all the rest. I don't want her to be 'just another superhero' and this helps set her apart. Plus its a callback to her father's series and all the great Mandrake-inspired magician characters of the early Golden Age. I would love if her adventures took on that pulp feel as well.

Plus, sure, she looks great in fishnets. Always a bonus.

Just read the preview with dialog in the back of Superman, the Last Stand of New Krypton.

I'm definately going to be getting this. Nice stuff. Set up of the status quo, or at least what seems to be the status quo. Looking forward to this.

Zatanna had a great showing in this week's The Brave and the Bold. I hope Dini writes her as well as I thought JMS did.

Not to mention Chiang's smoking hot (but in an understated way) depiciton of her. Loved that her club-outfit was kinda reminiscent of her Sindella-inspired black body-suit costume.

Got and read the first issue.

Not bad. Solid issue, with a lot of potential for the series. I'm on board for the time being.

The art was beautiful, and Dini really like the character, so I have hope that he'll keep the story flowing.

It was a beautiful book wasn't it. And the tweak to Zee's outfit should please fans from all angles.

Dini gave us a great opening. You can really appreciate's Zee's skill and talents, as well as her sincerity. The line about demystifing the mystical was so great, easily her "great power/great responsibility."

Crap... I can't really afford another book but you guys make it so tempting...

x2...

Definitely worth the pickup. Since I'm losing Power Girl, this works. And hey, the young woman that played Z on smallville...works for me. Give her a show...If they can make "Buffy", Charmed, etc...work...why not Z?

Bought it. Liked it.

Really liked the glimpse we got of Z as a person and what motivates her.

I quite enjoyed the first issue. Am looking forward to seeing what Dini does with Zee. He hasn't done wrong by her yet! (Unless you weren't fans of her flirting with Batman-- but I liked that. )

I just read this. This was the best start to a series in years, and yes I am including Legion in that.

Anyone not up to speed will know exactly who Zee is, what she does and what her motivations are by the end of the first issue.

The way Dini writes her is so natural that it gives the book a realistic feel which I know is a strange thing to see about a book headlining a magician.

The villian(s) of the issue downright scary. Very appropriate for a Zatanna series.

I just have one small complaint: Zee has assistants dressed up like the Joker and Dr. Light. I have a hard time believing that Zee would want either one of them having anythibg to do with their act.

Got it today based on everyone's comments here. Snagged 1 of only 2 copies left on the shelf. I am sure based on what I've read here, I will enjoy it.

Let me know what you think

Read it.

Loved every thing about it.

DAMN it. Well, I am going to collect for sure until the price hike. I will not make a final decision on dropping or keeping until then, but I reaLLLLy like issue 1.

My favortie thing about it was Zee's utter confidence. I don't think I've ever seen her portrayed in such a fashion.

So I stupidly never put this on my pull list even though I had every intention to buy it (Dini writing Zee? Natch) and my CBS was sold out. I thought 'no prob' and went to my backup CBS and *they* were sold out too! So no luck for me--no issue!

I guess that's good for Zatanna the series, but sucks for me!

Another kind of dumb thing I did: I bought an extra copy of Flash #2 and just realized it. I do that sometimes.

heh. I've wound up with extra copies of Hellblazer once in while. Usually during runs where I kinda put em aside and read em all in a batch (like now).

I was very very tempted to pick up Z #1, but didn't. I think my local store still has some, Des - shall I pick you up one?

If you did, that would be really groovy, Sean! I'd really appreciate it!

Want Flash #2 in exchange?

no thanks. I'll let you know if there is something of comparable value that you can seek out for me.

Absolutely! I'd be happy to grab it!

Kent, if yours is out, mine had 1 copy left today I can go snag.

mine had a bunch left last I was there.

Kent, did you happen to go to the CBS yet? I went today to mine and they had a few more copies of #1 available. I asked them to put one in my pull list but didn't buy it in case you already did. So if you didn't go yet, I can just grab the copy they saved for me; if you did go, that's awesome too, and I can tell my CBS not to worry about it and that I don't need the copy.

Shouldn't there be a second issue out right about now?

I must disagree. The leathers were just as much a statement of individuality as the fishnets, and they looked less trashy.

Reiterating my feelings on Zee's look:

To each their own. I personally think the magician costume plus fishnets combine to make her look like a stripper.

I can see your point definitely. So much depends on the way each individual artist draws it.

I'm not sure I understand why the current Zatanna artist draws her bust popping out over her vest...I don't think any woman has worn a vest that way in the history of, er, womanhood? There is no defense any of us can offer for that.

She DOES look like a stripper, now that you say it.

I think her magician's outfit makes the most sense though. It's a more friendly and accessible version of the sorcerer.


funny story: i brought my comics home this week, one of which was Zatanna 2 which features Zatanna on the cover ....


my partner started laughing, and asked "why are her boobs so big?"



maybe a proper vest, and a lower cut bathing suit would help

oh and she wears hooker boots instead of shoes. does she picks up her costumes from a sexy halloween store. haha

Issue #2 was fun. I am definately keeping this book on the pull list. Nice cross between super heroes and supernatural mixed in with real word stuff.

Her boob size could be reduced a bit, she's never needed huge ones to look sexy.

She doesn't, no, but Dini's Zatanna is probably meant to resemble his wife, stage magician Misty Lee.

I'll be honest, the overabundant bossom did stick out like a sore thumb in issue two.

But Dini's story was the main attraction for me. Pair him up with any artist on this book and I'll keep reading.

Read #3, and still loving this series. Thought it wrapped up a bit easily, but believable.

Zee is a difficult character to write considering her power...but Dini is doing a great job so far.

So far on this title, I'm enjoying it enough to continue but I have to say I thought it would be better. Perhaps I had my expectations too high?

Dini has a great handle on Zee, but the general plot & story of the first arc I thought was only kind of 'meh'.

Hopefully he's just trying to find his stride, and the plots will improve. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the Zee doing stuff / interacting with people scenes more than anything.

I started buying it again.

Does anyone else get the joke about Mammon's servants being made of orange flames?

There was such a long delay between the announcement of the series and its appearance that high expectations are understandable.

I'm still enjoying the book, but I agree with you that Zee and her interactions are the high point.

I'm way behind on this but I just read # 3 (the others are waiting in my pull).

I'm enjoying it! Zatanna's pretty badass. I *LOVED* that the first storyline was resolved in 3 issues, not 6.

I thought #4 and #5 have been a big improvement over the first three issues. The Vegas storyline is letting Zatanna show-off her heroic skills and personal life equally which is a nice touch.

I really hope, however, her enemies don't consist of run of the mill demons and devils every storyline. I can't help but feel the (insert name), Lord of Hell, is more of the same.

Vegas is a good setting for Zee. I'd like to see her return to Vegas every so often for a story.

Just read Z 6-8!

6 wraps up the Vegas storyline nicely and features a fun guest-appearance by Kid Zatara.

7 was almost silver-agey; the empty costume thing was kinda cheesy but kinda fun too. This ish also introduces the magic museum, which looks to be cool and isn't a throwaway concept as it appears in the next issue too. A nice enough done-in-one tale that matters, as it intros a new concept.

8: my favorite of the 3 issues I read. You better believe I'll be getting 9. Turning to the last page, I actually let out an audible gasp. THAT was kuh-REEPY!!!!

If you haven't bought ZATANNA and have wondered where to start, I say either 7 for the done-in-one as a sample taste but DEFINITELY # 8. That last page really got me. >shudder<

And 8 is illustrated by Cliff Chiang, who space-rocks.

hmm, I dropped it with 6. I'll have to look through 8 at the store.

thought I would like this way more ... but ... found myself just craving Madame Xanadu.

Wasn't Madame Xanadu one of those snooty high-falutin' hoity-toity scone-eating hot-tea-sipping with-pinkie-raised VERTIGO books?

You won't be getting that in Z. 7 or 8, so don't be expecting that.

I Liked Zatanna .... the art and stories were ok ... (imo) ... i just love Zatanna the character (and her last miniseries) so my expectations were really high. that's why I waited until the end of the story arc to drop it. i just didn't find it great.

People have mentioned that giving Zatanna a fear of puppets, a phobia, is a bit more realistic and makes her more human and understandable, instead of a perfect superheroine who is insufferable. Being afraid of puppets is an understandable fear, let's face it, some of them can be pretty creepy.

Although I love that she puked on Groucho on Sesame Street.

I also caught up on Zatanna #7 and #8 yesterday (Stamford was whacked by snow so I had an actual snow day!), and the comic continues to be a really fun title. It’s not the best out there but it does its job entertaining me.

#7 was a fill-in issue that ended up being an really fun Silver Age-esque story by Adam Beechen. The Magic Costume was a fun idea (right out of the Silver Age JLA), and I also liked how it was based on many of the great magic characters in DC lore, particularly Sargon the Sorcerer, who sometimes was a little whacky.

That issue also introduced the Magic Museum in LA, which I liked, and even more so, Antonia Steffanacia, who MUST be the ancestor of the dude from the 31st Century in the GDS and Magic Wars. That was the first thing I thought of and it fits really well.

#8 had Paul Dini returning for another very good story which introduces a new enemy for Zatanna’s rogues gallery (which is sorely needed). The puppetphobia is totally understandable and makes Zee relatable to the readers (and builds off Dini’s prior Batman / Zee story in Detective). The origin was well-done and I’m looking forward to the conclusion.

The Cliff Chang artwork was really terrific as well, and took Dini’s story to a whole other level. This is one of those occasions where I think the art exceeds the story.

The mystical therapist “Dr. Bodie” is an awesome concept. Love the Detective Chimp scene, which ties the whole sequence together and shows how brilliant it is.

I also found the mindwipe irony with Zatarra in the flashback to be very well done.

BTW, I no longer bother to read Zatanna’s spells anymore—I don’t have the patience.

I'm loving this book.

A year or so ago I picked up the TPB of Zatanna's search for her father, the original stuff reprinted, and I loved it. I hated the costume that George gave her. (I love George's art, but his costume redesigns over the years such as hers and nightwings disco look have left a lot to be desired) But I love this return to the classic that DC has followed the last decade and a half.

She does need more of a supporting cast. Its got a very episodic feel with her as the only regular character. I love the episodic feel, but she needs a regular crew a bit more to bounce off of.

# 12 was a nice done-in-one which featured a new spin on Z's powers. This book will never win any awards or anything but it is a fine read and a good view.

what's the new spin?

I agree completely. It took a few issues to find it's voice, but Zatanna has turned into a real solid read month-in and month-out and I've enjoyed it quite a bit.

When compared to the majority of DC's output, its certainly in the top tier of their offerings quality wise.

She faces a foe who can turn her reverse-sayings forward, so she has to get REAL creative with what she says...

Like we have ... reading backwards all these years!

I imagine her just giving up and resorting to a good roundhouse kick.

ty Lash.

I just read a small handful of comics.

NEW MUTANTS, a new direction that seems intersting but an issue itself full of too much filler.

JSA, wrapping up a leftover plotline and starting a new one... okay, but nothing great.

JLA, absolute crap that I didn't bother to finish reading and will no longer be purchasing until the relaunch.

YOUNG AVENGERS, always a fine read...

and ZATANNA # 13: fun dialogue, a fortune-telling cat, a horrible villain, the Spectre being awesome instead of lame like in JLA by Robinson, and a spooky revelation about a castmember.

I enjoyed ZATANNA 13 the most out of this short stack... make of that what you will.

I for one will miss it come September.

Ditto here. I've really liked this book and felt the character was a great throwback to the shorter story arcs but without being shorted in character and excitement.

I think this was a good series but IMO it started off very weak and only picked up speed midway through year one. I think that may have hurt the comic in the long run.

Regardless, I'll miss it!

# 15: another great done-in-one; I was actually afraid for Zee... but she showed why she's JLA material.

Right behind Secret Six and JSA, I'll be missing my monthly ZATANNA. 1 issue to go.

Preview of the final issue of Z :

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=9500&disp=table

and a cover by Adam Hughes! The insides are looking pretty great too! I like this guy, Ibanez's work, it's clear and communicative.

I am a bit ... disappointed ... <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">the guest is not Klarion but some one else ... . Is Klarion's schedule too busy for an issue of Zatanna?</span></span>

And with 16, it's over... DC has lost one of their best products. I have a recurring dream about a giant home with neverending rooms, and therefore enjoyed the scenes in Zatanna's house very much! A fun done-in-1 with a marvelous ending, those ticketholders are about to be retconned out anyway so I hope Zee slept a solid 10 hours!

If you didn't read Zatanna's entire series, I pity you for all the back-to-basics fun and excitement you totally missed out on... *choke* *dabs tear of pity for you away*

I will miss my monthly solo Zee adventure(s). *sigh*

Zatanna is a favourite character of mine but my wallet could only afford so many titles while hers has been running - and she didn't make the cut unfortunately.

Now that I'm dropping all my DC ongoings though (YAY DCnU!), which is 99% of all my comics purchases, I can afford to go back and collect all those comics I missed out on the first time - starting with this one!

YAY!!!!

DON'T EXPECT:

Overblown storylines, padded storytelling, 2-page splashes, wanton death and destruction

DO EXPECT:

Satisfying stories, nice artwork, suspense, an actual fright or two, rediscovering the joys of done-in-1 stories.

This was a nice issue, Ibanez is an artist worth keeping track of, I loved his work from his facial expressions to the action scenes to his detailed back grounds.

The story was a nice day in the life story, of Z being over worked and stretched too thin ... which most people can reate to .. but they got some action and adventure in there with the problem child Uriah.

Z polishes him off just in time ...

I did think for a moment that Z was actually <span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">going to start a magic school and that's how we'd see her retired </span></span>

I did like this subtle ode to her life and character. Overall it's just a nice compact story that lets us hang out with Z one more time without anything 'penultimate' and did the job of ending the series.

It's up there with Secret Six's ending.

Zatana Sure is SPECIAL

Zee's fishnets and top hat! One of the best costumes ever!

Cute city!

Cute and sassy toon Zatanna!

This has just reminded me; I never did go back and collect that Zatanna solo series. Need to rectify that asap!

And though I also love Zatanna's stage magician outfit, I just have such an undying love for her Perez one too. Wish it got more screen-time.

I agree, the Perez one is good too (and fit the Satellite League better).

... well she's got MY vote!

Anyone who can give Supes a panic attack is fine by me.

Supes had spent ages cutting out those voting slips.

Gosh, there are so many word balloons on that cover. That was certainly a bygone era!

Love the differing reactions. Hal and Ollie, true to character, are all "who needs her!" Batman is already trying to figure out the mystery behind it. Diana is appealing to Zee's friendship. And Supes is just stunned that someone would say no!