Zatanna #1: !Arba Arbadak

It’s here! It’s finally here!!!! After years of playing a supporting character in several Justice League lineups (except for that second volume of JLD by Tynion IV and Ram V) Zatanna, mistress of the backwards magic is back in her own solo ongoing book! Written and drawn by one of DC’s hottest artists, Jamal Campbell, and this first issue looks absolutely stunning, so let’s get on with this review!!!

Let’s start this off with me saying just how amazing this book looks. Zatanna is gorgeous. From the cover, to the very last page, this book looks gorgeous. Jamal really has a knack for rendering Zatanna and her world larger than life. He does everything in this issue. That includes writing, pencils, inks, and colors, which allows Jamal to portray his vision completely for Zatanna her world. It’s a high octane book, with lots of magic throughout the issue, which gives Campbell a chance to draw some crazy wild scenes for Zatanna, and the rest of the cast to experience.

Campbell gives us a brief history of Zatanna, but doesn’t take up too much time bogging the readers on with her 60 year history, but a rather quick cliffs notes, giving the story more room to breathe. Campbell’s voice for Zatanna is fun and whimsical, and his art compliments the tone of the story being told. Jamal also has an eye for creating new characters, and his design for the Lady White, the first arc’s villain, is an interesting look. It reminds me of M.C. Escher’s hands drawing hands art piece. It’s simple, yet a very effective design, which has me craving more of the Lady in the months to come.

Campbell introduces Zatanna’s new supporting crew, which looks like her show’s stagehands. Unfortunately we don’t get enough time with the crew to get a proper taste of who they are, but we’ve got time to get to know them. If I have any issue with the cast, it’s that we don’t get to see any of Zatanna’s Justice League companions, or any of the several characters in DC’s magical world. This book feels like it’d be a great story to see someone like Tim Hunter, Kid Eternity, or even Klarion, just to give us that little push that’s missing from this book. Thinking about it, I really want to see Campbell’s take on Kid Eternity or Klarion. His crisp, effervescent artistic style could just give us a definitive look for these characters. Plus it’d introduce these often overlooked characters to a whole new fanbase. There’s still a long way to go before we get to the end of this story, so I can’t wait to see what Jamal brings us next.