Zatanna #6: Hidden City, Hidden Tuths

Zee has her hands full as she attempts to save the Hidden City from a mad magical creature. As the city burns around her, Zee will have to finally make peace with her past and look forward to her future.

Zatanna’s return to the Hidden City comes to an end in spectacular fashion, but there are more things left to explore underneath the city streets. A bulk of this issue is the fight between Zatanna and the fire dragon destroying the city. Beneath the surface of the battle is a lesson in community and accountability which does resonate on some level, even if it can be a bit hokey at times.

Jamal Campbell’s re-contextualization of mythical beings in this universe (dragons, muses, undines, etc.) as magical creations of collective emotions of a person or a community was a very interesting exploration of the lore and this fire dragon acts as a destructive mirror for the Hidden City. The fire dragon was created by the civil unrest flooding to the surface, but was also quelled by the people choosing to save themselves (ironically with a manifestation of Zatanna’s mother). There is also the realization of Zee finally starting to move past the negative feelings for the Hidden City and start to reconnect with her grandmother.

Andrew Dalhouse’s gorgeous colors continue to boost Campbell’s already stellar pencils. The two page spreads are an explosion of immersive colors that grab your attention immediately, and the quieter moments are bathed in warm hues that signal the end of the conflict.