Watch Her Pull A Rabbit Out Of Her Hat

I admit that I've never been a big fan of Zatanna, the magical sorceress in the DC Universe.  I've always felt she was a weak character and wore a costume too closely resembling Black Canary's.  Mostly, though, it's always bugged me to have to read her magical spells written sdrawkcab.  (That's "backwards," folks.  See?  Annoying, right?)  It's always slowed down the reading process for me and made me lose interest when she'd jump into the ring in a Justice League of America battle. 

When DC Comics announced that Zatanna was getting her own monthly series, I wondered why.  I wondered why because I was curious why the Powers-That-Be thought that this supporting character was strong enough to carry her own series.  With so many interesting heroines, why should Zatanna warrant a starring role?  

I picked up Zatanna #1 this past week and found myself enjoying it (despite the backwards spells).  What intrigued me most was the writing.  Paul Dini provides some sharp dialogue and witty banter between Zatanna and her newly introduced supporting characters.  I felt like I was watching an early episode of Moonlighting.  I also love it when writers incorporate the hero's (or heroine's) personal/private life into the comic, as Dini did in issue #1.  I feel like after thirty years, I am finally getting to know who Zatanna is.  Lastly, I appreciated that the story (and hopefully future stories) takes place in San Francisco, away from popular cities in the DC Universe as Metropolis or Gotham City.  Sure, the Teen Titans make their home in San Francisco, but are they really ever there anymore?  (See my TT review.) 

As long as these elements hold true, I'll be reading Zatanna.  Or rather, I'll be reading (albeit slowly) Annataz.