Zatanna: Bring Down the House #1
From DC Comics
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Art by Javier Rodriguez
There is something so special and noteworthy about a new comic series that you simply trust from the first page, and that is precisely how I feel about Zatanna: Bring Down the House. I think that my confidence in this new DC Black Label series can be attributed to a few key factors.
First of all, the very existence of a Zatanna exclusive series is alluring and praiseworthy for longtime DC comics fans who have seen Zatanna’s character evolve in exciting ways over the last decade. As one of the few characters in the DC Comics pantheon that wield magic and interact with paranormal entities and places, any Zatanna focused story is a chance for something innovative and whimsical given her classic design and charismatic personality. No offense to Batman, but I am really happy that Zatanna has moved onto her own pursuits as opposed to being a cameo in Batman comics, though I love their friendship and am kind of surprised that Ram V hasn’t included her in his current legendary Detective Comics run as he was also the writer of Justice League:Dark.
Secondly, I have faith in the consistent quality of writer Mariko Tamaki who still doesn’t seem to get the recognition she deserves as a writer for some big titles like Detective Comics, Wonder Woman, and She-Hulk. In all of these titles, Tamaki has demonstrated her rich understanding of character and introduced engaging new ideas that are distinct from the traditional superhero narrative. Which is what makes her decision to tell a Zatanna story for Black Label particularly intriguing, I wonder if this is a story she has been sitting on for some time.
Finally, the most thrilling aspect of this title is definitely the art stylings of Javier Rodriguez who has swiftly become one of my favorite comic book artists of all time, for reasons that this first issue of Zatanna illustrates (pun intended) very well. If you are looking for a more thorough exploration of Rodriguez’s comic catalog, then I have to highlight the 2 Volumes of Al Ewing’s Defenders from 2021 that will fundamentally change your perception of what the medium of comic books can achieve on the page. Rodriguez’s unique layouts and perspectives create entire worlds that you want to dive into and his partnership on this series featuring a magical heroine is an inspired choice that can only amount to a visual masterpiece.
Let’s dive into Zatanna: Bring Down the House Issue #1 now which means-
WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Off the bat, Tamaki establishes that this story is going to delve into and be revealing of Zatanna’s origins in magic- as we see a young Zatanna performing a simple magic trick for her friends. However, one of Zatanna’s so-called friends is unimpressed and teases her, calling her names and egging her on to perform “real” magic.
In classic fashion, this relatively simple set up is rendered stunningly by Rodriguez with intricate layering and fluid moving shapes that feel more like iconic adventure fantasy novel covers than they do individual panels.
Zatanna appeals to her mysterious father who is shrouded in an extravagantly flamboyant magical room like the Sorcerer Supreme himself, and does not seem very pleased to hear his daughter's persistent questions about real magic.
We then cut to the present day where we see Zatanna preparing for her show on the Las Vegas strip which is such a great setting for this story, evoking classic “show-biz” imagery and instilling the idea of the transient dichotomy of magic as a natural art and a trick of the trade.
As she arrives at her theater, Zatanna is approached by a talent agent hounding her to switch venues for her act on the strip, an offer that Zatanna haughtily declines. Now in the wings backstage, Zatanna is disturbed to discover the same audience member that has attended her show six times in a row, remarking as such to her stage manager. We then get a glimpse of Zatana’s show with a dazzling two page spread before cutting to the less than glamorous autograph signing afterward where Zatanna assures her fans that she “doesn’t do any real magic.”
Flashing back, we learn what became of a young Zatanna’s pursuit of real magic as she inadvertently seems to evaporate the friend who was mocking her. I love that this first issue is playing with the concept of “imagination versus reality” through different means, whether it be a young Zatanna’s expectation of magic, or Zatanna’s suspicion of the audience member, or even the lackluster truth of an outwardly glamorous profession.
In a flash, as I would imagine is the reality for Vegas performers, we are at the opening of the evening show where Zatanna is once again perplexed to see the returning audience member. Fed up, Zatanna directly confronts the disguised patron who subtly warns her of her fate before being interrupted by the emergence of a colossal creature on stage that heads towards Zatanna with malicious intent and fire billowing from its mouth. In the same moment, the audience member mystifyingly informs Zatanna that “she knows what she is doing with HIM” and then more bluntly states “I know you killed your father.”
It’s a great cliffhanger that leaves us with more questions than answers as befits a magical tale. I for one am excited to see just how psychedelic and cerebral this tale is liable to become as we intimately learn about Zatanna’s past.
Please support your local comic book stores and dive into Zatanna: Bring Down the House Issue #1 on shelves now!
-Nicholas Aaron Hodge
