Written By: Paul Dini
Penciled By: Jamal Igle
Inked By: Jon Sibal
Coloring By: John Kalisz
Lettering By: Pat Brosseau
Edited By: Joey Cavaieri
Associate Editor: Chris Conroy
Cover By: Adam Huges
Zatanna Created by Gardner Fox
The Plot
The last encounter Zatanna had with Brother Night, she almost lost. Now, Brother Night is planning a comeback with a team of mindless inmate band of servants. Zatanna must now face her most powerful enemy again, and this time she may not be so lucky.
Zatanna also pays a visit to the illustrious judge of the evil, The Spectre. What good will this serve? Not even Zatanna knows…a mystical cat told her to go.
My Awe Inspiring Opinion
Lucky number 13 right? WRONG!
Everything goes to Hell (literally) when Zatanna has two hefty storylines leading the charge in this issue. Paul Dini is back to reclaim his mantle as authoric dictator of the Zatanna series! #13 presents a lot of story to take in without being overbearing. This issue is only 20 pages but has a feeling of being much longer…which is a good thing! The amount of story applied to this issue is done in a way that only writers with Dini’s ability can achieve. Next month will definitely be a doozy!
Another compliment to throw Dini’s way is the way he approaches the theme of this series. With #13, Dini uses this comic like a magician uses their deck of cards…it’s not exactly what it seems to be and mystifies you in the process. And as we appreciate the skill it takes to master the art of a magical comic book, we should also recognize the creative idea being thrown out with #13; combining old and new characters to create something new and interesting. Zatanna and the Spectre are very well known within the DC Universe, but neither have been given the opportunity to flesh out their potential…not until Dini took over the magical world of DC Comics. (A little too Disney-esk maybe) With the incredible work that’s been done with Zatanna in the past year, the Spectre is now given his moment to shine!
Jamal Igle does really great work, as always, and doesn’t disappoint with this issue. Give him a task and he will see it through, no matter how daunting or difficult. City streets, action scenes, light and dark scenery, twisting and turning pits of despair where men are thrown and turned into mice, it’s no challenge for him. The mystical cat with the Jeweled eyeball did freak me out momentarily, which I’m sure was the hope, and only supports my already stated theory. I don’t want to overwhelm Igle as I’m sure he’s already as busy as can be, but it would be nice to see him continually work on both Supergirl and Zatanna. All I can do is hope.
My Majestically Climactic Conclusion
This was a shorty review, but worth reviewing either way. I’m glad I started picking this title up a few months ago. But, of course, anything Dini does is worth picking up right? Especially if it’s with Igle as well!
10 out of 10 Stars
