Jla: Zatanna's Search (Jla (Justice League of America) (Graphic Novels)) [Paperback]

This book is a collection of seven comic books that deal with the character of Zatanna- a powerful, intelligent & sexy magician superheroine. We learn her origins in a story from 1980, and the rest of the issues deal with her search for her missing father. They include-

- "The Girl Who Split in Two" (Hawkman #4, Oct. & Nov. 1964) Here we meet Zatanna, daughter of the powerful magician Zatara for the first time as she searches the the universe to find out what happened to her father.
- "Batman's Bewitched Nightmare" (Detective Comics #336, Feb. 1965) Starring Batman & Robin
- "World of the Magic Atom" (The Atom #19, June-July 1965)
- "The Other Side of the World" (Green Lantern #42, Jan. 1966)
- "The Tantilizing Trouble of the Tripod Thieves" (Detective Comics #355, Sept. 1966)
- "Z- As in Zatanna- and Zero Hour!" (Justice League of America #51, Feb. 1967)
- "The Secret Spell" (DC Blue Ribbon Digest #5, Nov.-Dec. 1980) Finally- the origin of Zatanna!

Also included is a cover gallery and a great introduction by Steve Utley detailing how Zatanna was created. If you've read comics from the 1960's you're probably familiar with the light (and oftentimes silly) tone they take.

These tales about Zatanna are lots of fun and let us know all about an overlooked character who is actually very deep and very powerful. Right now she's featured heavily in DC's "Infinite Crisis" storyline (and she also has a great new mini-series written by Grant Morrison) so this is the perfect time to pick up this charming book.

...with great success.

The "Zatanna's Search" story was spread over five titles and four years during the Silver Age (the 1960s). It dealt with the efforts of the magician (or magicienne?) Zatanna to find her missing father Zatara, an almost forgotten Golden Age hero. The titles were all written by Gardner Fox and edited by Julius Schwartz.

The stories hold up fairly well. They are heavily plot driven, indeed as is not uncommon for 1960s DC one might say that they are heavily overplotted. One is left scratching one's head thinking things like "Why did Fox have Zatanna use magical counterparts (whatever they are) instead of the real JLA? What was the point of that?" And because they are heavily plot driven characterization is minimal; the adult reader wants more. What really *does* work is the amount of intrigue and downright sex appeal that Zatanna exudes, all from a sweet, all American girl next door face. This is a tribute to the various artists and especially the much underrated Sid Greene's inking. His inks make any penciller look great. When Zatanna is on panel all the other characters might as well be stick figures.

One problem I have with the collection as a whole is the inclusion of the Batman story and indeed the presence of Batman in the conclusion. This is not discussed in an otherwise excellent introduction but I would bet heavily that "the witch was really Zatanna" explanation was what later generations would call a retcon. By 1967 when the conclusion appeared Batman was a huge draw thanks to the TV show and titles with Batman on the cover and in the book sold much better than those without. So to get Batman in the concluding story Zatanna had to be shoehorned into Batman's career at some point and the witch story was the best (albeit poor) fit.

All in all, highly recommended as a high point of DC storytelling in the 1960s. To some this is damning with faint praise. While that could be argued, few would dispute that DC's artists drew consistently more capable, better looking, and sexier women than the competition.

This stellar DC Comics collection of Silver Age reprints by the legendary writer Gardner Fox focuses on the origin of the Justice League's sultry sorceress, Zatanna Zatara.

As the daughter of master magician, Zatara (one of the Golden Age Superman's contemporaries from Action Comics # 1, no less), the storyline features Zatanna setting off on a lengthy journey to track down her long missing father. Along the way, she encounters for the first time several of her future Justice League teammates: Hawkman, Batman & Robin, the Atom, Green Lantern, the Elongated Man, and finally, the League itself.

Following an insightful intro by writer Steven Utley, here are the stories (1964-1967) contained within:

1. "The Girl Who Split in Two" from Hawkman # 4 (Zatanna's first appearance)
2. "Batman's Bewitched Nightmare" from Detective Comics # 336
3. "World of the Magic Atom" from The Atom # 19
4. "The Other Side of the World" from Green Lantern # 42
5. "Tantalizing Trouble of the Tripod Thieves" from Detective Comics # 355
6. "Z - As in Zatanna - and Zero Hour!" from Justice League of America # 51

Bonuses: a two-page Cover Gallery and "The Secret Spell" short story revealing Zatara and his daughter's origins from DC Blue Ribbon Digest # 5 (1980).

While Fox's inventive storytelling (including dialogue) may seem very dated by today's standards, it doesn't mean that his Zatanna stories are by any means deficient. What a modern, young reader has to understand is that the Silver Age of comics focused on fun, guiltless entertainment for a broad spectrum of readers without referencing any serious implications about violence and other real world concepts. Essentially, this collection is geared for kids of all ages. My point is: enjoy it for what it is!

Rating: 10/10 (With Zatanna, courtesy of top notch writer Paul Dini, finally receiving her first ongoing series in May of 2010, this book is the perfect starting point for her newest fans.)

P.S. As a recommendation for older readers (13 and up), please consider checking out the following Batman collections (guest starring a contemporary Zatanna) by Paul Dini: "Detective;" "Death and the City;" and "Private Casebook." Another recent Paul Dini gem is the rare "Zatanna: Everyday Magic," that is quite possibly the best Zatanna solo story yet produced.