DCU Book Club-Girl Power! Week 31: ZATANNA (2010-) Issues 1-6

#5
Was fast paced, creepy and good. Mystical roofie, demon, pool of holy water…this was my favorite issue.

Also, as @doctor_fate23 mentioned. Mammon’s artwork is so good! (expand photo to see the whole thing).

https://i.postimg.cc/CxNP4yw2/Zatanna-5-Mammon.png

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@JLWWSM
The panel with the painting was for sure a strong one. I was reading that issue at night and it gave me serious vibes hahaha

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I like both the character and Paul Dini’s writing, but for some reason I just couldn’t get into this one. :frowning:

@trustymutsi
Hi! Thanks so much for giving it try. :slight_smile:

Okay, here is my attempt to answer the questions, after reading the assigned books. I will post this before I read other replies to this thread.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  1. Is this your first time reading ZATANNA (2010-)?
    Yes

  2. Why do you think Brother Night underestimates Zatanna?

He still thinks of Zatanna as the daughter of his old foe, not as a grown adult woman who has developed powerful magic skills of her own.

  1. Who was your favorite villain?
    I really do not have “favorite” villain. Which of the Zatanna villain would I least mind seeing again? If I have to pick one, I guess I will go for the Dream Demond, Fuseli.

  2. What were your favorite moments?
    When Zatanna finally makes it to her cousin Zach’s magic show

  3. Bonus Question: What’s Zatanna’s secret weapon?
    Fuseli – the Nightmare Imp – Dream Demon, that was bound inside Zatanna’s top hat? She did use him to save her father’s soul.

Or is Zatanna’s secret weapon that she can write out her backward spelled magic spells, when she is unable to speak, and they still work?

MACJR

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@macjr.1962.50796

Ahhhhh, I see my error there with asking “favorite villain”. I should probably say the “most memorable villain” or something like that instead of “favorite villain”. Thanks for sharing your candid thoughts, it helps me to improve the discussion questions.

Also, you’re the first person to go for the bonus question! Yay! There are no right or wrong answers, I was curious to see what people might say for that one.

I think her secret weapon is her relationships. Detective Dale Colton saved her from the dream situation by calling her. Her cousin Zachary Zatara saved her by checking up on her. People love and care about her and their checking in with her helps her to get out of difficult situations.

Thanks for joining in on the reading and discussion!

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As a shut-in, I guess I overlooked the obvious, of how family and friends can be a persons secret weapon, of sorts. :wink:

It would be nice to have a real world social network, but that just isn’t part of my current reality. So it goes. At least I do have friends online.

As for memorable villain, I will stick with the same answer then. A demon that can control your dreams could play havoc with your psychological health, big time. But imagine the good a reformed imp could do, if they tried, by giving people good dreams that help them resolve their issues instead of making nightmares for unsuspecting sleepers.

MACJR

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@macjr those are some dope responses. I like they way you analyzed these issues. I hope you are reading swamp thing because I would definitely like to hear what you have to say!

@macjr.1962.50796

Please know, if you suddenly disappeared from the forums or Discord, we’d be asking questions and following up on you - just like Zatanna’s friends =)

I have blind spots. For example, when we read Red Hood, I asked why Talia was into Jason (or something like that), and I totally missed the idea that perhaps Talia was genuinely attracted to Jason! That concept didn’t occur to me - probably because I’m single and not looking for a relationship, so that concept wasn’t on my mind.

Another secret weapon could be her ability to be merciful. A recurring theme I see with Zatanna is the mercy she gives to her enemies. It was Zatanna’s mercy for the dream demon/imp that eventually saved her father. She showed mercy to Raymond by turning him into something without a soul so that his soul couldn’t be tortured.

There are no wrong answers, just lots of ideas!

Also, I am 100% on team reformed reformed imp! I love that take on the character!

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To be fair, it also probably didn’t occur to you because it’s WRONG and only works for memes, but I digress. :joy:

I think another take on her secret weapon is her whole showwoman persona. I think a lot of people will look at her in battle, clad in her fishnets and top hat and assume that she’s just some hack peddling her skills. But not only does she have far more power than they expect, she commands the battle just as much as she does the stage. In that sense, what appears to be a weakness is actually her biggest strength.

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@Jay_Kay
That’s a cool that take on her secret weapon! Also, I cheered when I read your “she commands the battle just as much as she does the stage” - Yes, she sure does!

@Jay_Kay that is totally a cool concept. It’s almost a form a deception, sort of like slight of hand! Very magician like.

  1. Is this your first time reading ZATANNA (2010-)?

No, I read the first three issues at some point. I don’t even know when, but I recalled the story pretty accurately.

  1. Why do you think Brother Night underestimates Zatanna?

I think he underestimates Zatanna for several reasons, but the most pressing being he seems himself as a God among mere mortals. He is grandiose on himself. He does not value life the same way that most of us do, which is witnessed by the way that he has gained his powers.

  1. Who was your favorite villain?

The fire demons hands down, especially because it seemed to continue some old lady theme going on within the two book club discussions I have participated in to date.

  1. What were your favorite moments?

I loved the back and forth between what she was saying in the scenes with the roses. Seeing that play out showcased to me one of the beautiful things about this character. She was still strong willed even though she was enchanted. I did not enjoy the first three issues as much as I enjoyed the last three. I loved seeing the “Brat Pack” and the references to that when she was Vegas. It seems like a natural fit that she would be in that town to perform. While I enjoyed the last three more, I would say I enjoyed all six as enjoyable adventures featuring this character. There were some violent moments, but I like horror and these felt akin to that. I found myself ready to read more and I probably will this weekend. There were nods to other things that have involved her. I think there was a nod to “Reign in Hell” when they discussed a recent battle that took place in hell. Also seeing the Dr. Light, Batman, and Catwoman people haunting her was an excellent nod to events surrounding her from Identity Crisis and during Infinite Crisis. Liked that they nodded to that, but allowed this to be removed from it all as well. It felt like a fresh starting point for her, which I felt was appropriate here.

  1. Bonus Question: What’s Zatanna’s secret weapon?

I like several things that @JLWWSM brought up because I agree that it is the relationships that she has and makes that help her throughout. It is definitely her secret weapon. While she is merciful to the demon she puts in her hat, it is almost like a relationship is formed there as well. One of reciprocity, I helped you and now you help me. She forms bonds with people wherever she goes. Also her strong will is a secret weapon. We see twice, at least, when others may have given up, but she continues going. She is quick in mind to push through the enchantment at one point and to be able to write out the words backwards during another moment. She fights for herself and others, which was beautiful to watch during her battles. It also was apparent during almost every conversation she has within the book. She honestly cares about them and wants to see them be successful and happy, including her cousin.

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@PrincessAmethyst
LOL at the “old lady theme”! We are on roll with that. =) Never underestimate the old ladies - they’re fun.

Thanks for posting your thoughts and responses! To your point, she really does fight for both herself and for others. I love that!

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Just finished reading Zatanna (2010). Honestly, this was probably one of the best Girl Power weeks yet! It had comedy, a good story, drama, and a good ending. I really like the relationship Zatanna has with her other magic partners and her cousin. It shows she has a strong bond with the people she works with and it makes her seem extremely humble. Overall, great character, good villain, and great comics!

  1. First time reading ANY Zatanna comic! I know her from Young Justice, but besides that, I didn’t know her well.

  2. I think Brother Night underestimates Zatanna because he has already defeated her father. He suspects that she hasn’t learned all of the skills her father knows, making her weaker, and therefore easy to defeat.

3.Not sure if he’s technically a villain, but I really liked Sonny Raymond. Even though he is trapped in a contract with the devil, he is kinda enthusiastic about it. he doesn’t seem so motivated to get Zatanna, but once immortality, and freedom from his contract are in the picture, he will do anything to get Zatanna.

  1. My favorite moments were in the range of Issue #2, Pages 7-21. The entire dream part of the comic is really fun and really brings out Zatanna’s worst fears. It also brings out her strengths, and how strong she is by showing her defeating her nightmares.
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@FlashPoint0909
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I’m glad you enjoyed it and got a chance to get to know more about Zatanna.

Regarding #3, I couldn’t trust Sonny after this panel. He has the “crazy-eye” :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: look of a villain - haha!

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@doctor_fate23, sorry, your post slipped by me. Thanks for the complements. I am not ready to dive into a Swamp Thing assignment right now, unfortunately.

Life is a bit chaotic with me right now, and I have bunches of projects to get back to. However, at least from time to time I will probably jump into more of these Book Club assignments.

MACJR

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Sorry for being a bit MIA! I finished the first 3 issues and i figured I’d talk about them!

First things first, discussion questions!

  1. Yes this would be my first time. I eyed this book during many a Comixology sale, but never pulled the trigger.

  2. Yes and no. I mean he for sure underestimated Zatanna for even going against her. But he pretty quickly went for the big guns by getting the help of that night terror demon thing. I think he knew she was a threat.

I’ll answer the rest once I’ve finished the last few issues.

But speaking of that night terror demon, how freaky was that thing? For sure a highlight of the book for me. Seeing him weasel out of his punishment when Zatanna caught him was a real treat. I’m disappointed she let him go at the end of the 3rd issue. I would have loved for him to have stuck around. A buddy cop story with a super hero magician and a night terror demon?! How cool would that be.

I enjoyed these first 3 issues a lot. I was happy to see those kids have their souls set free at the end. And Zatanna sending him to jail was awesome. Great few issues, IMO.

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Just wrapped the last 3 issues, good stuff!

Rest of the discussion questions:

  1. I’ve still got to give it to my dude the night terror demon. Although Benjamin Raymond is going to be a close second.

  2. Favorite moments. Hmmmm probably the page I’ve included. I really wasn’t expecting to like Zach as much as i did. Also the appearance of the Royal Flush Gang was neat.

I really enjoyed these last few issues. I liked the first 3 more, but Zach really stole the show for me. I don’t know much about that character but i loved the way Zatanna plays a big sister role for him. You can tell he really just wants her approval. That last page with her at his show was so cute. Great pick JL this book was super fun!

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@MattMcDonald
No worries =)

Regarding, “Seeing him [the night terror demon] weasel out of his punishment when Zatanna caught him was a real treat.” - LOL I enjoyed that moment too.

The panel page you shared with Zach was a great moment. Total family drama! Hahaha! :slight_smile: