Zatanna
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Zatanna, full name Zatanna Zatara is a fictional wizard, a superheroine, and a longtime member of the Justice League whose adventures are published in comic book form by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appears in Hawkman #4 (October-November 1964). Her full name is Zatanna Zatara and she is often nicknamed “Zee.”
Zatanna is the daughter of magician John Zatara, who appears in DC comics from the Golden Age of Comic Books, and Sindella, a member of the mystical “Homo Magi” race. She ususally dresses in the garb of a female illusionist, with tuxedo jacket, white vest and gloves, top hat, leotard and fishnet pantyhose, and has inherited her family's inherent ability to cast powerful spells. Like her father, she does this by describing the desired effect in backwards speech (e.g., sdrawkcab hceeps or hceeps sdrawkcab), similar to Rechtub klat, the backwards slang of Australian butchers.
Rarely a headlining character, Zantana is a prominently consultant of paranormal matters for DC superheroes and has been a longtime member of the all-star Justice League, although her immense power worries many Leaguers. She has been featured in the animated series Justice League Unlimited and the related flash animation series Gotham Girls.
Character biography
Origins
Zatanna is a stage illusionist before discovering her inherent magical abilities when investigating the disappearance of her father. Published in 1964, this search was the subject of the first major comic book crossover, and in it, Zatanna meets superheroes including Batman, Hawkman and Hawkwoman, and Green Lantern.Justice League member
Zatanna assists the Justice League of America on a number of cases before finally being elected to membership in Justice League of America #161. During her tenure with the group, her power level diminishes briefly, so that she can only control the four elements of Empedocles (earth, air, fire, and water); this limitation is reversed in World's Finest Comics #277.Come Together
In the 1993 limited series Zatanna: Come Together, Zatanna is worried about her lack of focus in using her magic. She decides that her father's style of magic is wrong for her and explores her mother's mystical heritage.Identity Crisis
The 2004 limited series Identity Crisis reveals that while Zatanna was a member of Justice League, the villain Dr. Light brutally raped the Elongated Man's wife Sue Dibny and, when captured, went so far as to threaten the other JLA members' family members as well. The JLAers present voted to have Zatanna erase Light's memory of the rape as she they had her erase the memories of other villains in the past; however, it was also agreed that she should tamper with Light's mind so that he wouldn't pose a threat to their loved ones. Zatanna used her magic on Light, accidentally lowering his intellect as a result. In the midst of this spell, Batman appeared and tried to stop the group; consequently, Zatanna erased Batman's memories of the event as well.Batman and Zatanna's relationship does not improve after he finds out about the alteration to his memory. When Zatanna helps Batman with reconnaisance at a Lazarus Pit, she asks him why he came to her. "I needed someone I can trust," Batman says. "I had to settle for you."
After departing from the team, Zatanna regains her full power and continues her stage career with the additional calling as a sentinel against mystical threats.
Seven Soldiers
A 2005 four-issue Zatanna limited series was published as part of Grant Morrison's Seven Soldiers of Victory event. Zatanna reveals that the reaction of her peers to the mindwipes, as well as the inadvertent deaths of several people in a failed magic ritual she conducted, were so extreme that she lost her self-confidence and magical abilities. With the help of her new apprentice Misty Kilgore and the news of an impending apocalyptic battle, she regains her powers. Her continued solicited appearances imply that she will be one of the Seven Soldiers to survive.Vertigo
Zatanna also appears in DC's Vertigo imprint. She appears several times in The Books of Magic, typically to counsel Timothy Hunter, the main character. In Hellblazer she was the tantric partner of John Constantine at one point in the past.An alternate version of Zatanna with blonde hair is seen in . In the series, Zatanna fights for a coalition of human and faeries against the dictatorial class of faerie ruling elite.
Possible relatives
In addition to John Zatara and Sindella, it is at least implied, throughout her history, that Zatara is related to artist Leonardo da Vinci, who was secretly a magician in the DC universe; prophet Nostradamus; Freemason Cagliostro; alchemists Nicholas Flamel and Evan Fulcanelli; and King Arion of Atlantis.Depictions in other media
Animation
Zatanna appears in (voiced by Julie Brown) as an illusionist with no apparent magic powers. She developed a close friendship with Bruce Wayne during the years in which Wayne was travelling the globe, learning skills that later serve him as Batman. Wayne came to Zatara as "John Smith" to learn to be an escape artist but also found his young daughter to be growing attracted to him. Zatanna later comes to Gotham with her magic show, but finds herself being framed by a criminal magic debunker. Her efforts to restore her name and stop the villain put her side-by-side with the Batman, whom she recognizes as John Smith.
Further DC Animated Universe depictions, both on online Flash animation shorts and Justice League Unlimited (voiced by Jennifer Hale) episodes, show her with real magical abilities. In Justice League Unlimited, Zatanna knows Batman's secret identity and that he has romantic feelings for Wonder Woman. A member of the expanded Justice League team, her most prominent JLU episode is "This Little Piggy", in which she helps Batman recover Wonder Woman after the latter is turned into a pig by Circe. The episode culminates with Batman singing "Am I Blue?" as Circe and Zatanna swoon over his rich singing voice. The original ending of This Little Piggy reveals that Zatanna lost no time in gossiping with her fellow Leaguers: she shows them images in her crystal ball of Batman singing.[[Citing sources citation needed]] In the revised ending, she merely tells Wonder Woman behind the scenes in a "girl talk".
DCAU fan-favorite writer Paul Dini wrote both of Zatanna's major appearances as chronicled above, and apparently likes the character quite a lot. (In 1998, Alan Burnett told Wizard Magazine: "Paul Dini wanted to use Zatanna because he’s secretly in love with her. It’s something we try not to talk about too much.") Dini later married magician Misty Lee, who has been cited by Zatanna fans as a real-life version of the character, so the last laugh may indeed be his.
Zatanna makes two appearances in the Gotham Girls flash animation episodes. In "A Little Night Magic", Zatanna walks home on her own after doing a magic show and has some adventures on the way: She turns a robber's gun into a snake, splits a truck in half when it almost runs her over, and turns some street thugs into toads after they take her hat. In "Hold the Tiger", Zatanna stops Catwoman from stealing the Cat's Eye Opals from a jewelry store. Zatanna doesn't arrest Catwoman but instead asks Catwoman for help in finding her white tiger.
Two episodes of a Cartoon Monsoon contest entry feature Zatanna a teenage hero who is a cross between Sabrina The Teenage Witch and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Video Games
Zatanna will appear in the upcoming videogame Justice League Heroes by Snowblind Games.
External link
- - DC Database Project
- [Index to Zee's Earth-1 adventures]
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