Zatara
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Giovanni "John" Zatara, aka simply Zatara, was a fictional magician appearing in various publications of DC Comics, beginning with 1938's Action Comics #1, which was also the first appearance of Superman.
History
As well as being an illusionist, Zatara also had genuine magical powers, which he focused through speaking backwards: he could do anything so long as he could describe it in sdrawkcab hceeps ("backwards speech", spelled backwards). This helped distinguish Zatara from the numerous Mandrake the Magician knockoffs that cluttered the comics and pulp magazines of the day.His love of magic began early when he was given a magic kit by his uncle, himself a professional illusionist. Although he began learning the craft in childhood, his early attempts at performing professionally were unsuccessful until he realized that he needed to work on his showmanship.
To that end, he dug up old diaries of Leonardo Da Vinci, who was a direct ancestor. While reading the diaries, which Da Vinci wrote in backwards spelling as a security precaution, Zatara learned that his family had the command of magic. He discovered this inadvertently when he accidentally gave a command to a mannequin to begin waving an arm wildly. Zatara realized that he could command it to stop by giving the order in backwards spelling.
With this new knowledge, Zatara developed a successful show. During the premiere performance a fire broke out on stage, forcing Zatara to use his command of real magic to put it out. While the audience mistook the incident as part of the act, Zatara realized that this power could be invaluable in helping people and he resolved to use it as such between shows.
Now better known as the father of his more famous daughter Zatanna, John Zatara sacrificed himself to save the universe during Crisis on Infinite Earths. Since then he has made sporadic appearances in the afterlife, including resurrecting Mason O'Dare in Starman #80, and the recent Seven Soldiers: Zatanna miniseries.
One Year Later
In Teen Titans v3 #34, there is a brief appearance of a young man referred to as Zatara that appears to exhibit or at least is mentioned as having magical powers. His connection to Zatanna or either Zatara is currently unknown, other than name and powers alone, as well as the fact that he is a professional stage magician like Zatanna. A recording of him in a later issue revealed that he left because one of his female teammates was "driving him crazy".
It is also ambiguous as to whether he was a member of the Titans at some time, since he is shown to be in the tower. There may also be tension between this new Zatara and the current Teen Titan Kid Devil. In Teen Titans v3 #35, Kid Devil mentions that "Blue Devil doesn't want me getting into trouble again, after what happened with me and Zatara." What happened and why are unclear though it will be explained in a future storyline, during which the Titans search for their missing members.
Zatara specifically will be a featured character in issue #39, according to artist Tony Danel. [link]
Other versions
Another Zatara was featured in a supporting role in the miniseries Kingdom Come and its follow-up, The Kingdom. This Zatara is the son of Zatanna and magician John Constantine, which makes him the grandson of the original. He is described as "a youthful Harry Houdini-like successor to the magician super-hero lineage."Other media
The one broadcast depiction of the character was in in a flashback within the episode "Zatanna", where the (apparently non-powered) character trained Bruce Wayne in escapology. Zatara has already died, of unspecified circumstances, by the time that episode took place. He was voiced by Vincent Schiavelli.In addition, in the Cartoon Monsoon contest, Zatara appeared in the Zatanna entry as a frustrated father.
External links
- [Zatara Index at Mike's Amazing World of DC Comics]
- [Jess Nevins' Comic Book Annotations for Kingdom Come #3]
- [Zatara Biography at Toonopedia]
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