Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1
Originally Presented at Comixtreme.com on April 4, 2005
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Talking Backwards
To cope with a major failure, Zatanna turns to an odd group for help.
Writer: Grant Morrison
Pencils: Ryan Sook
Inks: Mick Gray
Colors: Nathan Eyring
Letters: Jared K. Fletcher
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Ryan Sook
Publisher: DC Comics
Review: As the Seven Soldiers project continues on, we go to the premiere mystic of the Justice League Zatanna. The daughter of the Golden Age hero Zatara, she’s got the power to cast magical spells by speaking the words backwards. But those powers can be tricky, they may not always work, and a major failure in this issue places her in the situation to see help from a most unlikely source - group therapy.
For most of this book it appeared that Grant Morrison was going to avoid something he did in the first two miniseries in this project (those being Seven Soldiers and Guardian in case you forgot) but then he pulls it out on the last page. I don’t want to spoil it, because it’s handled very well, but it’s worth nothing.
I also have to give Morrison credit for digging up some of the other occult figures of the DCU like Ibis and Taia, and the fabled “ghostbreaker” Dr. Terry Thirteen. While he’s picked his seven soldiers, it’s clear that he’s going to use other parts of the DC Universe as well.
In most cases, when Morrison gets metaphysical he starts to totally lose me. (I’m the only person I know who didn’t like The Invisibles.) This is one case, however, where his tendency towards the mystic may just work in his favor. Zatanna has always been one of those characters that belongs firmly in the magical realm, and that’s a good match for those particular predilections of the writer.
Ryan Sook isn’t a huge name in comics, but he’s built a reputation for pretty solid work and this series is no different. He does a very good rendition of Zatanna herself and a spectacular job depicting her battles on the mystical plane. I also have to give credit to him for a really outstanding cover - the color heroine in the midst of a flock of white bunnies really jumps out at the eye and it’s going to grab people’s attention on the racks.
Overall I still say Guardian is the best of the Seven Soldiers projects, but this is a close second, and a strong showing on the next three issues could help it rise to the top.
Rating: 8/10