For a woman with great powers and a lineage that goes back to the very early moments of the Golden Age, Zatanna often gets short shrift as a character. I am glad that a connoisseur like Sasha is giving her the dues she deserves.
Zatanna is awesome! She's fun and sexy, but also intelligent and resourceful. Even in B:TAS when she has no powers she is incredible! And any female character that can rock fishnet tights while she turns you into a toad is alright in my eyes. Plus her powers are OP
Fun Fact: Zatanna #4 was written and drawn before issues 1-3. Dan Didio felt that issue 4 didn't pack the punch that a first issue should and the issue originally intended to be the first was delayed.
@@calumhouston3308I do think the #4 issue is pretty great starter issue. It's has packed actions, it's show what Zatanna capable and characterizations nicely
I feel like zatanna is written like superman, her powerset isn’t clearly defined so the writers have to come up with villains she can’t literally speak out of existence, it’s done pretty well in this series tho
Throwing a group who tried to murder you back into the past of Salem where they most likely would be killed is a creative gray area suitable for the complexity of Zatanna’s character.
No one was burned in Salem. All but one of the 'witches' were hung. The one who wasn't, was pressed. (Laid down and had slabs of rock placed on them until they were crushed/asphixiated.)
I'm not allowed to share this but I can't keep quiet anymore. Sasha has a Lois tribute room as well. Sasha likes to ship her Lois mannequins with all sorts of heroes and villain cut-outs. This knowledge was haunting me, I feel better.
When I read the title I was sure that you were going to be covering the 1993 Zatanna mini series, where Zatanna encounters her mother Sindella. Now that is a FORGOTTEN Zatanna series.
The only thing I knew about the comic was the influx of great Zatanna covers, panels and png files at the time, it just delivered. Now seeing the run, Zatanna is like "What if Yennefer was in the DC, and didn't have a Geralt figure to bounce off of", like the mannerisms, the magical punishments and the disrobeing downtime seem very "Witcher Sorceress" vibes. Kinda sad it ended on a whimper, but The New 52 was nigh. By the way Sasha, love the outfit, it's like Young Justice's Zatanna, but floral themed.
The series and Batman issues are cool. Zatanna is extremely awesome in the Justice League Action cartoon, and they portrayed her powers in an awesome way in Young Justice.
Nightwing, Starman (Jack Knight), and Zatanna all tie as my favorite comic characters. I believe that some of Paul Dini's own love for Zatanna stems from his marriage to actress and magician Misty Lee. Zatanna has long been criminally underutilized and I think that it is past time for someone to write her a new solo, or at the very least, a two-hander series.
Dini’s use of Z in the DCAU is what hooked me in on the character. Cheeky, intelligent, human, powerful. Throwing in a frenemies with benefits relationship with Constantine and that’s cherries on top of a cake.
Zatanna is great character that needs more exposure, I love when team up with Justice League Dark or Batman or John Constantine. Awesome video as always I love the voices and accents you give the characters when doing the reenactments. 👍👍
Thanks for talking about Zatanna, she is one of my favorite superheroes. I think she deserves more attention. I read this series when it came out and I was so excited with the first issues but it sadly ended abruptly. I really hope that at some point we see another Zatanna solo series. It would be great if you do one more video about her with the secret origins issue from the 80s and maybe some other stories from the bronze and silver ages pleaseeee
I always liked Zatanna and I would love to see more about her and more development for Zachary. I vaguely remember reading a series were he gets stuck in a world of his dreams with other magic users.
I'm totally in love with Zatanna. Zanna and Dinah teaming up is a fishnet fan overload, as well as being two prime Justice League members getting a crossover of their own. Thanks for this intro to her solo series, and your Zatanna floral print Tuxkini is absolute peak fashion.
Getting more Zatanna was great, I was always interested in her story since Batman the animated series. I wish we would have got to see more of her. Also the majority of her comic covers are great.
@CasuallyComics Can I just say I appreciate so much your attention to smaller characters and forgotten stories? I never know what you're going to cover and I love that... most channels only cover what's going on right now, but as a devoted reader of backissues... I really appreciate you giving me something to look for! Your channel and humor make for instant subscribe!
I've been fascinated by Zatanna ever since she showed up in the original Books of Magic series. She, like many DC characters, has suffered from not having a solid enough canonical story to prevent being portrayed in fairly different ways by different writers, but whenever she shows up there is always the potential for something interesting to happen. The biggest challenge with her character is how to provide meaningful challenges for someone who can do almost anything she can imagine, but that's not an unusual problem (e.g., Green Lantern). She seems like she should be one of the big powers in the DCU, but she's always used as a second-tier character.
I love this series and am so happy you featured it...helping to make it a little less obscure. I'm a big Zatanna fan and wish this series had gone on longer. I wish DC would feature her again. I think in the Harry Potter, Scarlet Witch, other Magic superhero's and fantasy world there would be an interest in her. I love your channel! I'd be interested in your review of Justice League Dark, which also features Zatanna.
There was a wild Zatanna Mini series in the late 80s called Zatanna Come Together. It was written by Lee Marrs and drawn by Estaban Maroto. If you can, check it out.
I just read this series recently, and thought the writers were clever about coming up with challenges for a character who can seemingly do anything, and creative ways for Zatanna to use her ingenuity to prevail. It made me wonder if Dini would be a good writer for a Flash series since speedster powers often seem insurmountable (once time travel is in your repertoire, all bets are off).
Big zatanna fan! I remember when this series came out I was just starting to get into comics and was so excited and confused as to how comics work. Didn’t realize one shots were a thing so I was so confused as to why things weren’t connecting much and why the art was so different between issues haha but I super enjoyed it. Found out tons of other heroines I loved had their own solo comics and picked this up too! Catwoman , Harley Quinn, Scarlet Witch. Love it 😍
I'd love Paul Dini to give this series a proper send off tying up all the loose threads. Hell, at this point I'd love a Zatanna series. Ekam ti neppah, CD!
I just finished reading this series the other day and agree that the ending wasn't really satisfying. I was pleasantly surprised to see you covering it, Zatanna being my favorite DC female. Hope you cover more Zee in the future!
The series missed an opportunity - Zatanna vs. Mr. Mxyzptlk. She says her spell words backwards, he tries not to say one word backwards, both are magic-based and travel across dimensions.
How? Zatanna saying words backwards doesn’t effect Mr Mxy. Mxy has to say his name backwards Zatanna says words purposefully backwards. So not really a missed opportunity but instead just putting 2 characters who sort of have a quasi connection because of the backwards aspect because they can
Yep, enjoyed this series very much when it ran. Wasn't paying any attention to the business side of comics, so was disappointed whem it ended so abruptly. Dug the idea of her stage crew knowing she had real magic, and would've liked to see them all fleshed out more. A fun read, and really terrific to see Z stand on her own after guesting for so many years. You've now whetted my appetite for a deep dive on the histories of Zatarra and Sargon. Bring it!
That cover art is gorgeous for each one! I think Zatanna definitely deserves a solo series again. And I never knew about Zachary he seems like a fun character to get to know 😂
I've always liked Zatanna as a character. I had not heard of this series, but I plan on looking for either a collection or back issues. I think it's good to see her question herself after erasing the memories of several people, especially her close friend Batman. I don't know if that had been explored before. Again, thanks for featuring this one.
I just finished this series and I gotta say, I would love to see DC push Zee again in the Dawn of DC era. There’s so much potential with her, maybe less one shots this time around.
You call this the forgotten Zatanna series but I remember there was a Zatanna mini-series where they really dig deep in the Zatanna is a witch as she joins a wicken coven gets new powers and a new look. Which is completely forgotten about the next time she is seen.
It was only referenced once and that was in an issue of the Spectre. The Zatanna mini was written by the late Kim Yale, the wife of John Ostrander who was writing the Spectre at that time.
I looked on Amazon for the series. But it’s a bit pricey. Honestly, I’d love to see a reboot of her series!! Thank you for a great video on her! You’ve got me hooked!
I've read this whole series and it's supplementary material a few times over, I'm one of those Zatanna diehards you mentioned during the vid and you showed me a lot about this series and Zatanna as a character over these videos (this and the mindwipe piece) that I hadn't known about before. Thank you for the insight and for this stellar review, im going to sub and stick around for more!
Being a semi-pro magician, I have been drawn to the Zatanna character for a long time. However, I only collect Bronze Age DC comics, so I never delved into the modern Zatanna....until this series. This series introduced me to Paul Dini's writing and I was hooked! It just WORKED for me. The variety of characters, tight storylines, excellent art, and REALLY good dialog made this series a thrill to read. Brother Night was an awesome villain to build on and the whimsical Uriah story was just hysterical. Zatanna chasing him through the different dimensions was well-executed, light fun. I particularly liked the dialog which was intelligent and flowed very well from character to character while moving the stories at a good pace. It is difficult to find stories (or movies) with truly interesting dialog and this series had it. In short, I loved this Zatanna series.
This is such a neat little series, I always like when the smaller DC characters get their own solos. You should look at the Deadman mini and solo series at some point. Those were both pretty good and the solo ended too soon in my opinion.
Awesome video as usual! I´m sure that, with the Zatanna movie happening, a new run will happen. PS Since squeaky wheel and all that... 1. A tour of your shelves. 2. History on Crepper: is he a hero, antihero or villain. Please.
I did not know Zatanna had her own comic book series. Thank you for sharing this video. To your question. I would LOVE to see Zatanna get her own new comic book series. I would definitely support it.
I'm glad someone is finally talking about the Zatanna solo series I loved this run, but no one knows about it which is sad, I wonder if the Zatanna movie will draw inspiration from it or what they'll do?
@@asantemoitt133 Thank you! Yes I am so glad she showed it off. I always look forward to a new episode of Casually Comics. I just wanted to express my appreciation for what she's doing for all of us.
Thank you for the video. I hope you have time with Grant Morrison Seven Soldiers Zatanna, that 4 mini issues is very magical and have a great battle in the end
I enjoyed this series much like I did Conner and Palmiotti's Power Girl, as this little intimate corner of the DCU, with a little quirk and a lot of heart. I'm always on board for a Dini book, but this one was the type of superhero book I love.
She's such a great character and woefully without a solid backstory. Zatarra's era didn't go that deep and she's been an ensemble character for so long it's cool to see some things fleshing out. I wonder what her moral ambiguity says about the writers? Wouldn't it be cool to see an upgraded costume that didn't look like another lady vampire/Black Canary/ Catwoman frock? Okay musing moment over. Zatanna...awesome. Sasha & CC....super cool. saicarg sahcum!
When it was announced that this would be collected in a trade I instantly jumped on to it. I kind of liked it was kind of episodic because its a nice change to the 6 issue arc model. I always had a soft spot for Zatanna but couldn't find much reading material in a collected format to read about her. I'm ecstatic that WB decided to develop her a solo movie, I hope they take some inspiration from this series or get paul dini to write it. I just hope that its just as fun as this series.
This is awesome that you did this series. Some if the story is kinda slow, but I love Zatanna. I have even managed to get lucky and find the Bolland variants for issue 2&3 in my local shops dollar bin!!
Zatanna is a character I really need to read more of. Hopefully with the movie in development, DC will do some "brand synergy" and give her another solo run. Also, mini-fun fact: according to the pre-new 52 Power Girl run, Zatanna's answering machine says if she's not answering she's in danger. Which... really makes that months part make less sense. Does no one call her? (and Ps. I'm down for a Power Girl-Zatanna friendship. Make. it. happen.)
This was the first series I got into & collected the whole length, so it's cool to see Sasha feature it here. I would definitely pick up another series on Zatanna. Her powers are so cool, especially when she had to resort to using palindromes to win the fight. (I'm a sucker for wordplay)
I really enjoyed this series. It's fun. Just a side note it can be hard to keep track of but it's Lilah Struges what what shows up on the cover of that issue is her deadname. If you look at any more of her old work just try and be aware. Though one can hardly be expected to remember everything about every writer.
Yeah I remember being really invested in it, Paul Dini could always write an enjoyable superhero romp with heaps of levity as well as it being serious at times too, it's what I want in a DC comics (and not have ALL the levity be coming from Harley Quinn which seems to be always of late, also a breath of fresh air not seeing HQ pop up in this comic which was surprising given she's Paul's creation, maybe he wanted a break from her too). Absolutely loved that short story about young Zatanna getting braces; too cute. This and also Uncle Sam & The Freedom Fighters having new plot threads taking off, only to be abruptly cancelled to pave the way for N52.
Somehow I thought, you would use Peter David`s introduction of "Klarion... Bum, Bum, Bum... The Witch Boy" at 14:30 ;) However, another great video, and an interesting review of this series.
I read it as it came out. Since Dini was going to be doing most of the writing, I thought this would be interesting since I knew his affection for the character at the time. I liked it. I think I have all the issues. You captured the highs and low of the book. There was always a sense of fun in this series. Thanks for the video.
I still think Zatanna could fare well with a epic storyline with big ripple effects throughout DC, maybe wake up DC to how powerful and possible threat she is. Think about Batman and The Spectre having to take her voice during a fight where Zatanna has already taken down Superman, Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, and Constatine, that could be an awesome issue.
I’ve always been intrigued by Zatanna (basically all magic users have a certain draw to me), but I think the only Zatanna thing I’ve properly read was the Black Canary team-up that you mentioned. I liked that, though, and based on what you’ve said, I want to find these other comics to read now too!
Adds to the understanding of Zatanna & Zatarra's relationship. Zatarra was around early in the Golden Age. Zatanna is clearly Silver Age. Did DC ever try to pin the father in Earth 2 ( I'm thinking of how they did convolute Black Canary ) this helps to appreciate Zatanna and Zatarra's parts in Justice League Dark. Your mention of a possible throwdown between Zatanna and Spectre made me think of Day of Judgement where Shazam went against an Eclipso possessed Spectre and the Shadowpact drew magic from throughout the multiverse that Enchantress channeled into Captain Marvel and even then Cap could barely hold his own. It seems that Spectre should be way out of Zatanna's league, but Enchantress... that would be interesting.
I've read the series. It made me a Zatanna fan. I love her! In fact it's one of my favorite comic series ever. Though I do agree those last couple issues with the cancellation due to New 52 did mess things up a bit. And I hope that one day she does get a solo series cuz sorry not sorry, am not a fan of Justice League Dark. I tried both runs and just couldn't get through them.
Two videos from Sasha in one day! What a treat! (other one was members only. Join us!) I've always loved Zatanna. Had a bit of a crush on her in that old Batman cartoon. Her and Ivy. And yes, I do ship her with Batman. Sorry not sorry to the Constantine fans. I read this series about a year ago. I did enjoy the start, but agree with you that it kind of fizzled out in the end. I'd love a new series about her.
I kind of like Zatanna’s powers being fast and loose. Personally, I think it adds a lot of fun and creativity. Too often, magic characters in media just shoot beams of light out of their hands. I think the idea of “anything can happen” fits a stage magician well, especially when she’s up against other reality bending beings with a penchant for spectacle.
I love Zatanna! I had many of these comics, and they are cool. She's also cool in the cartoons, especially Justice Action, where she is extremely metal. They portrayed her powers in an awesome way in Young Justice.
Don't know much about the character besides what you see of her in the animated movies, always thought she was interesting and am ecstatic they kept her sexy outfit. The Paul Dini chapters were fun, always having little humorous moments here and there. And of course, you can never have enough cheesecake. My favorite parts where in the issue where Zatanna got turned into a puppet. First Mikey looks for her since she's been missing for several days, and in her bedroom she sees "puppet strings" on Zatanna's bed and confuses it for bindings, surmises Zatanna is on an extended tryst with a man and says "bout time". Secondly after Mikey finds puppet Zatanna, Mikey mentions she checked in with the detective to see if that was the man Zatanna hooked up with, Zatanna vehemently denies...then sheepishly asks if the Detective had shown any extra interest. There was also a little back and forth with Mikey's revealing outfit, Zatanna first thinking she was dressing like trash, then asking if she had taken up pole dancing. Little things of personality like that are the things I like the most in stories, as western comics don't often enough given the villains (and the destruction they cause) enough spotlight, things (introduction, conflict, resolution) have to happen at a breakneck speed that you can't really let things breathe, everything has to be done and resolved in one issue. I also liked the hapless cousin who was always chasing tail, causing trouble for Zatanna, and getting himself into trouble.
Sasha will you be covering the issues which pushed the Batman and Zatanna relationships? Other stories I'd like to see, Nightwing Blundhaven run nightwing / batman prodigal (post knightfall) Nightwing Oracle (yes theres is a pattern forming ) post fall of gotham Green Arrow rebirth run again early 2000's Hal Jordan Spectre
Supergirl and Zatanna have a fun team up in Supergirl's early 70's solo series. I've always wanted an ongoing series featuring the two ala Worlds Finest. There's allot of potential there.
This series looks like one I'd enjoy reading and now want to check out. I'm not sure I'd want a Zatanna v Spectre fight, however, given how different in tone the two heroes seem to be with Zatanna being an entertainer and ol' moon-face being God's wrath made manifest.
I loved this series. It was one of the series I enjoyed and hated that the New 52 axed. This, Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Red Robin, and Batgirl made me SUPER TICKED that DC canceled just about every comic I was reading and didn't really replace them or their replacements weren't up to snuff. I was happy DC was turning the corner with Zatanna and-- then well DC or should I say "DiDio gonna DiDio". Thank god he's gone.
Zatanna has always been a hero that I wanted more of. I didn't notice, but my fiance is a dead ringer for Zatanna in real life. Yes, i am a nicky man. :) Thank you for the multiple dives into Zatanna. I wish that more leaders at DC would let her shine... mostly as a hero foil to everyone's favorite farm boy from Smallville. His irrational fear of magic was always his biggest weakness, and could have made him more human, yet they relied on Supes always being able to come through... an owls-tupe miniseries where Supes was too terrified to act would have helped more Supes fans relate to the demigod of DC. js
You might want to do a video on Zatanna Come Together. The four part mini series from 1993. I would like to see what you think of it. Interesting art and look for her besides the story line.
I have this run, have to admit, mainly bought for the Hughes covers. Big fan of his. Not a bad group of stories though and it was good to read some stories of a character I wasn’t really familiar with.
Theory: what if the new 52 was all a dream Zatanna had at the end of the series ? Thank you for reviewing this, I love this series and wish more people talk about it, it’s magical cheesecake goodness. Thanks again, you did a great and hilarious job.
For a woman with great powers and a lineage that goes back to the very early moments of the Golden Age, Zatanna often gets short shrift as a character. I am glad that a connoisseur like Sasha is giving her the dues she deserves.
Zatanna is way cooler than Superman and Batman.
thank Grant Morrison for that
Love Zatanna she's my favorite female superhero
Selinda Swan played her perfectly in Smallville
Zatanna is awesome! She's fun and sexy, but also intelligent and resourceful. Even in B:TAS when she has no powers she is incredible! And any female character that can rock fishnet tights while she turns you into a toad is alright in my eyes.
Plus her powers are OP
Fun Fact: Zatanna #4 was written and drawn before issues 1-3. Dan Didio felt that issue 4 didn't pack the punch that a first issue should and the issue originally intended to be the first was delayed.
This is why people dislike Didio.
@@zemox2534 among many other things.
Do you agree? Putting aside Didio for a moment, did her story benefit from those first 3 issues or was #4 fine on its own?
@@calumhouston3308I do think the #4 issue is pretty great starter issue. It's has packed actions, it's show what Zatanna capable and characterizations nicely
I feel like zatanna is written like superman, her powerset isn’t clearly defined so the writers have to come up with villains she can’t literally speak out of existence, it’s done pretty well in this series tho
Zatanna is awesome, especially in Justice League Action and Young Justice. She is way cooler than Superman and Batman.
Throwing a group who tried to murder you back into the past of Salem where they most likely would be killed is a creative gray area suitable for the complexity of Zatanna’s character.
No one was burned in Salem. All but one of the 'witches' were hung. The one who wasn't, was pressed. (Laid down and had slabs of rock placed on them until they were crushed/asphixiated.)
TBF, the comic has her mention that she was only trying to scare them before bringing them back to their own time.
@@yaseenhamid5548 Oh well. Too late for that. She had that pleased look on her face in this video
@@edlapradecorrect. America is shit and was always shit and when it's gone the world will cheer.
Are we going on a Zatanna kick for a while? Because i am HERE FOR IIIIIIIT!! GIMMIE ALL THE ZATANNA CONTENT
Yes! I've been a huge fan of Zatanna for ages. One of the few DC heroes I liked as a kid, teen, young adult, through middle age so far.
I like how little attention she gets. She gets enough attention you see her but not to much she becomes oversaturated.
I'm not allowed to share this but I can't keep quiet anymore. Sasha has a Lois tribute room as well. Sasha likes to ship her Lois mannequins with all sorts of heroes and villain cut-outs. This knowledge was haunting me, I feel better.
I can believe it
What have you done!?
@@dargossss Just tell them I was making it up. Sasha doesn't really have a Lois Tribute Room. A Lois tribute wig from 1961 Lois Lane, definitely.
Zatanna is my favorite hero, so I’m glad to see her getting some love.
When I read the title I was sure that you were going to be covering the 1993 Zatanna mini series, where Zatanna encounters her mother Sindella. Now that is a FORGOTTEN Zatanna series.
The only thing I knew about the comic was the influx of great Zatanna covers, panels and png files at the time, it just delivered.
Now seeing the run, Zatanna is like "What if Yennefer was in the DC, and didn't have a Geralt figure to bounce off of", like the mannerisms, the magical punishments and the disrobeing downtime seem very "Witcher Sorceress" vibes. Kinda sad it ended on a whimper, but The New 52 was nigh. By the way Sasha, love the outfit, it's like Young Justice's Zatanna, but floral themed.
Yeah but Zatanna outdates Yeneffer. So it's like the other way around.
@@yaseenhamid5548 Not this particular take on her, prior to this, I wouldn't make the comparison.
I love Young justice Zatanna, it sucks how underrated she is.
The series and Batman issues are cool. Zatanna is extremely awesome in the Justice League Action cartoon, and they portrayed her powers in an awesome way in Young Justice.
@@TrentvsTheWorld I love how they portrayed her talk backwards spells in YJ. She is also very awesome in the Justice League Action cartoon.
Nightwing, Starman (Jack Knight), and Zatanna all tie as my favorite comic characters. I believe that some of Paul Dini's own love for Zatanna stems from his marriage to actress and magician Misty Lee. Zatanna has long been criminally underutilized and I think that it is past time for someone to write her a new solo, or at the very least, a two-hander series.
I love Zatanna and Jack Knight. I wish they would delete the Robins from continuity though and replace them with Cassandra Cain as Nightwing.
I'm so excited, I didn't realize that Zatanna's history was so messy until last video
Dini’s use of Z in the DCAU is what hooked me in on the character. Cheeky, intelligent, human, powerful.
Throwing in a frenemies with benefits relationship with Constantine and that’s cherries on top of a cake.
Zatanna is great character that needs more exposure, I love when team up with Justice League Dark or Batman or John Constantine. Awesome video as always I love the voices and accents you give the characters when doing the reenactments. 👍👍
Her and John bounce off each other well; but I hate that they where shipped together constantly. She can do better.
She is metal in the Justice League Action and Young Justice cartoons.
Thanks for talking about Zatanna, she is one of my favorite superheroes. I think she deserves more attention. I read this series when it came out and I was so excited with the first issues but it sadly ended abruptly. I really hope that at some point we see another Zatanna solo series. It would be great if you do one more video about her with the secret origins issue from the 80s and maybe some other stories from the bronze and silver ages pleaseeee
I always liked Zatanna and I would love to see more about her and more development for Zachary. I vaguely remember reading a series were he gets stuck in a world of his dreams with other magic users.
Zatanna is the best! Whether its her fantastic spells or charming wit, we can't help but to be mesmerized by her!❤
Facts. She is way cooler than Superman and Batman, especially in the Justice League Action and Young Justice cartoons.
I'm totally in love with Zatanna. Zanna and Dinah teaming up is a fishnet fan overload, as well as being two prime Justice League members getting a crossover of their own. Thanks for this intro to her solo series, and your Zatanna floral print Tuxkini is absolute peak fashion.
This looks like a fun series I’m gonna have to check it out
I'm loving all this Zatanna content, Sasha! It's nice to see my favorite comic book character being a part of comic book discussions lately.
Getting more Zatanna was great, I was always interested in her story since Batman the animated series.
I wish we would have got to see more of her. Also the majority of her comic covers are great.
0:56 The team up fishnets fans had been clamoring for.
many of us have to continue our love of the team up through fan art.
Nice painting! Thanks for the Zatanna episode!
Thanks I worked hard on it. Love the channel.
@@zachwise476 It really does seem to be a labour of love. Well done.
@CasuallyComics
Can I just say I appreciate so much your attention to smaller characters and forgotten stories? I never know what you're going to cover and I love that... most channels only cover what's going on right now, but as a devoted reader of backissues... I really appreciate you giving me something to look for!
Your channel and humor make for instant subscribe!
I've been fascinated by Zatanna ever since she showed up in the original Books of Magic series. She, like many DC characters, has suffered from not having a solid enough canonical story to prevent being portrayed in fairly different ways by different writers, but whenever she shows up there is always the potential for something interesting to happen. The biggest challenge with her character is how to provide meaningful challenges for someone who can do almost anything she can imagine, but that's not an unusual problem (e.g., Green Lantern). She seems like she should be one of the big powers in the DCU, but she's always used as a second-tier character.
I love this series and am so happy you featured it...helping to make it a little less obscure. I'm a big Zatanna fan and wish this series had gone on longer. I wish DC would feature her again. I think in the Harry Potter, Scarlet Witch, other Magic superhero's and fantasy world there would be an interest in her.
I love your channel! I'd be interested in your review of Justice League Dark, which also features Zatanna.
She was supposed to show up in birds of prey I believe a live action movie is in the works still
There was a wild Zatanna Mini series in the late 80s called Zatanna Come Together. It was written by Lee Marrs and drawn by Estaban Maroto. If you can, check it out.
That painting is awesome! Gives me some Madame Xanadu vibes, so how about a retrospective on her?
Thank you for saying so! I had a blast painting it.
I love Madame Xanadu and Zatanna!
You always make things sound so interesting!
I just read this series recently, and thought the writers were clever about coming up with challenges for a character who can seemingly do anything, and creative ways for Zatanna to use her ingenuity to prevail. It made me wonder if Dini would be a good writer for a Flash series since speedster powers often seem insurmountable (once time travel is in your repertoire, all bets are off).
Big zatanna fan! I remember when this series came out I was just starting to get into comics and was so excited and confused as to how comics work. Didn’t realize one shots were a thing so I was so confused as to why things weren’t connecting much and why the art was so different between issues haha but I super enjoyed it. Found out tons of other heroines I loved had their own solo comics and picked this up too! Catwoman , Harley Quinn, Scarlet Witch. Love it 😍
I'd love Paul Dini to give this series a proper send off tying up all the loose threads. Hell, at this point I'd love a Zatanna series. Ekam ti neppah, CD!
I just finished reading this series the other day and agree that the ending wasn't really satisfying. I was pleasantly surprised to see you covering it, Zatanna being my favorite DC female. Hope you cover more Zee in the future!
Now I kinda want a Zatanna TV show, finishing that Brother Night plot.
I hope she shows up on Titans since they're using an arc from the comics she was in
The series missed an opportunity - Zatanna vs. Mr. Mxyzptlk. She says her spell words backwards, he tries not to say one word backwards, both are magic-based and travel across dimensions.
How? Zatanna saying words backwards doesn’t effect Mr Mxy. Mxy has to say his name backwards Zatanna says words purposefully backwards. So not really a missed opportunity but instead just putting 2 characters who sort of have a quasi connection because of the backwards aspect because they can
Hmmmmm.... DC should hire you.
@@notoriouslego8204 Mr. M would steal a spell book from her, but this would be a trick from Zatanna.
One thing they definitely should do with her (in an Elseworlds) is have her be a character who knows she is in a comic book while nobody else does.
@@chihiromononoke9381 I love that idea.😃
Yep, enjoyed this series very much when it ran. Wasn't paying any attention to the business side of comics, so was disappointed whem it ended so abruptly. Dug the idea of her stage crew knowing she had real magic, and would've liked to see them all fleshed out more. A fun read, and really terrific to see Z stand on her own after guesting for so many years.
You've now whetted my appetite for a deep dive on the histories of Zatarra and Sargon. Bring it!
That cover art is gorgeous for each one! I think Zatanna definitely deserves a solo series again. And I never knew about Zachary he seems like a fun character to get to know 😂
I've always liked Zatanna as a character. I had not heard of this series, but I plan on looking for either a collection or back issues. I think it's good to see her question herself after erasing the memories of several people, especially her close friend Batman. I don't know if that had been explored before. Again, thanks for featuring this one.
It's heavily explored on Seven Soldiers Zatanna by Grant Morrison and a little bit on her ongoing series
I just finished this series and I gotta say, I would love to see DC push Zee again in the Dawn of DC era. There’s so much potential with her, maybe less one shots this time around.
You call this the forgotten Zatanna series but I remember there was a Zatanna mini-series where they really dig deep in the Zatanna is a witch as she joins a wicken coven gets new powers and a new look. Which is completely forgotten about the next time she is seen.
It was only referenced once and that was in an issue of the Spectre. The Zatanna mini was written by the late Kim Yale, the wife of John Ostrander who was writing the Spectre at that time.
Loved the Zatanna episode. Z never got enough love. About the fan art, love it, but isn’t that Hal Jordan laying on his bathroom floor in the middle?
Yes! It's green lantern slipping on a bar of soap and the ring flying off his body to find someone worthy.
I looked on Amazon for the series. But it’s a bit pricey. Honestly, I’d love to see a reboot of her series!! Thank you for a great video on her! You’ve got me hooked!
I've read this whole series and it's supplementary material a few times over,
I'm one of those Zatanna diehards you mentioned during the vid and you showed me a lot about this series and Zatanna as a character over these videos (this and the mindwipe piece) that I hadn't known about before.
Thank you for the insight and for this stellar review, im going to sub and stick around for more!
Being a semi-pro magician, I have been drawn to the Zatanna character for a long time. However, I only collect Bronze Age DC comics, so I never delved into the modern Zatanna....until this series. This series introduced me to Paul Dini's writing and I was hooked! It just WORKED for me. The variety of characters, tight storylines, excellent art, and REALLY good dialog made this series a thrill to read. Brother Night was an awesome villain to build on and the whimsical Uriah story was just hysterical. Zatanna chasing him through the different dimensions was well-executed, light fun. I particularly liked the dialog which was intelligent and flowed very well from character to character while moving the stories at a good pace. It is difficult to find stories (or movies) with truly interesting dialog and this series had it. In short, I loved this Zatanna series.
Very thoughtful gift, Zach; well done! 😀
Thank you! I worked hard on it.
I enjoy Sasha talking about Zatanna! I need more! Also, who else wants a new Zatanna solo?
There are poll on DC Twitter and Instagram account about new Zatanna story , lets go vote for her
Zatanna is one of my favorite characters.
This is such a neat little series, I always like when the smaller DC characters get their own solos. You should look at the Deadman mini and solo series at some point. Those were both pretty good and the solo ended too soon in my opinion.
Awesome video as usual!
I´m sure that, with the Zatanna movie happening, a new run will happen.
PS
Since squeaky wheel and all that...
1. A tour of your shelves.
2. History on Crepper: is he a hero, antihero or villain.
Please.
I’d love a video on Beware the Creeper set in the Art Neveou period in France. One of my favorite comics.
I did not know Zatanna had her own comic book series. Thank you for sharing this video. To your question. I would LOVE to see Zatanna get her own new comic book series. I would definitely support it.
That painting brought me joy this morning.. that's so great
I'm glad someone is finally talking about the Zatanna solo series I loved this run, but no one knows about it which is sad, I wonder if the Zatanna movie will draw inspiration from it or what they'll do?
I am here! You're the best!! Thank you for showing the painting!
Good job! I'm glad Sasha showed off your work
You have talent. Real talent
@@slake9727 Thank you so much!
@@asantemoitt133 Thank you! Yes I am so glad she showed it off. I always look forward to a new episode of Casually Comics. I just wanted to express my appreciation for what she's doing for all of us.
Thank you for the video.
I hope you have time with Grant Morrison Seven Soldiers Zatanna, that 4 mini issues is very magical and have a great battle in the end
I enjoyed this series much like I did Conner and Palmiotti's Power Girl, as this little intimate corner of the DCU, with a little quirk and a lot of heart. I'm always on board for a Dini book, but this one was the type of superhero book I love.
She's such a great character and woefully without a solid backstory. Zatarra's era didn't go that deep and she's been an ensemble character for so long it's cool to see some things fleshing out. I wonder what her moral ambiguity says about the writers?
Wouldn't it be cool to see an upgraded costume that didn't look like another lady vampire/Black Canary/ Catwoman frock?
Okay musing moment over. Zatanna...awesome. Sasha & CC....super cool.
saicarg sahcum!
When it was announced that this would be collected in a trade I instantly jumped on to it. I kind of liked it was kind of episodic because its a nice change to the 6 issue arc model. I always had a soft spot for Zatanna but couldn't find much reading material in a collected format to read about her. I'm ecstatic that WB decided to develop her a solo movie, I hope they take some inspiration from this series or get paul dini to write it. I just hope that its just as fun as this series.
Love the collar you're wearing
It's fun how you integrate your look to reflect the topic you focus on!
This is awesome that you did this series. Some if the story is kinda slow, but I love Zatanna. I have even managed to get lucky and find the Bolland variants for issue 2&3 in my local shops dollar bin!!
I love that you showed us this! I am about to spend a lot of money and read a few issues to see what’s up.
Zatanna is a character I really need to read more of. Hopefully with the movie in development, DC will do some "brand synergy" and give her another solo run.
Also, mini-fun fact: according to the pre-new 52 Power Girl run, Zatanna's answering machine says if she's not answering she's in danger. Which... really makes that months part make less sense. Does no one call her? (and Ps. I'm down for a Power Girl-Zatanna friendship. Make. it. happen.)
great video! I''m gonna go read that solo now even tho I haven't read any of Zee's stuff before, oh well
This was the first series I got into & collected the whole length, so it's cool to see Sasha feature it here. I would definitely pick up another series on Zatanna. Her powers are so cool, especially when she had to resort to using palindromes to win the fight. (I'm a sucker for wordplay)
I really enjoyed this series. It's fun. Just a side note it can be hard to keep track of but it's Lilah Struges what what shows up on the cover of that issue is her deadname. If you look at any more of her old work just try and be aware.
Though one can hardly be expected to remember everything about every writer.
Yeah I remember being really invested in it, Paul Dini could always write an enjoyable superhero romp with heaps of levity as well as it being serious at times too, it's what I want in a DC comics (and not have ALL the levity be coming from Harley Quinn which seems to be always of late, also a breath of fresh air not seeing HQ pop up in this comic which was surprising given she's Paul's creation, maybe he wanted a break from her too). Absolutely loved that short story about young Zatanna getting braces; too cute. This and also Uncle Sam & The Freedom Fighters having new plot threads taking off, only to be abruptly cancelled to pave the way for N52.
Zatanna is my favorite superhero and this is the run that really shaped my idea of her. It’s got some weak points for sure but boy do I love it.
Somehow I thought, you would use Peter David`s introduction of "Klarion... Bum, Bum, Bum... The Witch Boy" at 14:30 ;)
However, another great video, and an interesting review of this series.
I read it as it came out. Since Dini was going to be doing most of the writing, I thought this would be interesting since I knew his affection for the character at the time. I liked it. I think I have all the issues. You captured the highs and low of the book. There was always a sense of fun in this series. Thanks for the video.
I still think Zatanna could fare well with a epic storyline with big ripple effects throughout DC, maybe wake up DC to how powerful and possible threat she is. Think about Batman and The Spectre having to take her voice during a fight where Zatanna has already taken down Superman, Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, and Constatine, that could be an awesome issue.
I’ve always been intrigued by Zatanna (basically all magic users have a certain draw to me), but I think the only Zatanna thing I’ve properly read was the Black Canary team-up that you mentioned. I liked that, though, and based on what you’ve said, I want to find these other comics to read now too!
Adds to the understanding of Zatanna & Zatarra's relationship. Zatarra was around early in the Golden Age. Zatanna is clearly Silver Age. Did DC ever try to pin the father in Earth 2 ( I'm thinking of how they did convolute Black Canary )
this helps to appreciate Zatanna and Zatarra's parts in Justice League Dark.
Your mention of a possible throwdown between Zatanna and Spectre made me think of Day of Judgement where Shazam went against an Eclipso possessed Spectre and the Shadowpact drew magic from throughout the multiverse that Enchantress channeled into Captain Marvel and even then Cap could barely hold his own. It seems that Spectre should be way out of Zatanna's league, but Enchantress... that would be interesting.
Haven't watched an episode in a while, I'm glad I came back and got to see that fan painting!
Nice work, Zack!
Thank you!
I've read the series. It made me a Zatanna fan. I love her! In fact it's one of my favorite comic series ever. Though I do agree those last couple issues with the cancellation due to New 52 did mess things up a bit. And I hope that one day she does get a solo series cuz sorry not sorry, am not a fan of Justice League Dark. I tried both runs and just couldn't get through them.
Two videos from Sasha in one day! What a treat! (other one was members only. Join us!)
I've always loved Zatanna. Had a bit of a crush on her in that old Batman cartoon. Her and Ivy. And yes, I do ship her with Batman. Sorry not sorry to the Constantine fans. I read this series about a year ago. I did enjoy the start, but agree with you that it kind of fizzled out in the end. I'd love a new series about her.
I've never been to big of a fan of Zatanna since I've rarely seen her but man she has potential
I recently found your channel and I love it! Thank you very much for such great work!
I kind of like Zatanna’s powers being fast and loose. Personally, I think it adds a lot of fun and creativity. Too often, magic characters in media just shoot beams of light out of their hands. I think the idea of “anything can happen” fits a stage magician well, especially when she’s up against other reality bending beings with a penchant for spectacle.
I love Zatanna! I had many of these comics, and they are cool. She's also cool in the cartoons, especially Justice Action, where she is extremely metal. They portrayed her powers in an awesome way in Young Justice.
It went by too quickly. Did Dobby help Zatanna get her father’s soul ?
Awesome job...keep up the good work
Good to get some Zatanna history, always liked her animated appearances
I didn't really know much about Zatanna before these videos, thanks!
Don't know much about the character besides what you see of her in the animated movies, always thought she was interesting and am ecstatic they kept her sexy outfit. The Paul Dini chapters were fun, always having little humorous moments here and there. And of course, you can never have enough cheesecake.
My favorite parts where in the issue where Zatanna got turned into a puppet. First Mikey looks for her since she's been missing for several days, and in her bedroom she sees "puppet strings" on Zatanna's bed and confuses it for bindings, surmises Zatanna is on an extended tryst with a man and says "bout time". Secondly after Mikey finds puppet Zatanna, Mikey mentions she checked in with the detective to see if that was the man Zatanna hooked up with, Zatanna vehemently denies...then sheepishly asks if the Detective had shown any extra interest. There was also a little back and forth with Mikey's revealing outfit, Zatanna first thinking she was dressing like trash, then asking if she had taken up pole dancing. Little things of personality like that are the things I like the most in stories, as western comics don't often enough given the villains (and the destruction they cause) enough spotlight, things (introduction, conflict, resolution) have to happen at a breakneck speed that you can't really let things breathe, everything has to be done and resolved in one issue. I also liked the hapless cousin who was always chasing tail, causing trouble for Zatanna, and getting himself into trouble.
yo it would be so cool to see you do a video inside the fanart lair whenever it's more complete!
Sasha will you be covering the issues which pushed the Batman and Zatanna relationships?
Other stories I'd like to see,
Nightwing Blundhaven run
nightwing / batman prodigal (post knightfall)
Nightwing Oracle (yes theres is a pattern forming ) post fall of gotham
Green Arrow rebirth run again early 2000's
Hal Jordan Spectre
Supergirl and Zatanna have a fun team up in Supergirl's early 70's solo series. I've always wanted an ongoing series featuring the two ala Worlds Finest. There's allot of potential there.
This series looks like one I'd enjoy reading and now want to check out.
I'm not sure I'd want a Zatanna v Spectre fight, however, given how different in tone the two heroes seem to be with Zatanna being an entertainer and ol' moon-face being God's wrath made manifest.
I loved this series. It was one of the series I enjoyed and hated that the New 52 axed. This, Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Red Robin, and Batgirl made me SUPER TICKED that DC canceled just about every comic I was reading and didn't really replace them or their replacements weren't up to snuff.
I was happy DC was turning the corner with Zatanna and-- then well DC or should I say "DiDio gonna DiDio". Thank god he's gone.
OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS OUTFIT YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!
The fan art...omg...gave me so much giggles!! I love it!!!🙌🤣💙
Thank you for your work, it is appreciated..
Zatanna has always been a hero that I wanted more of. I didn't notice, but my fiance is a dead ringer for Zatanna in real life. Yes, i am a nicky man. :)
Thank you for the multiple dives into Zatanna. I wish that more leaders at DC would let her shine... mostly as a hero foil to everyone's favorite farm boy from Smallville. His irrational fear of magic was always his biggest weakness, and could have made him more human, yet they relied on Supes always being able to come through... an owls-tupe miniseries where Supes was too terrified to act would have helped more Supes fans relate to the demigod of DC. js
You might want to do a video on Zatanna Come Together. The four part mini series from 1993. I would like to see what you think of it. Interesting art and look for her besides the story line.
I have this run, have to admit, mainly bought for the Hughes covers. Big fan of his. Not a bad group of stories though and it was good to read some stories of a character I wasn’t really familiar with.
Theory: what if the new 52 was all a dream Zatanna had at the end of the series ?
Thank you for reviewing this, I love this series and wish more people talk about it, it’s magical cheesecake goodness. Thanks again, you did a great and hilarious job.
But we already know New 52 was due to meddling by Dr Manhattan
Weirdly this was the first series I ever got in to, have every issue. It was so camp and fun, especially the palindrome issue
Lovely artwork by @Zach Wise. Well deserved Sasha for all your great content. Enjoy. ❤️
Thank you for saying so! Sasha is the best for making this channel. I super appreciate everything she does.
@@zachwise476 You’re welcome. You’re talented
And yes I’d be there with bells on for a new Zatanna solo series and would love to have Dini write it.
I would appreciate to see more of Zachary Zatanna in comics, the character has potential and I always have a soft spot for smaller characters
Good series. Loved the covers.
Getting Zatanna videos. Great, now I need Captain Carrot videos.