Paul Dini's Zatanna

I really thought that, with the birth  of my second son that my comic reading volume would take a serious down turn as I'd be spending all my time raising him and his brother.

However, for the first two weeks of his life, my newborn was quite considerate to keep me up almost all night. This 'chore' I was able to turn to my advantage as it gave me the opportunity to read through Zatanna.

Zatanna: The Paul Dini
Collection.

The Paul Dini collection of Zatanna was a title I spotted during a massive DC sale on Comixology last year and it's truly stunning Adam Hughes cover, along with a serious discount, convinced me on the spot to pick it up.

It's just a shame it's taken me this long to read it. Fortunately, as the old adage states; good things come to those who wait.

I guess therapists really are
different things to different
people.

For those not in the know about this series, it is a 16 issue (and 1 double-sized special) series which follows the Mistress of Magic as she juggles maintaining her successful career as a stage magician with her responsibilities as a Sorceress and the Justice League's first line of mystical defence. Paul Dini, along with a host of other big name art and writing talents, produces a series containing multiple short arcs and one shots, which are interconnected by a single overlying plot as Zee attempts to defeat the machinations of the deadly Brother Night.

Cliff Chiang's art really was
the standout of the series for
me, as this splash page proves.

Now, I enjoyed this series quite a bit. It was a fun read with practically the entire run focusing on Zatanna herself and everything about her that I never really knew and which made her great. I thought Dini and Co. did great work here as they portrayed the Mistress of Magic as very much an independent, working lady in a similar vein to Slott's She-Hulk (or at least as she appeared in the first issue). Meanwhile, Zatanna's supporting cast were equally fun additions as I felt that they were well-rounded (for the most part) personalities and helped sell the idea of Zee living a normal life better than if it were other superheroes.

Dustin Nyugen's work in the
special's back up really works
sell the horror-esque story.

Meanwhile, on the art side, I completely adored the covers this series had, specifically Stephane Roux's covers as well as Adam Hughes cover which was used to front the collection. Then there was Cliff Chiang's art on during a three issue arc involving puppets, which I thought was totally fitting for the story and character, and Dustin Nyugen's art which came up in a back up feature in the opening special, which I thought had a real Halloween vibe about it but still looked eerily beautiful.

Fighting villains with regular
tricks, this shot has to be the
perfect visual to explain the run.

Of course, while I did enjoy reading this series, I still struggled to find Zatanna really great. This comes from the fact that nothing really stood out within the issues, With only a couple of stories really seeming memorable to me. Meanwhile, Dini's opening introduction gave me the impression of a Hawkeye-esque series focusing more on Zatanna's regular life. However, while this did happen to an extent, it wasn't as prevalent as that intro had me believe.

That said, it was still a fun read a dim glad I checked it out as it gave a previously unknown appreciation for the character.

And, who knows, maybe if I read it when not sleep deprived then I might find it infinitely better than this read through.