Zatanna #5
"What Hides in the Hidden City"
Writer/Artist: Jamal Campbell
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Publisher: DC Comics
Spontaneous combustion.
A neat trick, but limited repeat potential…
Stop the World and Melt with You
We begin with one of Zatanna's stories told directly to us, the reader. She tells us of the Hidden City, a magical sanctuary that is, well, hidden from the world at large. It is from this place that her mother, Sindella, hailed. Zatanna has been to the Hidden City twice in the past: the first time, she saw her mother die. The second time, she almost died—which brings us to the present and her third visit…
Zatanna arrives to find the city in flames, with explosions all over. It seems as though the Hidden City is being bombed, but the truth is far worse: its citizens are spontaneously combusting. Zatanna finds a ball of living flame at the center of the city, and confronts it.
When she awakens, she finds herself in the care of Healer Aysu. As she recovers, she meets with some of the leadership of the Hidden City to learn what the last few years there have been like. She promises the citizens her aid as the Prime Magus, but she does not realize that there are forces within the city working against her…
Curse You, Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal
I've been enjoying this series, but I freely admit that I know very little about Zatanna. Magician, fishnets, talks backwards, dad helped train Batman… that's about it. So I very much appreciated this issue delving into Zatanna's mother Sindella and the very different world that she hailed from. The way that Zee reacted to the city, and her to it, gave me some good insight into her as a person, not just a magician.
The opening sequence was chaotic and confusing, which perfectly fits a situation where there are suddenly explosions all over a city that is supposed to be hidden and safe. The revelation that its own citizens are spontaneously combusting and exploding is a horrifying one, as we get to witness it first-hand in one case.
Zatanna once again charges right in and throws herself directly at the presumed source of the problem. As usual, it doesn't go the best for her. She really needs to learn to approach situations a bit more tactically, but I guess that really isn't her style as a showman, is it? Maybe the Prime Magus should take a few lessons from Batman…
The Hidden City is an interesting place. The history that Zatanna has with it is not the best, given that she saw her mother killed in front of her the very first time she visited. The leadership of the city—the same men who had Sindella killed—are fully aware how they've wronged Zee, and are trying to make amends. I suppose it doesn't hurt that they really need her help as the Prime Magus right now. But still, effort is effort.
Although I don't want to spoil it here, there is a nice reveal about a part of her family that Zatanna didn't even know she had this issue as well. This was a very sweet and touching scene, which hopefully gives Zee a reason to return to the Hidden City a little more often. I know Prime Magus is a very full-time job, but she needs somewhere to retreat to from time to time beyond just her theater.
There is a "sudden but inevitable" late-issue betrayal that starts the chaos engine anew, which leaves us with a big cliffhanger heading into the next issue. This I am going to spoil, sorry: we're going to get to see Zatanna fight a dragon! If you know me at all, you know that I love dragons…
Watch Me Pull a Rabbit Out of My Hat
Jamal Campbell is on a roll with this series. After taking a break from art duties last issue, he's back at it for issue #5. He's getting help on the colors end, but everything else is his one-man show again. And like Zatanna herself, he's a heck of a showman. The opening pages, with the mysterious explosions and Zatanna confronting living flame, are chaotic and capture the sense of terror the people must have been facing. In the aftermath, things calm down and the pacing slows down a bit, but it's still never slow. We get some great character work for Zee and the leadership of the Hidden City, before things go south and the dragon shows up. As usual, just awesome stuff all around.
On colors this time around is Andrew Dalhouse, and he does a terrific job filling Campbell's shoes. The magic and flame effects are all eye-popping and dazzling, and the overall color palette used is clean and almost glossy in a way. The world of the Hidden City is a bright one, where everyone feels safe (when they're not, y'know, exploding) but there are still shadows in the corners that have dark secrets lurking in them.
Dragonheart
Zatanna #5 is another great issue that slows the pace down a little and gives us the most character work for Zatanna herself that we've seen so far. There's still some great chaotic action and plenty of magic, both in the story itself and the way it's crafted. And the cliffhanger has the fantasy fan in me excited to see where the next issue goes from here.