Jamal Campbell’s Zatanna series is something magical. With dazzling cover art for issue #4, Campbell is an all-rounder artist for this series. As a writer, Campbell provides readers with a fitting story for the best magician in the DC Universe.
Zatanna #4 contains a few small anecdotes that Zatanna tells to her predecessor as Prime Magus. She explains how magic manifests in front of her and how it aids her on her missions. Magic takes the form of the previous Prime Magi, who each have wisdom to bestow upon her.
This series has been incredibly easy to follow, with the second and third issue being a mini-arc that concluded nicely. This fourth issue seems to be setting up another arc without using too much context from the last one to avoid confusing readers.
Zatanna’s tour through the magical realms has only been interrupted a few times by the Department of Occult Affairs, setting up the mysterious Agent Di Manes to be the “big bad” while our hero deals with smaller threats. Given the time Campbell takes to show us Zatanna at work, the final confrontation between her and Di Manes should be a satisfying scene.
Edwin Galmon attempts to carry on on the eccentric art that the series started with, although it feels less trippy than Campbell’s art style. This was the only issue where the art felt more typical than quirky. Campbell’s style suited the magical vibe of the series and was unique to Zatanna, whereas Galmon’s could’ve been in any run for any magic user. The design of the magical manifestations were the more striking of Galmon’s character designs, but there’s no touching Campbell’s own manifestation of the lead character.
Campbell’s adoration for the character can be felt through the pages she travels through the magical realms. The series is a perfect mix of smaller challenges and an overarching mystery, which may come to light soon in the next issue.
With Zatanna’s rising popularity, it’s timely to have an ongoing run that puts her at the forefront. While this last issue is a great jumping-on point, it is well worth checking out the start of this series.
