Written by Adam Beechen
Art by Victor Ibáñez; ‘Ego;’ & Dave Sharpe
Cover Art by Adam Hughes
SUMMARY:
Published for October 2011, Zatanna Zatara’s first solo series concludes with the one-shot “The Sorceress’ Apprentice.” An exhausted Zatanna’s slumber is rudely interrupted late at night by the rascally witch boy, Uriah, from Limbo Town. Forcing Zatanna to inter-dimensionally pursue him, Uriah swipes a magical book from her private Shadowcrest library to enable his takeover scheme of Limbo Town. All Zatanna wants to do is thwart this insufferable little brat and mercifully get back to sleep.
REVIEW:
Abruptly canceled due to the New 52 reboot, DC Comics ends this short-lived series with a stop-gap tale instead of an actual finale. A sense of closure is left to Zatanna’s elegant bow on the cover.
Supported by the art team’s solid visuals (especially the top-caliber cover image), writer Adam Beechen conjures up a well-played romp. To Beechen’s credit, he ensures that Zatanna’s sleepless night is just as good, style-wise, as any Zatanna tale from Paul Dini. Though her series deserved a more inspired creative effort, Zatanna # 16 is still a pretty enjoyable read (i.e. the amusing revelation of her celebrity fantasy crush).
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Co-Publishers Jim Lee & Dan DiDio hype a two-page spread of cover reveals for New 52 titles launching in September 2011. DiDio’s single-page “DC Nation” column also hypes New 52, in conjunction with San Diego’s Comic-Con.
BRIAN’S ODD MOOM RATING: 8 Stars
Note: A supposed storyline of Zatanna being ‘prosecuted’ by the Spectre for crimes against magic was replaced by this single-issue finale.
