An original graphic novel nearly 10 years in the making is finally seeing release from DC tomorrow. “Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell” is a squarely pre-New 52 tale, and brings with it a certain air of nostalgia, as well as melancholy, to this team up between DC’s premiere fish-netted ladies.
Written by Paul Dini
Illustrated by Joe QuinonesTwo of the DC Universe’s brightest stars join forces in this original graphic novel!
A year ago, Black Canary infiltrated a gang of female criminals set to pull a dangerous heist at a Las Vegas casino. Its leader was skilled in hand-to-hand combat and more than a passing interest in black magic. Rather than be captured by Canary or the law, she went to her death, vowing to get revenge on Canary! Now, one year later, death stalks those gang members, and Canary must turn to her friend Zatanna to help investigate.
The original graphic novel from DC and Marvel is an odd creature. Typically, these things take place outside of traditional continuity and act as showcases for either the character, the creator, or both. That is certainly the case here, with DC pairing up two of its most classic Justice League members with Paul Dini and Joe Quinones, two creators whose reputations precede them. And, early on the in the book, it becomes abundantly clear why these four entities got paired up together.
Of course, Quinones wasn’t the original artist attached – way back in 2006, when this series was first announced, wife and husband team of Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmioti were attached to pencil and ink the book, respectively. However, in the interim 8 years, Quinones has become a name that DC has gone to a few times for their more prestigious, retro feeling projects, whether taking a story in “Wednesday Comics” or a few issues of “Batman ’66.” His work here is reminiscent of those other projects, full of clean lines, hyper-expressive faces, and a healthy dose of fun. He has worked with Mike Allred in the past on a few projects, and Allred is a relatively good comparison here – their styles are not entirely similar, but both offer a strong point of view, from which the story naturally builds.
Quinones has a distinct way he works with faces as well. Both of the two main characters are similar to their classic representations, but he adds something to each that is a little hard to quantify. Dinah has a smirk on her face much of the time and she seems bemused at everything that is happening, without falling into the trappings of being so negative that she is unlikable. Zatanna, on the other hand, is presented as the eternal optimist, which is an unusual interpretation but works here. If she isn’t actively casting a spell, she’s usually all smiles, just happy to be with her friend and doing superheroics.
Clearly Dini felt he had a story to tell here, and that is a relatively straightforward one: Black Canary has been tricked (as part of an undercover mission) into being part of a bloodspell – a very serious type of connection with an evil spirit, and she needs Zatanna’s help to be freed from it. From within that framework, we get glimpses into the past of both characters, from teenagers to their early days as part of the Justice League, and it is in the flashbacks that the story truly comes alive.
When showing the pair’s first encounter, we see the characteristics of both women clearly in place. Zatanna, at 11, is trying to prove herself, whereas Dinah, at 16, is already showing off. The seeds of their relationship are planted here, but it is in the flashback to their early Justice League days that we get the real friendship starting to show. This was the most satisfying sequence in the book; Quinones does a great job eliciting the feel of a 60s/70s Justice League story, without trapping it so far in the past as to confuse the reader why these two joined the league half a century ago. Hal Jordan and Ralph Dibny appear and are drawn perfectly, and along with his young versions of the two leads, Quinones is doing a wonderful job bidding to do more work set in this time period.
Continued belowThe time period is something of an anomaly, though, because it is clear that DC doesn’t have many plans to revisit the pre-New 52 world very often. The fact that the book is being released at all is a bit of a miracle – it appears to have been finished right around the time of “Flashpoint,” so it makes sense that DC would have held it back a little bit as to not have a book take place in the world they just dispatched. Now, a few years later, the book feels novel in a way it couldn’t have in 2011.
The book also illustrates so many of the problems with the New 52, the primary one being the dissolution of so many of the long-standing friendships that were so key to what DC did for 65 years. Seeing both Dinah and Ollie lovingly in bed and seeing Dinah and Z’s friendship spanning most of their lives made me sad that we can’t see even a bit of that in the New 52. Sure, you still have relationships between characters, but none that carry the weight of time with them.
Dini’s work on the book is praise-worthy for a few reasons, but mainly for his seamless weaving of that sustained friendship into the text. We get passages of conversation between the two ladies that imply a comfort and a familiarity without beating us over the head with exposition. There are even moments of tension built in (like when Z was relegated to “reserve” status of the Justice League), all to better build the world of the book up. Throwing in a single panel featuring Superman drinking coffee from a Daily Planet mug in the Fortress of Solitude with a classic cowlick in his hair results in some real pangs of nostalgia.
All that said, this package is a problematic one. The cover price on the book is $22.99, which is quite high for a 96-page story. To compensate for that, the hardcover includes Dini’s original pitch, Quinones’s sketches, the complete script, and much of the un-colored original art. While I love backmatter, I would much rather read a longer story (or get the book into the hands of more people by dropping the price) than see the machinations of how the book came to be. Because of the high price point and the (relative) lack of pages, the package suffers greatly, and may keep some people away.
Though, this aside, under the dust jacket is an embossed fishnet patter on the front of the book. How cool is that?
“Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell” serves as a reminder to the rich history of DC – full of dynamic characters, impossibly strong bonds between the denizens of their world, some beautiful art to convey all of that and more, while unintentionally shaming what its present looks like. I am a believer in the fact that the books of the New 52 are in the best shape they’ve been in since, well, perhaps ever – but none of that holds a candle to the feel and joy of reading a story set in a world that feels like the home of an old friend: inviting and warm. While the story itself might be slight in scope and the physical product a little overzealous, it is a welcome addition to my shelf.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – Buy
