Written by: Alisa Kwitney
Art by: Mike Norton
Published by: DC Comics
It’s Harry Potter in the DC universe!
Zatanna was always one of the most underused characters in the DC Universe. Be it that it her character doesn’t fit conventional cape comic norms or creators are just not sure how to utilize her fully; the fact is she is seldom used.
Alisa Kwitney wants to right that wrong with this mini-series. She manages to give Zatanna a setting in which she can thrive, and a supporting cast to complement not just her powers but her personality as well.
This first issue manages to set up the world that these characters are going to inhabit well, but also feels very familiar. It does seem very Potter-esque in a sense that we have not just classes, which makes sense, but archetypes from that series. There is nothing inherently wrong with this but it would have been interesting to see how the book would have worked if it decided to go in a different direction.
Mike Norton’s art here is stellar. From emotions that are abundant in this book to displays of magic and magical creatures it is quite clear that Norton likes this world and is having fun drawing it. That sense of fun is portrayed through each one of the panels and it is what makes the book work even with some of its more familiar themes. There are some very cool panels here especially dealing with a monster that is featured in this book, which manages to give quite a bit of intrigue to the issue.
Overall Mystik U a is sufficient but flawed entrance exam. It is very nice to see Zatanna back in action in her own book nonetheless.
