DC Comics’ newest standalone book looks like actual magic

The books in DC Comics’ Black Label imprint are defined by top-of-their-game writers and artists telling standalone stories too big for continuity at a high production value. And Zatanna: Bring Down the House, coming this summer from Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodríguez, checks all of those boxes with a big marker.

Tamaki is one of the most versatile comics writers in the biz these days, crafting everything from multiple multi-award winning queer coming-of-age YA graphic novels to a run on no less than Wonder Woman and Detective Comics (the series that gives DC it’s name), while Rodríguez is one of the most playful, as evidenced in some of Marvel’s most inventively drawn recent titles, like Defenders and Exiles.

And what leaps out immediately in DC’s announcement is just how good Zatanna: Bring Down the House looks.

Image: Mariko Tamaki, Javier Rodríguez/DC Comics

Image: Mariko Tamaki, Javier Rodríguez/DC Comics

Image: Mariko Tamaki, Javier Rodríguez/DC Comics

Rodríguez and Tamaki appear to be tackling an origin story for the DC Universe’s lesser known magical powerhouses, Zatanna Zatara. Blockbuster stage magician by day, superhero who can make anything happen so long as she can say it backwards by night, Zatanna has rarely been a headliner — but her iconic top-hat-and-tails look and seemingly unlimited power have made her a perennial choice for DC superhero teams since 1964.

Image: Javier Rodríguez/DC Comics

According to DC’s news release, Bring Down the House takes Zatanna to Las Vegas, where her strictly stage-magic-only act is languishing in a terrible venue:

Zatanna will have to take herself and her magical abilities seriously when an interdimensional vortex cracks open the very stage she performs on, releasing a terrifying demon bent on killing her. And if Zatanna hopes to escape with her life, she’ll have to face the even more terrifying consequences of her past.

“There is nothing more fun than working on a character like Zatanna who, issue after issue, invites you to explore every nook and cranny of the language of comics,” Rodríguez said in the release.

Tamaki joined in: “We’re very excited for people to see this weird little story we’ve whipped up for their reading pleasure.” But she’ll have to wait for June 25, because that’s when Zatanna: Bring Down the House hits shelves. You can check out the book’s variant covers below:

Image: Jorge Jiménez/DC Comics

Image: Mikel Janín/DC Comics

Image: Alvaro Martinez Bueno/DC Comics