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Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend
There's more to the mobsters, mystics, and mermaids at the last stop on the D/F/Q trains: Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue.
Zatanna's not your typical New Yorker. She walks her giant rabbit on a leather leash down the boardwalk, lives in a colossal architectural wonder known as the Golden Elephant, had her first kiss in the Haunted Hell Gate ride--and wouldn't have it any other way.
But the time for having fun in Luna Park comes to an end when a mystic's quest for a powerful jewel unravels everything Zatanna thought she knew about herself and her beloved neighborhood. Mysteries and magic surround her as she reveals the truth about her family's legacy, and confronts the illusion that has been cast over her entire life.
From the bewitching mind behind The Casquette Girls, Alys Arden, and with enchanting artwork by Jacquelin de Leon, comes the story of a girl stuck in the middle of a magical rivalry and forced to choose between love, family, and magic without hurting anyone...or worse.
Zatanna's not your typical New Yorker. She walks her giant rabbit on a leather leash down the boardwalk, lives in a colossal architectural wonder known as the Golden Elephant, had her first kiss in the Haunted Hell Gate ride--and wouldn't have it any other way.
But the time for having fun in Luna Park comes to an end when a mystic's quest for a powerful jewel unravels everything Zatanna thought she knew about herself and her beloved neighborhood. Mysteries and magic surround her as she reveals the truth about her family's legacy, and confronts the illusion that has been cast over her entire life.
From the bewitching mind behind The Casquette Girls, Alys Arden, and with enchanting artwork by Jacquelin de Leon, comes the story of a girl stuck in the middle of a magical rivalry and forced to choose between love, family, and magic without hurting anyone...or worse.
208 pages, Paperback
First published August 2, 2022
About the author
Alys Arden
6 books906 followersAlys Arden was raised by the street performers, tea leaf-readers, and glittering drag queens of the New Orleans French Quarter. She cut her teeth on the streets of New York and has worked all around the world since. She either talks too much or not at all. She obsessively documents things. Her hair ranges from eggplant to cotton-candy colored One dreary day in London, she missed home and started writing The Casquette Girls.
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August 24, 2022
"I don't need to run. And I don't need lights or tricks. My dad didn't need illusions, and neither do I. I'm magical." -- the title character, provoked to some climactic righteous fury, on page 194
I'm down for anything that DC publishes featuring the underused super-heroines Zatanna and/or Black Canary, therefore Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend - the latest in the ever-expanding YA graphic novel series featuring known characters, but specifically during their adolescent years - seemed like a sure thing. However, I will admit the changing of her basic origin did not exactly sit too well with me during the initial two chapters . . . but I soon forgot about that minor issue as this story became increasingly sort of charming and even a little suspenseful. I'd say it cemented my interest when Zatanna wields her newly-realized magical powers to save her best friends (two young ladies with a sweetly unrequited love for one another) from a certain death after the tale's malevolent villainess performs a truly reprehensible act of sabotage at a Coney Island rollercoaster. It was occasionally a little slow-moving at times, but eventually it worked itself into a good family drama with even some effective notes of tragedy at the conclusion. I've often said that the books in this on-going series have been hit-or-miss in quality, but The Jewel of Gravesend is a fine edition to the line-up. Oh, and like a few other like-minded GR reviewers I agree that this story cries out for a direct sequel.
I'm down for anything that DC publishes featuring the underused super-heroines Zatanna and/or Black Canary, therefore Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend - the latest in the ever-expanding YA graphic novel series featuring known characters, but specifically during their adolescent years - seemed like a sure thing. However, I will admit the changing of her basic origin did not exactly sit too well with me during the initial two chapters . . . but I soon forgot about that minor issue as this story became increasingly sort of charming and even a little suspenseful. I'd say it cemented my interest when Zatanna wields her newly-realized magical powers to save her best friends (two young ladies with a sweetly unrequited love for one another) from a certain death after the tale's malevolent villainess performs a truly reprehensible act of sabotage at a Coney Island rollercoaster. It was occasionally a little slow-moving at times, but eventually it worked itself into a good family drama with even some effective notes of tragedy at the conclusion. I've often said that the books in this on-going series have been hit-or-miss in quality, but The Jewel of Gravesend is a fine edition to the line-up. Oh, and like a few other like-minded GR reviewers I agree that this story cries out for a direct sequel.
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March 16, 2022🎩 ✨ Release date: July 26th 2022!
August 10, 2022
4/5 stars.
This wasn't half bad, there was actually a lot of heart put into it. It's one of the better DC YA graphic novels.
Zatanna Starr lives at an amusement park, the daughter of the illusionist Ezra and his wife Lola. Everyday her life at the Golden Elephant hotel is fill with magic shows, gambling, and magic Russian mobsters behind the scene. She has her friends Izzy and Kenia and her boyfriend Alexei, the son of one of the mobsters. Life is perfect, mostly. Her father keeps making her participate in his magic shows and soon she starts seeing mirror script, backwards words floating in the air. Then Zatanna knows what's really going on: magic is real and she has some of it. A quest to learn her magic and to figure out what happened to the great illusionist Zatara will reveal multiple revelations.
The story here is pretty simple, but still enjoyable. I think the target teen audience will enjoy it. Adult audiences might know what's already up, but it's still fun. I do feel like the ending is a bit rushed. Also, I don't understand why Alexei's family and their servants had to be mobsters? They could've just been intimidating magicians that all other magic-users feared. I don't think the mobster edge was necessary. There's no real scenes that are like what you would see in a mobster or mafia story, the tone and story and structure are kept together well throughout the book, so I think they could've been simpler.
I actually do like the art. There's some moment where it looks off or flat, unfortunately poor Alexei looks bit off sometimes, but it's still pretty cute overall. I actually liked Zatanna's design and clothing. She has the typical witchy attire that a lot of late millennial and early Gen Z girls wear, so if you are that demographic you might like it.
I think the story shines the most with Zatanna and her internal struggle and thoughts. She was a great character and I did feel for her. The rest of the cast is pretty solid, for the most part; Zatara is just kind of there. I enjoyed Alexei and his own struggles and his romance with Zatanna, it was really cute. Izzy and Kenia are also great, although I feel we could've seen a bit more of their own relationship developing. The story is a bit fast, but not too fast.
This was really cute, sweet, magical, and sad. It was nice little palate cleanser from the more darker books I read.
This wasn't half bad, there was actually a lot of heart put into it. It's one of the better DC YA graphic novels.
Zatanna Starr lives at an amusement park, the daughter of the illusionist Ezra and his wife Lola. Everyday her life at the Golden Elephant hotel is fill with magic shows, gambling, and magic Russian mobsters behind the scene. She has her friends Izzy and Kenia and her boyfriend Alexei, the son of one of the mobsters. Life is perfect, mostly. Her father keeps making her participate in his magic shows and soon she starts seeing mirror script, backwards words floating in the air. Then Zatanna knows what's really going on: magic is real and she has some of it. A quest to learn her magic and to figure out what happened to the great illusionist Zatara will reveal multiple revelations.
The story here is pretty simple, but still enjoyable. I think the target teen audience will enjoy it. Adult audiences might know what's already up, but it's still fun. I do feel like the ending is a bit rushed. Also, I don't understand why Alexei's family and their servants had to be mobsters? They could've just been intimidating magicians that all other magic-users feared. I don't think the mobster edge was necessary. There's no real scenes that are like what you would see in a mobster or mafia story, the tone and story and structure are kept together well throughout the book, so I think they could've been simpler.
I actually do like the art. There's some moment where it looks off or flat, unfortunately poor Alexei looks bit off sometimes, but it's still pretty cute overall. I actually liked Zatanna's design and clothing. She has the typical witchy attire that a lot of late millennial and early Gen Z girls wear, so if you are that demographic you might like it.
I think the story shines the most with Zatanna and her internal struggle and thoughts. She was a great character and I did feel for her. The rest of the cast is pretty solid, for the most part; Zatara is just kind of there. I enjoyed Alexei and his own struggles and his romance with Zatanna, it was really cute. Izzy and Kenia are also great, although I feel we could've seen a bit more of their own relationship developing. The story is a bit fast, but not too fast.
This was really cute, sweet, magical, and sad. It was nice little palate cleanser from the more darker books I read.
July 14, 2022
HELLO I NEED A SEQUEL RIGHT. NOW.
December 7, 2022
.bɘʞɔυƨ ɈɒʜɈ llɘw
i was reading this with THE GOAT Kadi P and The Amazing Chad
Also Thanks to The Poetic Jayson for the pic edit, i ll do more buddy reads if he makes us a pic each time.
Kadi choose this for us, its her specialty, and she actually knew its bad, so i am not sure what i ll do about that yet lol.
This is my first zatanna read ever, and it might be the last i swear lol, now all hope for hellblazer to get me to like her lets start with the positives
the art gets my two stars, i liked it, its perfect for young adult graphic novels is how i imagine it, and maybe can even be used for certain graphic novels too.
for the next positive i have to address one of the biggest negatives in the novel first, and its the romance, it was so fucking cheesy i mean come on, the writer had a big slap of cheese next to her and she was probably eating it hands free while writing these "romantic" scenes.
we jumped straight from cute first impression which was the only good scene for Zatanna and Alexei as children, to cheesy corny teenagers in love, which doesn't really paint the reality of teenagers right in my opinion, i saw nothing else in their relationship that would make them love each other so much, it needed more build up more flash backs for their romance to pass along as convincing, That being said i liked the LGBTQ romance scenes they were very short, and they were not choking us with the smell of cheese, the relation between Esmeralda and the other girl was beautiful and light no faking there, the reaction of the boy to his friend over at the smash the bell magic scene was short too but felt genuine, more than anything zatanna and alexei did the entire novel.
i ll not talk about superficial wrong details like a rabbit on a leash walk, is it a Rabbit/Chihuahua breed?
secondly i didn't like zatanna, she was really stupid, she literally needed her fortune teller friend, to spell out for her that one needs to have mystic parents on both sides to be as strong as her, when probably every single reader realized zatara and ella are her parents in the zatara statue scene or even before.
its not my first YA graphic novel as i have read Blankets before and others.
but my final thought is this was a superficial self discovery journey, that will not let you understand young adults, or even remember your own time as a young adult, it was a slice of life with no life, it has zero relatability (which makes me think one of the people who reviewed it on the back cover is out of his/her mind).
even the big moments in zatanna's life discovering her parents are not really her biologicals parents, also felt superficial not deep enough, we didn't see from her, the reaction that her dad deserves for someone who wanted her biological father killed, we didn't see the same from Alexei for his evil witch of a bitch mom.
i was really annoyed when zatanna threw that book in the trash and threw the icecream on top of it that's heartless.
this is my first comic Buddy read ever, and it will not be the last for sure, just can we make someone else choose other than Kadi next time?
i was reading this with THE GOAT Kadi P and The Amazing Chad
Also Thanks to The Poetic Jayson for the pic edit, i ll do more buddy reads if he makes us a pic each time.
Kadi choose this for us, its her specialty, and she actually knew its bad, so i am not sure what i ll do about that yet lol.
This is my first zatanna read ever, and it might be the last i swear lol, now all hope for hellblazer to get me to like her lets start with the positives
the art gets my two stars, i liked it, its perfect for young adult graphic novels is how i imagine it, and maybe can even be used for certain graphic novels too.
for the next positive i have to address one of the biggest negatives in the novel first, and its the romance, it was so fucking cheesy i mean come on, the writer had a big slap of cheese next to her and she was probably eating it hands free while writing these "romantic" scenes.
we jumped straight from cute first impression which was the only good scene for Zatanna and Alexei as children, to cheesy corny teenagers in love, which doesn't really paint the reality of teenagers right in my opinion, i saw nothing else in their relationship that would make them love each other so much, it needed more build up more flash backs for their romance to pass along as convincing, That being said i liked the LGBTQ romance scenes they were very short, and they were not choking us with the smell of cheese, the relation between Esmeralda and the other girl was beautiful and light no faking there, the reaction of the boy to his friend over at the smash the bell magic scene was short too but felt genuine, more than anything zatanna and alexei did the entire novel.
i ll not talk about superficial wrong details like a rabbit on a leash walk, is it a Rabbit/Chihuahua breed?
secondly i didn't like zatanna, she was really stupid, she literally needed her fortune teller friend, to spell out for her that one needs to have mystic parents on both sides to be as strong as her, when probably every single reader realized zatara and ella are her parents in the zatara statue scene or even before.
its not my first YA graphic novel as i have read Blankets before and others.
but my final thought is this was a superficial self discovery journey, that will not let you understand young adults, or even remember your own time as a young adult, it was a slice of life with no life, it has zero relatability (which makes me think one of the people who reviewed it on the back cover is out of his/her mind).
even the big moments in zatanna's life discovering her parents are not really her biologicals parents, also felt superficial not deep enough, we didn't see from her, the reaction that her dad deserves for someone who wanted her biological father killed, we didn't see the same from Alexei for his evil witch of a bitch mom.
i was really annoyed when zatanna threw that book in the trash and threw the icecream on top of it that's heartless.
this is my first comic Buddy read ever, and it will not be the last for sure, just can we make someone else choose other than Kadi next time?
December 19, 2022
As a nice change of pace, this graphic novel wasn’t all bad as it had some nice art and colours, but it was just incredibly lame and so off pace that the ending barely felt like an end.
The crux of the problem with this graphic novel was that all the magic centred around mirror-writing which any normal person—except for every character in this story—can read. The most exciting magic was floating backwards words in the air, and that as a concept doesn’t exactly scream thrilling, mostly just feeble.
But the magic didn’t make its full debut until towards the end of the graphic novel so the majority of the focus in the story was on the characters’ relationships, as mediocre and disengaging as they were. The protagonist’s relationship with her father bordered on infuriatingly rude for the majority of the graphic novel, her relationship with her boyfriend was stagnantly lovey-dovey, and her relationship with her two personality-less friends were almost as irrelevant as her relationship with her five page appearance mother.
Beyond that, this was just not well-written. There were so many unnecessary descriptions as though the writer wasn’t aware that this wasn’t a book. At times it read like a behind the scenes concept piece where the author explains their creative choices. And the number of times the location was mentioned was surely somewhere over 100. It was brought up every other page as if the characters were personifications of the geographical area, which, considering some of their lack of personalities, was most likely true.
On top of that, the pacing was a monumental failure. The ending came at the reader like a freight train and even the last pages couldn’t wrap up the story adequately. You’re left with so many questions that you’re likely to question how none of the questions were answered within the almost 200 pages that this graphic novel spans. It’s almost hilarious how the graphic novel doesn’t actually explain the main concept of the story: the Jewel of Gravesend. Does everyone have a Jewel? Does only Zatanna have a Jewel? The entire magic lore was so vague and shaky that you couldn’t invest yourself in it.
As a whole, this felt extremely immature for a YA graphic novel. The constant, almost obsessive and entirely unnecessary, mentions of mermaids and giant elephant buildings and whatnot was really alienating to the YA audience that would expect more depth than the sparkles and rainbows suggested by the inclusion of childish concepts. Magic can be made mature but this graphic novel did not manage to do that. It didn’t manage maturity in the plot or the relationships either. Perhaps if this was targeted at middle grade readers without all the romance then this would’ve been a 3.5/4 star read. But as it is it’s a mediocre 2 stars.
The crux of the problem with this graphic novel was that all the magic centred around mirror-writing which any normal person—except for every character in this story—can read. The most exciting magic was floating backwards words in the air, and that as a concept doesn’t exactly scream thrilling, mostly just feeble.
But the magic didn’t make its full debut until towards the end of the graphic novel so the majority of the focus in the story was on the characters’ relationships, as mediocre and disengaging as they were. The protagonist’s relationship with her father bordered on infuriatingly rude for the majority of the graphic novel, her relationship with her boyfriend was stagnantly lovey-dovey, and her relationship with her two personality-less friends were almost as irrelevant as her relationship with her five page appearance mother.
Beyond that, this was just not well-written. There were so many unnecessary descriptions as though the writer wasn’t aware that this wasn’t a book. At times it read like a behind the scenes concept piece where the author explains their creative choices. And the number of times the location was mentioned was surely somewhere over 100. It was brought up every other page as if the characters were personifications of the geographical area, which, considering some of their lack of personalities, was most likely true.
On top of that, the pacing was a monumental failure. The ending came at the reader like a freight train and even the last pages couldn’t wrap up the story adequately. You’re left with so many questions that you’re likely to question how none of the questions were answered within the almost 200 pages that this graphic novel spans. It’s almost hilarious how the graphic novel doesn’t actually explain the main concept of the story: the Jewel of Gravesend. Does everyone have a Jewel? Does only Zatanna have a Jewel? The entire magic lore was so vague and shaky that you couldn’t invest yourself in it.
As a whole, this felt extremely immature for a YA graphic novel. The constant, almost obsessive and entirely unnecessary, mentions of mermaids and giant elephant buildings and whatnot was really alienating to the YA audience that would expect more depth than the sparkles and rainbows suggested by the inclusion of childish concepts. Magic can be made mature but this graphic novel did not manage to do that. It didn’t manage maturity in the plot or the relationships either. Perhaps if this was targeted at middle grade readers without all the romance then this would’ve been a 3.5/4 star read. But as it is it’s a mediocre 2 stars.
December 5, 2022
I just...aggressively disliked this one. I'm not sure I can articulate why. Zatanna is a unique, magical character in the DC line-up. I like her stuff with Constantine and Batman, often as a mysterious outsider who has unclear, but potent powers. Y'know, someone fun and cool and interesting.
The Jewel of Gravesend discards all that in favor of an exceedingly bland YA tale, complete with Romeo & Juliet love story. There's an incredibly obvious "she's adopted!!!!" twist that somehow lasts 175 pages. None of the characters are memorable. The plot is by the numbers. The art is perfunctory. I skimmed the back half and still feel like I wasted my time with this one.
The Jewel of Gravesend discards all that in favor of an exceedingly bland YA tale, complete with Romeo & Juliet love story. There's an incredibly obvious "she's adopted!!!!" twist that somehow lasts 175 pages. None of the characters are memorable. The plot is by the numbers. The art is perfunctory. I skimmed the back half and still feel like I wasted my time with this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2022
DC reimagines Zatanna for a young adult audience just a couple years after Zatanna & the House of Secrets reimagined her for a middle school audience. And I have to say, I prefer tween Zatanna Zatara to the slow, mopey teenage Zatanna Starr who meanders around Coney Island and between these covers.
Slow is the word for the day as the obvious plot takes forever to finally get to its non-conclusion. No sequel for me, please.
Slow is the word for the day as the obvious plot takes forever to finally get to its non-conclusion. No sequel for me, please.
August 11, 2024
3.5⭐️ for this YA graphic novel. The artwork is amazing, but the story didn't really grip me?
November 1, 2022
A Zatanna origin story reimagined for a YA market. I'm surprised at the actual drama in this, it definitely wasn't some big superhero origin or wild fantasy adventure. I actually cared about the romance between Zatanna and Alexei! I actually got emotional about some of the big moments! There was some real mystery about what was happening and what was going to happen- the only downside is that even after having finished the book I still didn't really get what was going on. It's gorgeous, too, not just in the fantasy magic aspects but also the way the characters interact with each other and how much story is told through each character's individual reaction to the plot.
March 2, 2024
2023 Winter Bingo (#SnowInLoveBingo❄️): I Miss Sparkling
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not that ending. 💀 Can’t remember the last time I was so shocked. Read via library.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not that ending. 💀 Can’t remember the last time I was so shocked. Read via library.
May 5, 2022
I know that teenage rendition of classic comic characters is hit or miss, but believe me when I say that this story hit so hard the ball flew over the fence.
The artwork was immaculate, the characters and diversity within was so true to what New York is truly like, Zatanna's personality was relatable.
Even as a teen, even with this new take on an origin story, the character truly felt– to me, as a long-time Zatanna fan– as a very true to form. The author took creative liberties as appropriate but kept the spirit of the character still in sight.
Major, major fan. I look forward to buying a physical copy to display on my bookshelf and read again and again.
The artwork was immaculate, the characters and diversity within was so true to what New York is truly like, Zatanna's personality was relatable.
Even as a teen, even with this new take on an origin story, the character truly felt– to me, as a long-time Zatanna fan– as a very true to form. The author took creative liberties as appropriate but kept the spirit of the character still in sight.
Major, major fan. I look forward to buying a physical copy to display on my bookshelf and read again and again.
August 25, 2022
BUNNIES. MAGIC. COTTON CANDY. this was amazing and beautiful and I am obsessed. give me all the zatanna stories please and thank you. 💜💔💜
August 12, 2022
Firstly, I’m a simp for gorgeous art. The three stars was for the art alone. ~ However, the plot line was really lacking. I didn’t really feel connected to Volkov & the whole film school thing fell off the map really fast. Just a lot of missing points that I needed filled and a lot of drama that needed to be further explored.
September 2, 2022
Zatanna is my girl and I love her in all forms. Such a sweet teen romance that is , but I am so hoping that there's more to come with this because the family backstory is delicious.
Shelved as 'didn-t-finish'
July 17, 2022Absolutely hated the ending. I guess it kind of had to go that way, but I still hated it. When I was younger I probably would have appreciated the tragedy of it, but now? Not so much. No stars, as I skimmed and honestly don’t know enough about the character to be a good judge of where this falls in the canon and if it is actually good or not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2022
ARC was given by NetGalley and DC Entertainment in exchange for an honest review.
This review is being published before the release date (July 26th, 2022)
Content/Trigger Warnings: Near death experiences, death, loss of loved ones, grief
Oh my glob, friends! Receiving an arc of this comic came out of left field and I am shook! I was graciously blessed by the arc gods and oh, thank you because this was a wonderful experience. I don’t really talk about my favorite DC universe heroes too often and Zatanna has always been one of my favorites. She’s also a hero that we don’t know much about. Zatanna doesn’t have a huge backstory and she doesn’t get the spotlight that often in shows or comics, and it feels so good to see Zatanna getting the spotlight compared to a lot of other DC heroes.
Zatanna is the daughter of famous illusionists, Ezra and Lola Starr. In Coney Island, New York, Zatanna only wants to get away from everything and lead a normal life. A life that doesn’t involve being in the constant spotlight or even the center of her father’s stunts. When one night Zatanna it out with her boyfriend and friends, strange things begin to happen and she decides to confront the one person who may have answers. Soon, secrets and mysteries surround Zatanna begins to pop up, friends and foes lurk in the shadows to see what with become of this magician.
Again, Zatanna is one of my favorite DC heroes. I’m pretty much a lover of the kind of heroes that don’t often get the spotlight like Martian Manhunter, Huntress, Hawkgirl, etc… So seeing a comic come out with more of Zatanna’s childhood/teenage years was a big excited time for me. However, I’ve been hesitant due to these comics being written in middle grade style, but also they tend to feel hit or miss to how the characters have already been established from the get-go of DC Comics. And I’m happy to say that this is one where I really fell in love with it.
The artwork is absolutely breath taking and the colors of the cover instantly drew me in. Not only is the art style something that really captures me attention and really shows off the mood in ever panel, but the color pallet is one that speaks to me and feels very much like my own personality at times. Plus, I have to talk about the rabbit, Flop. The way the rabbit was given expressions had me on the floor dying because I loved it so much.
Overall, I had a great time reading this comic. I think my only real issue or downside I had was the lack of information we have around the foe/foes of this book. I think I would have liked to have seen a little more information about that, but still a fantastic read. Like with all comics, I recommend then for readathons and those quick reads for travel. And I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s a true whimsical time!
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August 2, 2022
it pretty
August 15, 2022
A fun story with heart and the artwork was gorgeous.
October 14, 2022
Art is beautiful. Was not expecting the depressing ending though 😅
February 2, 2023
In this graphic novelization (is that a thing?) of Zatanna's origin story for a YA audience, the eponymous Zatanna is enjoying summer before her senior year with her best friends, her parents, and her boyfriend. Home is Coney Island. Specifically, Zatanna lives in a giant, golden elephant, the luxury hotel owned by her parents and host to their famous illusionist acts. Coney Island is also home to true mystics and the Russian mob, which is led by Dmitri Volkov, father of Zatanna's boyfriend, Alexei. Zatanna is gearing up for a sunkissed summer at home with the people she loves best, avoiding the stage her father so desperately wants her to inherit. Unfortunately for Zatanna, her past and her magic are about to catch up with her and ruin her idyllic plans.
My favorite thing about this story was the art. It has a young, stylish feel, and I am always here for artists who take fashion seriously. Zatanna & Co. are well-dressed bombshells so 10/10 on that front. I also enjoyed the mystery of Zatanna's heritage and the dynamic with her friend group. While I wasn't obsessed with her romance, I also didn't mind it. There are no creepy vibes, and I think Alexei's genuinely a good sort. I also appreciated the small scale of the story, focusing on relationships and identity over Big Superhero Moments™.
The major downside is the ending. It's quite the cliffhanger on several levels with unresolved elements pointing to Zatanna's future journey. As a standalone, the story feels incomplete, which would be less concerning to me if we had a promised sequel (which none of my digging was able to turn up). Even if one materializes, this story feels like a prologue rather than a complete arc. I am also displeased with the nature of part of the cliffhanger and can't comment further without spoilers.
This is definitely a modern twist on Zatanna, and I think all women in comics deserve that kind of update. This graphic novel has a strong sense of place, splashy, vibrant art, and a superhero origin story with plenty of mystery. For those who enjoy comics for a young adult audience or who aren't bothered by open-ended plot elements, you will find a lot to enjoy in Zatanna. Thanks to DC Comics for my copy to read and review!
My favorite thing about this story was the art. It has a young, stylish feel, and I am always here for artists who take fashion seriously. Zatanna & Co. are well-dressed bombshells so 10/10 on that front. I also enjoyed the mystery of Zatanna's heritage and the dynamic with her friend group. While I wasn't obsessed with her romance, I also didn't mind it. There are no creepy vibes, and I think Alexei's genuinely a good sort. I also appreciated the small scale of the story, focusing on relationships and identity over Big Superhero Moments™.
The major downside is the ending. It's quite the cliffhanger on several levels with unresolved elements pointing to Zatanna's future journey. As a standalone, the story feels incomplete, which would be less concerning to me if we had a promised sequel (which none of my digging was able to turn up). Even if one materializes, this story feels like a prologue rather than a complete arc. I am also displeased with the nature of part of the cliffhanger and can't comment further without spoilers.
This is definitely a modern twist on Zatanna, and I think all women in comics deserve that kind of update. This graphic novel has a strong sense of place, splashy, vibrant art, and a superhero origin story with plenty of mystery. For those who enjoy comics for a young adult audience or who aren't bothered by open-ended plot elements, you will find a lot to enjoy in Zatanna. Thanks to DC Comics for my copy to read and review!
April 30, 2023
A disappointing book. This could be partly because I was very high expectations for the book, but mainly as I hate books that give more wuestiobs than answers by the end of them. Especially when this is supposed to be a standalone story. There is way too much unfinished business in this book for it to end here for me.
Zatanna Starr is born to be famous. Like her parents and her infamous boyfriend. The only thing is that she does not want to be. Now she will be thrust into a world where everything is possible, no one is who she thinks they are, and everything she thought she knew is wrong.
For me, Zatanna is not the only one having an identity crisis. The whole book is. Is a magic story, a gangster story, a teen romance, or a standalone story? Even the action and story from panel to panel sometimes seems to skip something.
Zatanna Starr is born to be famous. Like her parents and her infamous boyfriend. The only thing is that she does not want to be. Now she will be thrust into a world where everything is possible, no one is who she thinks they are, and everything she thought she knew is wrong.
For me, Zatanna is not the only one having an identity crisis. The whole book is. Is a magic story, a gangster story, a teen romance, or a standalone story? Even the action and story from panel to panel sometimes seems to skip something.
January 5, 2023
Other than the fact that the plot was confusing and not very well developed, i enjoyed this origin story. I do wish we had seen more of Zatanna fighting actual supervillains instead of just one obsessive, possessive, overly protective parent(who I guess had powers? Apparently…). I also think there was a whole chapter missing that would explain why Zatara and Ezra were friends/rivals.
I did enjoy the whole magical circus aspect and the illustrations were beautiful. The characters were interesting as well and liked learning more about Zatanna.
I did enjoy the whole magical circus aspect and the illustrations were beautiful. The characters were interesting as well and liked learning more about Zatanna.
June 9, 2023
Fun story about some mystics on Coney Island. Really strong cast of characters and fantastic artwork. It seems to set up for a sequel but there isn’t one, at least not yet.
August 7, 2022
In my opinion, this is a bad comic. Slow pacing, painfully inconsistent characterisation everywhere, fixed archaic gender roles (in a 2022 mainstream publication!), poor editing, and worst of all, it has one of the messiest and most poorly thought-out endings I've ever seen. Plot points, character points, character relationships, and characters period are dropped and forgotten about. Even one or two promising LBGTQ elements are completely forgotten about by the end. It's rushed, underdeveloped, underwhelming and lacks gravitas to boot, and there are many plot holes. I barely cared about anyone in this dreck. It's hardly even magical, overall. Just a boring, frustrating waste of potential.
One pure positive I can give is that the art is very nice. The drawings and colour palettes (especially those of the setting, Coney Island) are soft, lovely, lively and striking.
'Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend' (hell even the subject of that title gets forgotten about at the end! how is that possible?) also doesn't refute my general observation that Zatanna is basically a slave to her shady AF father, unwitting or otherwise. And to other men in her life. But when a woman is ambitious and manipulative, she is thoughtlessly designated as the villain. She is defeated and punished, but not the men for their own evil deeds - if those deeds are acknowledged. That this double standard is still prevalent in 2022 reflects the sorry state of the entertainment industry as a whole. It's untenable.
Love the aesthetic, dislike everything else.
What the regressive world is coming to...
Final Score: 2/5
One pure positive I can give is that the art is very nice. The drawings and colour palettes (especially those of the setting, Coney Island) are soft, lovely, lively and striking.
'Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend' (hell even the subject of that title gets forgotten about at the end! how is that possible?) also doesn't refute my general observation that Zatanna is basically a slave to her shady AF father, unwitting or otherwise. And to other men in her life. But when a woman is ambitious and manipulative, she is thoughtlessly designated as the villain. She is defeated and punished, but not the men for their own evil deeds - if those deeds are acknowledged. That this double standard is still prevalent in 2022 reflects the sorry state of the entertainment industry as a whole. It's untenable.
Love the aesthetic, dislike everything else.
What the regressive world is coming to...
Final Score: 2/5
Read
September 18, 2022this comic tried too hard to be hip, to update the zatanna story to be appealing. part of the problem is the art; everyone looks like a 20something ig influencer, no matter their age pretty much. no real body diversity, and it gets weird when looking at zatanna's parents in the same scene as her, because they look like they could be the same age. but also, it's hard to make a story about stage magicians updated because the whole idea of stage magicians has fallen out of favor, so you'd have to do some serious work to retcon that into relevancy. there's some overtures at a diverse cast, but it's the same kind of flat as everything else.
September 3, 2022
3.5 stars
Mildly interested in continuing just to see what happens. There's a little bit of mystery here.
Mildly interested in continuing just to see what happens. There's a little bit of mystery here.
July 29, 2022
7/28/2022 Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
7/29/2022 I was so thrilled to pick up a copy of this and have it signed by Alys Arden at the recent American Library Association's Annual Conference 2022! I'd never read any Zatanna before, despite being both fascinated by the character and curiously reluctant to read any of her solo books. I figured that a modern YA retelling of her origin story might be the best way to ease me into learning more about a character who seems ripe for misogynistic exploitation and, frankly, whose idea of spellcasting always seemed vaguely clever-for-the-early-1900s-but-otherwise-extremely-obvious for me.
Ofc, YA retellings of iconic characters are not without their pitfalls. I have spent far too much of my reading life quietly seething at what well-meaning authors have done to (ruin) the origins of Wonder Woman and Catwoman, so I figured that not knowing anything about Zatanna's background would actually serve me well here. So while I can't speak to how closely this book hews to the accepted canon -- in deed or even, and perhaps more importantly, in spirit; see the first X-Men movie for an excellent example of capturing the spirit of a story without necessarily keeping to the often tricky and contradictory minutiae of decades of background detail -- I can say that it was a very entertaining graphic novel that perfectly introduces a rebellious, stage-shy Zatanna who will eventually grow up to be the confident mystic and magician long-time readers are more familiar with.
Zatanna Starr is looking forward to spending a summer away from the snooty kids at the school her wealthy parents insist she attends. While her snobby classmates talk about traveling to Europe and the Hamptons, Zatanna is more than content to lounge on the beach of her Coney Island home, hanging out with her real friends and, especially, with the boy she's been inseparable from for almost a decade now, Alexei Volkov. Sure, it's a little weird that his dad is the Russian mobster in charge of running the casinos in the basement of her own family's legendary hotel, but their parents are mostly cool with them being together, even if Alexei's mom is constantly fussing at him to work out with a slew of personal trainers she brings in from all over the world.
A freak accident while visiting a new mermaid-themed circus, however, sets into motion a deadly chain of events that will not only force Zatanna to confront her stage fright but also to question everything she ever thought she knew about herself. Her parents are master illusionists and entertainers, so the thought has never crossed her mind that magic could possibly be real. But what if it is, and what if she can wield it? And worse, what if the impossibility of real magic isn't the only lie she's spent her entire life believing?
Keeping in mind that I knew little of Zatanna's actual background, I found this story solidly entertaining, and even cried near the end. Ms Arden is a terrific writer, deftly infusing what little I do know of the classic character with wonderfully modern details. The best thing about this story, I thought, was how it neatly evaded tired tropes to tell its tender tale. The love between Zatanna and Alexei was so lovely, and there was never any stupidity introduced between them for the sake of plot tension.
And can I say how much I loved what the creative team did with the magic system used here? The fact that the mirror-script lettering was so different from the rest of the text made it really feel like something just on the edge of human knowledge, with flowing, glowy purple-tinged letters. Which leads to yet another strength of the book: its gorgeous colors and overall solid art. There was a bit of an unfinished quality to the linework in some of the full-body panels, but the close-ups were great, with rich colors and textures throughout.
I hope this is only the first in a series, as it sets up for a sequel really nicely. I'd love to follow along as teen Zatanna discovers more about her past and heritage. Tho there was one thing that confused me: what's the deal with the physical manifestation of the jewel? It was never really explained in this volume but will, I'm hoping, be addressed in any sequels.
Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend by Alys Arden & Jacquelin De Leon was published July 26 2022 by DC Comics and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
7/29/2022 I was so thrilled to pick up a copy of this and have it signed by Alys Arden at the recent American Library Association's Annual Conference 2022! I'd never read any Zatanna before, despite being both fascinated by the character and curiously reluctant to read any of her solo books. I figured that a modern YA retelling of her origin story might be the best way to ease me into learning more about a character who seems ripe for misogynistic exploitation and, frankly, whose idea of spellcasting always seemed vaguely clever-for-the-early-1900s-but-otherwise-extremely-obvious for me.
Ofc, YA retellings of iconic characters are not without their pitfalls. I have spent far too much of my reading life quietly seething at what well-meaning authors have done to (ruin) the origins of Wonder Woman and Catwoman, so I figured that not knowing anything about Zatanna's background would actually serve me well here. So while I can't speak to how closely this book hews to the accepted canon -- in deed or even, and perhaps more importantly, in spirit; see the first X-Men movie for an excellent example of capturing the spirit of a story without necessarily keeping to the often tricky and contradictory minutiae of decades of background detail -- I can say that it was a very entertaining graphic novel that perfectly introduces a rebellious, stage-shy Zatanna who will eventually grow up to be the confident mystic and magician long-time readers are more familiar with.
Zatanna Starr is looking forward to spending a summer away from the snooty kids at the school her wealthy parents insist she attends. While her snobby classmates talk about traveling to Europe and the Hamptons, Zatanna is more than content to lounge on the beach of her Coney Island home, hanging out with her real friends and, especially, with the boy she's been inseparable from for almost a decade now, Alexei Volkov. Sure, it's a little weird that his dad is the Russian mobster in charge of running the casinos in the basement of her own family's legendary hotel, but their parents are mostly cool with them being together, even if Alexei's mom is constantly fussing at him to work out with a slew of personal trainers she brings in from all over the world.
A freak accident while visiting a new mermaid-themed circus, however, sets into motion a deadly chain of events that will not only force Zatanna to confront her stage fright but also to question everything she ever thought she knew about herself. Her parents are master illusionists and entertainers, so the thought has never crossed her mind that magic could possibly be real. But what if it is, and what if she can wield it? And worse, what if the impossibility of real magic isn't the only lie she's spent her entire life believing?
Keeping in mind that I knew little of Zatanna's actual background, I found this story solidly entertaining, and even cried near the end. Ms Arden is a terrific writer, deftly infusing what little I do know of the classic character with wonderfully modern details. The best thing about this story, I thought, was how it neatly evaded tired tropes to tell its tender tale. The love between Zatanna and Alexei was so lovely, and there was never any stupidity introduced between them for the sake of plot tension.
And can I say how much I loved what the creative team did with the magic system used here? The fact that the mirror-script lettering was so different from the rest of the text made it really feel like something just on the edge of human knowledge, with flowing, glowy purple-tinged letters. Which leads to yet another strength of the book: its gorgeous colors and overall solid art. There was a bit of an unfinished quality to the linework in some of the full-body panels, but the close-ups were great, with rich colors and textures throughout.
I hope this is only the first in a series, as it sets up for a sequel really nicely. I'd love to follow along as teen Zatanna discovers more about her past and heritage. Tho there was one thing that confused me: what's the deal with the physical manifestation of the jewel? It was never really explained in this volume but will, I'm hoping, be addressed in any sequels.
Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend by Alys Arden & Jacquelin De Leon was published July 26 2022 by DC Comics and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
August 21, 2022
For the record, I know very little of DC. I requested this book from the library because the story is by Alys Arden, author of The Casquette Girls series. The art done by Jacqueline De Leon is beautiful. I found the pictures very alluring and inviting, especially with so much of the illustrations done in shades of purple. Zatanna's story captivated me. Her friends feel like people who would be great to have around, and her boyfriend, Alexei, is so sweet and caring. I would've liked a little more character development from some, but graphic novels only allow a limited amount of that. The setting was wonderfully done and story told very well, for someone who doesn't know anything about the DC character before reading this. Hopefully Arden and De Leon will collaborate on a sequel to know the next steps for Zatanna.
March 8, 2022
Magic, family secrets, and forbidden love. Zatanna is the daughter of magicians, she lives on Coney Island in a beautiful Golden Elephant, has an adorable pet rabbit, and a boyfriend from a family her parents dislike. Zatanna has been raised by the stage, by magic tricks, and magic shows, but has never really found herself leaning towards it. When family secrets start coming to light and magic shows become real magic, Zatanna finds herself on a path to discovering her powers as well as her family past. This was such a fun read and take on one of DC’s favorite magical ladies. I loved this take on her origin story and the artwork was just STUNNING, I can’t wait to see where the next book goes and would definitely recommend this for fans of Zatanna or stories about magical girls!!
*Thanks Netgalley and DC Entertainment, DC Comics for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
*Thanks Netgalley and DC Entertainment, DC Comics for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*
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