Review - Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell

While infiltrating a ring of thieves, Black Canary reluctantly partakes in a blood magic ritual that binds her to the group. When the ringleader of the operation dies during the mission, she returns as a ghost to kill Canary and the surviving members of the group. To overcome the blood magic and stop the ghost, Canary reaches out to the one person she knows who can help – Zatanna Zatara, the mistress of magic.

Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell is a graphic novel written by Paul Dini and illustrated by Joe Quinones.

Bloodspell is a cute little tribute to one of the lesser known friendships in the DC Universe. As members of the Justice League during the iconic Satellite era, Black Canary and Zatanna have been friends for decades. Despite this, very little has been written to reflect this. Paul Dini and Joe Quinones reimagine the pair as having met years before becoming superheroes, with Black Canary becoming somewhat of an older sister figure for the mistress of magic. We see their friendship grow over time through flashbacks, which punctuate the main storyline. This is especially useful as a developmental tool for Zatanna as it shows her going from an apprentice (to her parents and later to the League) to a confident sorceress. Given his affection for the character, it should be no surprise that Dini puts everything he has into portraying Zatanna as a multi-dimensional individual with insecurities and showing her growth. With that said, Black Canary ends up being the standout. She has more attitude than Zatanna, so her dialogue is punchier and has more humour to it. Dini seems to really “get” her voice and understands how she should be portrayed. The contrast between the two characters is evident and it really works for this graphic novel. Although, it is irksome that Dini seems a little too comfortable having his characters call each other bitches. With many male writers, the usage (or over-usage) often straddles the fence between “this is how women speak” and “this is how men think women speak.”

While I enjoyed the storyline and found the dialogue to be incredibly entertaining, what I fell in love with about Bloodspell was its art. Joe Quinones is an absolute master of expressions and dynamic layouts. I appreciate the effort he puts into ensuring each character is distinctive in how they’re portrayed visually. Black Canary and Zatanna don’t just look like the same character with different hair – consideration was put into their facial features and their body language in a way that readers understand their personality even if there isn’t a line of dialogue present. The action sequences are top notch as well. There are two major sequences, the first involves a chase between Black Canary and the ringleader of the group of thieves and the second is a showdown between Black Canary and Zatanna as they’re fighting off the ghost of the ringleader. The chase scene is actually quite campy as it features Black Canary duking it out with the ringleader as she attempts a getaway on a jetpack. It takes place in the skies above Las Vegas, so Quinones has to get creative with how he sets the scene. The end result is effective and engaging, but also kind of dark given how it ends. The other big sequence sees the ghost alternately possessing both Zatanna and Black Canary, forcing them to fight each other. It’s a neat narrative device and it gives Quinones a chance to pit these two iconic characters against each other. I also wanted to give props for Quinones’ homage to Mary Jane Watson’s famous introductory panel from her first appearance. Zatanna places a glamour on Black Canary, which turns her into a buxom redhead. There’s a joke about how she looks like Power Girl, but there’s a visual wink to Mary Jane when we see a character open a door to see the disguised Black Canary on the other side.

Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell is a fun, self-contained read that’s sure to please new and old fans. If you grew up reading the old Justice League of America comics from the Bronze Age, there are neat little references to that particular era throughout. If you grew up watching Young Justice, there are elements that feel familiar to that world (such as Zatanna being four years younger than Canary and there being a Miss Martian action figure featured in one scene). I enjoyed the fact that Dini and Quinones placed character above all else. Yes, there’s a lot of great action, but the friendship between these two characters is front and center. Between the gorgeous art and the impressive character work, Bloodspell had been wishing it were an ongoing series.

RATING: A-