New 52 Third Wave Pitch: Zatanna

Over the next few weeks, I am going to try and post a few proposals for DC's eventual New 52: Third Wave. Mostly, they are the dream comics I would like to see, but have very little chance of actually happening.

Tagline: The DC Universe's most famous magician is back in her own ongoing book! The master of mystical arts and blessed with the ability to control reality by speaking backwards, Zatanna could potentially be one of the world's most powerful heroes. Can she juggle her membership in the Justice League Dark, her own career, and her newfound task of mentoring young magicians?

Pitch: As I envision it, Zatanna would not be team book (after all, she's already in one). Rather, this ongoing would be a book with a large cast but Zatanna constantly at the center. Along with her other duties, she has taken it upon herself to mentor her young cousin Zatara in how to use his magical powers. Along the way, she finds herself taking on the apprenticeship of several young magicians. After leaving his daughter in Zatanna's care, the ever-skeptical Dr. Thirteen moves into the neighborhood and becomes something of a recurring foil, love interest, slight antagonist (essentially, he is Scully to her Mulder). On top of this, Zatanna comes into conflict with some of the DCU's villainous witches and wizards for various reasons. Even though I would not want this to be a straight knockoff of Wolverine and the X-men, I would point to that series as an example of successfully balancing many characters with one headliner at the center.

Writer:

Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians and The Magician King. DC has recruited China Miéville to write his take on the upcoming Dial H series, so why not bring in another writer of popular genre fiction? Grossman's two major books deal with many of the same themes that a Zatanna ongoing series could potentially tackle.

Artist:

Stephane Roux, the artist that worked on the last Zatanna ongoing series pre-New 52

Ryan Sook, the artist that worked on the Zatanna parts of Seven Soldiers of Victory and a fan favorite cover artist.

Main Characters:

Zatanna: Stage-magician turned superhero who possesses a wide arsenal of magics but, most importantly, wields the power to change reality just by speaking backwards. While I wouldn't want to change her outfit drastically, I would tone down the cleavage and give her a wide range of outfits--including the classic fishnets.

Zachary Zatara: Zatanna's young cousin—sometimes good-hearted, sometimes arrogant, sometimes mischievous, and always naïve—inherited her backward speaking abilities.

Supporting Cast:

Klarion, The Witch Boy: Bluish-colored miscreant from a time-lost colony of puritanical witches, Zatanna agrees to take him on if he learns to behave.

Black Alice: Teenage witch who can temporarily steal other magic-users unique abilities.

Traci Thirteen: Daughter of Doctor Thirteen and urban magician.

Doctor Thirteen: Professional skeptic and ongoing foil to Zatanna. As I said above, he is the Scully to her Mulder.

Possible Villains:

Circe: Mainly a Wonder Woman villain, Circe is a perfect fit to become a recurring Zatanna foe.

Morgane Le Fay: Perhaps she wants to adopt Zatara or Klarion as her new Mordred?

Tala: She had a starring turn in the Justice League Unlimited cartoon but has barely existed in the DCU proper. This would be her chance to make a splash.