Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell

Artwork was great and story was interesting and intriguing

good

Dinah Lance aka Black Canary infiltrates a gang of all-women criminals planning a heist on a casino and gets in a tangle with the leader, Tina Boccali, who’s skilled in both martial arts and black magic. After an aerial fight, Tina dies in an explosion and that seems to be the end of that. A year later, the remaining members of the gang are dying in mysterious circumstances – is the vengeful ghost of Tina Boccali killing them off? This is a job for Black Canary and Zatanna!Bloodspell makes a change to a lot of recent DC books as it’s a comic that’s easy-going, humourous, and not afraid to poke fun of its heroines. Dinah and Zee go shopping, Zee turns a couple of guys (who look a lot like Joe Quinones and Paul Dini) into frogs for cat-calling them at the mall, there’s some cute relationship stuff between Dinah and pre-New 52 Ollie Queen (aka Green Arrow), and Dinah and Zee’s first meeting is pretty cool. Tonally it’s very different from the overwhelming rash of “dark and gritty” comics DC are currently publishing which is definitely refreshing to see.But, though I liked the tone and hope to see more DC books that aren’t so grim, and there are a few nice moments here and there, it’s not a terribly interesting story. Dinah and Zee track down suspects and quiz them, basically killing time until the whacky fight at the end (I imagined Benny Hill music playing as I read it – it is a very silly sequence!). It’s pretty straightforward, unsurprising stuff that’s unfortunately not very engaging.Joe Quinones’ art is fine though I felt his depictions of Zatanna to be a bit inconsistent. Her face seemed to change quite a bit depending on the angle. And, because his style is very cartoony, the more serious scenes where the female criminal characters are in dire circumstances – on the verge of a breakdown, about to commit suicide – didn’t feel as dramatic as they perhaps should.Dinah and Zee have great chemistry and Dini writes both characters perfectly, it’s just a shame the main story of the book wasn’t great as well. I usually love Paul Dini’s stuff – he is unquestionably one of the greatest Batman writers ever – but Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell is a very forgettable and uninspired book.

Two of the finest Gotham City sirens team up to battle a vengeful ghost in "Bloodspell," the marvelous new original graphic novel from writer Paul Dini and artist Joe Quinones. This highly entertaining and clever story takes place outside what passes for the "New 52" DC comics continuity, which is terrific, since it means we get to see the REAL Zatanna and Black Canary in action (with some cameo appearances by Green Arrow, Zatara, and, even more briefly, Superman). The classic characters in their classic costumes (more or less; we are also shown some of the variants these gals wore at various times in their past) and a story that is dramatic and also full of charm and warmth, not at all the tedious cosmic blow-hardiness or grim, bloody psychosis of mainstream comics these days.I expected no less from Dini, the genius who gave us so many memorable Batman stories in the comics and in the animated TV series as well as creating the criminal screwball Harley Quinn (with Bruce Timm) and Jingle Belle. What amazes me is that it took DC nine years to publish this, according to the date of the original pitch (included as a supplemental feature, along with the original script and many Quinones pencil sketches and rough layouts). The guy has an Emmy and proven track record -- who's running the picture there at the New DC?Bloodspell is crammed with twists, jokes, fond winks at comic book lore and tropes, and a suitable mystery plot that begins with streetwise crimebuster Black Canary investigating the strange suicides of a former underworld gang. Clues point to supernatural involvement, so she looks up her old Justice League comrade Zatanna Zatara, mistress of the magical arts. Together these fishnet fatales investigate and trace the spectral presence behind these deaths. But danger lurks at every step, as they find themselves their worst enemies in a way least expected.These two characters have long been among my favorites and it is a treat to see them both again and handled with such intelligence and wit. I'm not sure why they aren't as well regarded and famous as other DC characters (lack of movie or TV exposure, I guess), since they are both well established with rich backstories. Black Canary is almost as old as Wonder Woman (if a gentleman can be permitted to say such things about a lady, let alone a lady who could tie him into knots), dating back to the 1940s (with occasional revisions and rebootings along the way, often misguided), while Zatanna comes from the 1960s Silver Age, although her father, the magician John (Giovanni) Zatara, made his debut along with "the Bat-Man" in Detective 27 (1939). Both have lived in the shadows of better-known heroes and heroines, despite flitting in and out of the Justice League and Dini's championing of Zatanna in the Batman universe and in her sadly short-lived own title from 2010-11.Zee and the Canary are handled in this book just right. The Girl Gladiator is a no-nonsense fighter and detective (kind of a Honey West with acrobat and judo skills) and her "canary cry" gimmick is underplayed (rightly so). Her sorceress partner, despite wielding almost inconceivable power and having fought perils from other realities so often that you wonder how she maintains her sanity, is still inherently cheerful and good-natured, one of DC's, well, nicest heroes. Very refreshing in these times. And yes, they share a fondness for fishnet stockings (a fashion statement poked fun of in places, including a scene where Dini and Quinones doppelgangers get their just desserts).A fine, satisfying tale that ends too soon. Let's hope there is a follow-up in the works. This is the type of all-round entertainment comics publishing has lacked for a long time, something that can appeal to dedicated fanboys and non-comics readers alike.