- You want guilt? My name's Zatanna Zatara. I'm a spellaholic.
- — Zatanna
Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1 is an issue of the series Seven Soldiers: Zatanna (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 2005. It was published on April 6, 2005.
Synopsis for "Part One: Talking Backwards"
Zatanna Zatara joins a support group for superheroes with low self esteem, believing herself to be a "Spellaholic". Her father, Giovanni Zatara, was a famous hero, who perished fighting the forces of evil.
Zatanna recounts a failed magical ritual to search for her father's lost books. Zatanna had gathered a group of sorcerers comprised of Timothy Ravenwind, Ibis the Invincible, his wife Taia, and Doctor 13.
The group had met at Wintersgate Manor, and prepared to begin the ritual. Once the group entered the magical plane, they encountered King Ra-Man, who opened a portal to a realm called "Never-Be-Found". While they trekked through the mysterious dimension, Ravenwind had sensed that the realm was "hungry", prompting Zatanna to teleport the group out before it could eat them.
The team then arrived at a tree, a tree filled with all the books ever written in anyone's head. Zatanna located what she believed were her fathers books, and as she approached the tree, a malignant face formed on its trunk.
Zatanna then reveals to the support group that, three nights before the ritual she attempted to summon "the man of her dreams". Instead of a "Great Wizard" or an "Ace Crime-fighter", her call was responded by an elemental shapeshifter named Gwydion.
Gwydion had followed Zatanna into the magical plane, and vaporized her companions, breaking the ritual. Due to the trauma from the experience, Zatanna loses confidence in herself, causing her to lose her powers.
Once the session ends, Zatanna encounters a girl named Misty, who appears to have similar powers as Zatanna. Misty offers to be her "apprentice", and they embark to stop Gwydion from destroying the world.
Appearing in "Part One: Talking Backwards"
Featured Characters:
- Zatanna Zatara (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Zatara (Flashback only)
- Baron Winters (Flashback only)
- Timothy Ravenwind (Dies in flashback)
- Ibis the Invincible (Dies in flashback)
- Taia (Dies in flashback)
- Doctor 13 (Dies in flashback)
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Gimmick Girl
- Etta Candy
- Misty Kilgore
- Mind-Grabber Man
- King Ra-Man (Flashback only)
- Red God of Ys (Flashback only)
Locations:
- Wintersgate Manor (Flashback only)
- Ra-Realm (Flashback only)
- Never-Be-Found (Flashback only)
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- This issue is part 4 of the Seven Soldiers storyline and the story continues in Seven Soldiers: Klarion #1
Trivia
- One of the members seen at the support group is Gimmick Girl, who mentions that she scored a "major team gig" out west. This is a direct reference to the "Ad-hoc" Seven Soldiers team from Seven Soldiers of Victory #0.
- Zatanna mentions that her father, Zatara, perished fighting the forces of evil. This is a reference to Swamp Thing (Volume 2) #50, where he is killed by the Great Darkness.
- Zatanna's magical ritual takes place in the mansion of Baron Winters, the same place where her father was killed while also conducting a magical ritual.
- In the flashback, Zatanna and the sorcerers reveal that they have been having bad dreams of "Locust Armies with tiny riders", and a "Queen on an eight-legged horse".
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Zatanna Recommended Reading
- JLA: Zatanna's Search
- Justice League of America (Volume 1)
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1)
- Supergirl (Volume 1)
- Zatanna Special #1
- Zatanna (Volume 1)
- Day of Judgment (Volume 1)
- Reign in Hell (Volume 1)
- Zatanna: Everyday Magic
- Seven Soldiers: Zatanna (Volume 1)
- Zatanna (Volume 2)
- Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell
- Mystik U (Volume 1)
- Seven Soldiers (Volume 1) Recommended Reading