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134-408: Zatanna holds the distinction of being the daughter of the renowned magician Zatara and belonging to the homo magi race, a unique subset of humanity endowed with innate magical abilities. Widely recognized for her exceptional skills as a professional illusionist, she captivates audiences with her mesmerizing performances with both stage and actual magic. In addition to her stage persona, Zatanna assumes

268-614: A Tony -nominated musical play produced on Broadway. It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman featured music by Charles Strouse , lyrics by Lee Adams and book by David Newman and Robert Benton . Actor Bob Holiday performed as Clark Kent/Superman and actress Patricia Marand performed as Lois Lane. DC Comics trademarked the Superman chest logo in August 1938. Jack Liebowitz established Superman, Inc. in October 1939 to develop

402-612: A "Krypto-Raygun", which was a gun-shaped device that could project images on a wall. The majority of Superman merchandise is targeted at children, but since the 1970s, adults have been increasingly targeted because the comic book readership has gotten older. During World War II , Superman was used to support the war effort. Action Comics and Superman carried messages urging readers to buy war bonds and participate in scrap drives . Other superheroes became patriots who went to fight: Batman , Wonder Woman and Captain America . In

536-484: A "history" in Season 2 (five years after Season 1), implying that they dated and eventually broke up but still remained close. In season 4, Artemis mentions that both Zatanna and Raquel dated Dick prior. Due to her Homo Magi heritage, Zatanna possess inherent magical abilities that give her command over mystic and cosmic forces. In most depictions, the character employs her powers by a unique method known as Logomancy ,

670-494: A billionaire industrialist rather than a mad scientist, and making Supergirl an artificial shapeshifting organism because DC wanted Superman to be the sole surviving Kryptonian . Carlin was promoted to Executive Editor for the DC Universe books in 1996, a position he held until 2002. K.C. Carlson took his place as editor of the Superman comics. In the earlier decades of Superman comics, artists were expected to conform to

804-576: A card-counter involved in scamming the Penguin . He makes no mention of their conflict, and casually calls her by her nickname, "Zee". Catwoman discovers that Zatanna's mind-wipe of Dr. Light in Identity Crisis is not an isolated occurrence; Catwoman's journey from villain to hero and her resulting efforts to lead a moral life are retconned as being the result of Zatanna's mental intervention. Catwoman comes to distrust her memories, motives, and

938-469: A certain "house style". Joe Shuster defined the aesthetic style of Superman in the 1940s. After Shuster left National, Wayne Boring succeeded him as the principal artist on Superman comic books. He redrew Superman taller and more detailed. Around 1955, Curt Swan in turn succeeded Boring. The 1980s saw a boom in the diversity of comic book art and now there is no single "house style" in Superman comics. The first adaptation of Superman beyond comic books

1072-656: A contract at Liebowitz's request in which they gave away the copyright for Superman to Detective Comics, Inc. This was normal practice in the business, and Siegel and Shuster had given away the copyrights to their previous works as well. The duo's revised version of Superman appeared in the first issue of Action Comics , which was published on April 18, 1938. The issue was a huge success thanks to Superman's feature. Siegel and Shuster read pulp science-fiction and adventure magazines , and many stories featured characters with fantastical abilities such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and superhuman strength. One character in particular

1206-469: A contract dated March 1, 1938, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster gave away the copyright to Superman to their employer, DC Comics (then known as Detective Comics, Inc.) prior to Superman's first publication in April. Contrary to popular perception, the $ 130 that DC Comics paid them was for their first Superman story, not the copyright to the character — that, they gave away for free. This was normal practice in

1340-554: A crush on him while he trained under her father as "John Smith", though she later found out his real name. Decades later, an elderly Bruce is shown to still care for her as he keeps a picture of her along with pictures of his other love interests in a file in the Batcomputer. In the TV series Young Justice , Zatanna has a flirtatious and possibly romantic friendship with Dick Grayson / Robin during Season 1. Dick later says that they have

1474-593: A deal for eternal youth with the demon of avarice by selling the souls of his brides to the demon attempts to use a love potion to win Zatanna's soul. When her cousin Zachary Zatara breaks the spell, the casino owner begs Zatanna to turn him into a soulless lump of gold in order to escape torment in Hell. Aside from Brother Night, Zatanna faces other threats, such as Oscar Hample, a man who tried to murder her when she

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1608-505: A deal with the heirs of both Siegel and Shuster to help them get the rights to Superman in exchange for signing the rights over to his production company, Pacific Pictures. Both groups accepted. The Siegel heirs called off their deal with DC Comics and in 2004 sued DC for the rights to Superman and Superboy. In 2008, the judge ruled in favor of the Siegels. DC Comics appealed the decision, and the appeals court ruled in favor of DC, arguing that

1742-508: A descendant of the Homo magi ), which he focused through speaking backwards: he could do anything so long as he could describe it in sdrawkcab hceeps ("backwards speech"). This helped distinguish Zatara from the numerous Mandrake the Magician knockoffs that cluttered the comics and pulp magazines of the day, although Merlin the Magician ( Quality Comics ) also had this attribute, and it

1876-581: A fan of strongmen such as Siegmund Breitbart and Joseph Greenstein . He collected fitness magazines and manuals and used their photographs as visual references for his art. The visual design of Superman came from multiple influences. The tight-fitting suit and shorts were inspired by the costumes of wrestlers, boxers, and strongmen . In early concept art, Shuster gave Superman laced sandals like those of strongmen and classical heroes, but these were eventually changed to red boots. The costumes of Douglas Fairbanks were also an influence. The emblem on his chest

2010-430: A favorite being Winsor McCay 's fantastical Little Nemo . Shuster remarked on the artists who played an important part in the development of his own style: " Alex Raymond and Burne Hogarth were my idols – also Milt Caniff , Hal Foster , and Roy Crane ." Shuster taught himself to draw by tracing over the art in the strips and magazines they collected. As a boy, Shuster was interested in fitness culture and

2144-447: A fellow Homo magi , is introduced in a multipart crossover in which she attempts to find her father, and he attempts to stop her due to a curse that will kill them both if they see one another. This adventure includes Zatara confronting an evil warlock in a world where nothing changes or grows older. Zatara steals his adversary's teleportation crystal in an attempt to stop the man from invading Earth. The sorceress Allura traps Zatara in

2278-674: A flirtatious relationship with her fellow Justice Leaguer Barry Allen / the Flash shortly after the death of his wife Iris. In The New 52: Futures End timeline, Zatanna is romantically involved with Jason Blood / Etrigan the Demon . In the Mystik U universe, Zatanna pursued a romantic relationship with Sebastian Faust, the son of infamous sorcerer Felix Faust. She has a strong friendship with Batman due to their shared (retconned) pasts. In Detective Comics #843-844, Zatanna and Bruce briefly discuss

2412-480: A form of magic that invokes supernatural effects and reality alteration by speaking backwards, enabling her a wide range of powers including teleportation, healing, manipulation of others' minds, and many more. The character is also versed in different variations of magic such as black magic , tarot reading for insight or divination, and can draw power from a collection of mystic artifacts collected by her family similarly to other traditional magic practitioners. Zatanna

2546-626: A leave of absence from the JLA, only to reappear during a battle with Despero . Once he is defeated, Zatanna informs the League of the apocalyptic events of the Blackest Night taking place across the globe. After taking the team to the Hall of Justice to find Firestorm, she is forced to fight the undead form of her father, continually pitting the black magic he wields against her own; it is implied she

2680-493: A living Krypton. Schwartz retired from DC Comics in 1986 and was succeeded by Mike Carlin as an editor on Superman comics. His retirement coincided with DC Comics' decision to reboot the DC Universe with the companywide-crossover storyline " Crisis on Infinite Earths ". In The Man of Steel writer John Byrne rewrote the Superman mythos, again reducing Superman's powers, which writers had slowly re-strengthened, and revised many supporting characters, such as making Lex Luthor

2814-503: A media sensation over The Death of Superman in that issue. Sales declined from that point on. In March 2018, Action Comics sold just 51,534 copies, although such low figures are normal for superhero comic books in general (for comparison, Amazing Spider-Man #797 sold only 128,189 copies). The comic books have become a niche aspect of the Superman franchise due to low readership, though they remain influential as creative engines for

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2948-470: A member of the mystical species Homo magi . Her younger cousin, the teenager Zachary Zatara , is also a magician in the DCU. Zatanna makes her living as a stage illusionist prior to discovering her magical abilities while investigating the disappearance of her father. Her original costume is based upon her father's costume but substituting fishnet stockings and high heels for slacks. Zatanna's search for her father

3082-618: A model called "direct distribution". This made comic books less accessible to children. Beginning in January 1939, a Superman daily comic strip appeared in newspapers, syndicated through the McClure Syndicate . A color Sunday version was added that November. Jerry Siegel wrote most of the strips until he was conscripted into the United States Army in 1943. The Sunday strips had a narrative continuity separate from

3216-510: A murder case at a restaurant frequented by mobsters. Zatanna informs Dale that the murderer was a powerful sorcerer known as Brother Night, who rules the supernatural crime scene in San Francisco. After Zatanna shows up at Night's demonic nightclub and threatens him, he responds by calling upon a powerful nightmare demon for help in battling her, but Zatanna defeats and imprisons the demon to aid her later. A crooked casino owner who had made

3350-420: A newspaper syndicate, but they too were rejected, and he abandoned the project. Siegel and Shuster reconciled and resumed developing Superman together. The character became an alien from the planet Krypton. Shuster designed the now-familiar costume: tights with an "S" on the chest, over-shorts, and a cape. They made Clark Kent a journalist who pretends to be timid, and conceived his colleague Lois Lane , who

3484-492: A proto-comic book titled Detective Dan: Secret Operative 48 . It contained all-original stories as opposed to reprints of newspaper strips, which was a novelty at the time. Siegel and Shuster put together a comic book in a similar format called The Superman . A delegation from Consolidated visited Cleveland that summer on a business trip and Siegel and Shuster took the opportunity to present their work in person. Although Consolidated expressed interest, they later pulled out of

3618-533: A public campaign for better compensation and treatment of comic creators. Warner Brothers agreed to give Siegel and Shuster a yearly stipend, full medical benefits, and credit their names in all future Superman productions in exchange for never contesting ownership of Superman. Siegel and Shuster upheld this bargain. Shuster died in 1992. DC Comics offered Shuster's heirs a stipend in exchange for never challenging ownership of Superman, which they accepted for some years. Siegel died in 1996. His heirs attempted to take

3752-481: A redesigned Zatanna being part of the team. Zatanna travels to Northern Italy to bind a group of demons called Il Osservatori in a story called Zatanna: Sleight of Hand , published in the DC New Talent Showcase 2018 #1. Within the DC Universe , Zatanna is commonly depicted as having a public identity as both a stage magician and genuine sorceress that battles evil alongside famous heroes such as

3886-609: A revered figure in ancient Atlantean history and the Sorcerer Supreme of ancient Atlantis. Conversely, the character's paternal line makes her a descendant of Leonardo da Vinci and is related to Nostradamus , Alessandro Cagliostro , Nicholas Flamel , and Evan Fulcanelli, making her of French and Italian descent. In comics taking place in the mainstream continuity, Zatanna has had various relationships with other DC Characters, including John Constantine (with whom she practiced tantra ) and Doctor Thirteen . Zatanna also had

4020-500: A robot chasing after a cult member. Later on, Zatanna shows Bruce magic. Later Bruce sees her again and asks her to teach him more about magic. Ultimately she declines and wipes his memory. After the conclusion of the main storyline of the DC Rebirth Batwoman series, Zatanna is implied to be an outpatient therapist of sorts for Beth Kane, Kate Kane's twin sister. In 2018, a new Justice League Dark series began, with

4154-452: A shapeshifter named Gwydion, who kills her companions. This trauma , combined with her guilt from her former mind-wipes, robs her of her powers. With the help of her new apprentice, Misty Kilgore , she captures Gwydion to use as her own. She eventually regains her confidence and powers, and uses them to defeat Zor, a rogue Time Tailor who released the Sheeda as a plague to infect and degrade

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4288-588: A significant inspiration. At a young age, Giovanni receives a magic kit that triggers his passion for illusion and prompts him to pursue a career as a professional magician. However, his early attempts at performing are met with disappointment until he recognizes the importance of honing his showmanship skills. While attempting to translate Leonardo da Vinci's journals, Giovanni learns that he can use magic by speaking words backward. Combining his natural gifts with his stage magic expertise, Giovanni becomes an esteemed stage magician and crime-fighter. The character's origin

4422-523: A small spaceship shortly before Krypton was destroyed in a natural cataclysm. His ship landed in the American countryside near the fictional town of Smallville , Kansas. He was found and adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent , who named him Clark Kent . Clark began developing superhuman abilities , such as incredible strength and impervious skin. His adoptive parents advised him to use his powers to benefit of humanity, and he decided to fight crime as

4556-438: A sorcerer earned him a notable reputation among his contemporaries as a powerful sorcerer of his generation rivalling other such as the original incarnation of Doctor Fate and has made him a mentor figure to others such as Batman (in escapology ) and John Constantine . In the character's original conception, he was portrayed as Zatanna's human parent, while her mother Sindella served as the homo magi parent. However, following

4690-452: A special solo one-shot in 1987 that featured Zatanna exploring her mother Sindella's background and battling the villainous sorceress Allura. In Neil Gaiman 's The Books of Magic limited series, Zatanna becomes friends and even temporary guardian to Timothy Hunter , a boy destined to become the greatest wizard in the world, and his girlfriend Molly who at the time was cursed by the Queen of

4824-409: A strain on her physical well-being. Similar to other magic users, Zatanna can only replenish her waning powers through an extended period of rest. Additionally, there appears to be a connection between Zatanna's powers and her self-confidence. In the narrative Seven Soldiers , a series of significant mistakes left her emotionally and psychologically shattered, rendering her powerless. It was only through

4958-576: A television anchor, and he retired overused plot elements such as kryptonite and robot doppelgangers. Schwartz also scaled Superman's powers down to a level closer to Siegel's original. These changes would eventually be reversed by later writers. Schwartz allowed stories with serious drama such as " For the Man Who Has Everything " ( Superman Annual #11), in which the villain Mongul torments Superman with an illusion of happy family life on

5092-557: A time-machine to the modern era, whereupon he immediately begins using his superpowers to fight crime. O'Mealia produced a few strips and showed them to his newspaper syndicate, but they were rejected. O'Mealia did not send to Siegel any copies of his strips, and they have been lost. In June 1934, Siegel found another partner, an artist in Chicago named Russell Keaton. Keaton drew the Buck Rogers and Skyroads comic strips. In

5226-574: A vigilante. To protect his personal life, he changes into a colorful costume and uses the alias "Superman" when fighting crime. Clark resides in the fictional American city of Metropolis , where he works as a journalist for the Daily Planet . Superman's supporting characters include his love interest and fellow journalist Lois Lane , Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen , and editor-in-chief Perry White , and his enemies include Brainiac , General Zod , and archenemy Lex Luthor . Superman

5360-433: A writer and Shuster aspired to become an illustrator. Siegel wrote amateur science fiction stories, which he self-published as a magazine called Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization . His friend Shuster often provided illustrations for his work. In January 1933, Siegel published a short story in his magazine titled " The Reign of the Superman ". The titular character is a homeless man named Bill Dunn who

5494-521: A writer in 1959. In 1965, Siegel and Shuster attempted to regain rights to Superman using the renewal option in the Copyright Act of 1909 , but the court ruled Siegel and Shuster had transferred the renewal rights to DC Comics in 1938. Siegel and Shuster appealed, but the appeals court upheld this decision. DC Comics fired Siegel once again, when he filed this second lawsuit. In 1975, Siegel and several other comic book writers and artists launched

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5628-478: Is Superman , which began in June 1939. Action Comics and Superman have been published without interruption (ignoring changes to the title and numbering scheme). Several other shorter-lived Superman periodicals have been published over the years. Superman is part of the DC Universe , which is a shared setting of superhero characters owned by DC Comics, and consequently he frequently appears in stories alongside

5762-688: Is a member of the Justice League at the time the villain Doctor Light rapes the Elongated Man's wife, Sue Dibny . When apprehended, he threatens the JLA members' families. Although Zatanna is prepared to erase Light's memories of the incident as she had done to other villains with knowledge dangerous to the League, tampering with Light's mind sparks a debate among the team's members: should the villain's personality be transformed to prevent him from repeating his crime. Zatanna, Hawkman, and

5896-475: Is also a talented stage magician and has honed her abilities in both the sleight of hand and invented variations of card tricks. She is also depicted as having trained in hand-to-hand combat for situations where she no longer has her magic and is a highly skilled escape artist . Due to her lineage from both sides of the family, Zatanna has access to a diverse collection of arcane objects amassed throughout generations from her families. Much of these are stored in

6030-595: Is attracted to the bold and mighty Superman but does not realize that he and Kent are the same person. In June 1935 Siegel and Shuster finally found work with National Allied Publications, a comic magazine publishing company in New York owned by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson . Wheeler-Nicholson published two of their strips in New Fun Comics #6 (1935): "Henri Duval" and " Doctor Occult ". Siegel and Shuster also showed him Superman and asked him to market Superman to

6164-447: Is considered a master magician, being considered among the best of his generation. Due to his abilities in magic, he possess profound knowledge of the supernatural and is notable a magical practitioner who invokes magical effects and casts spells by speaking a spell or phrase backwards for a desired effect (known as "Logomancy"). He is often depicted as being peers to other notable sorcerers and magicians of his generation, including Sargon

6298-480: Is held at Wintersgate Manor, the home of Baron Winters in Georgetown, Washington D.C., which is also a temporal threshold to other planes of reality. Because Constantine had previously taken Zatanna to a " tantric studies meeting", Zatara will not let Zatanna out of his sight with Constantine present and, by his very presence, is forced to take part in the seance to which he was not invited. The Beast, which

6432-422: Is introduced as a magician in various publications of DC Comics , beginning with 1938's Action Comics #1, which also contains the first appearance of Superman . Like the very similar Mandrake the Magician , Zatara had a large East Indian as a friend/bodyguard, called Tong, to share his early adventures. As well as being an illusionist , Zatara also had genuine magical powers (decades later ascribed to being

6566-550: Is introduced, she is on a quest to find her father Zatara who made his first appearance in Action Comics #1 but had not been published regularly for several years. The storyline crossed multiple comics published by DC at the time, culminating in issues of Justice League of America , also written by Fox. Zatanna is the daughter of magician Giovanni "John" Zatara who appeared in Golden Age comic books and Sindella,

6700-523: Is listed as a part of the team. Called upon to help with the Red Tornado 's restoration in his android form, she aids the League when they are attacked by a new, powerful iteration of Amazo . During the battle, Zatanna has her mouth magically removed with her spells, and once again uses her blood to write out spells and restore it. After that Wonder Woman throws off Amazo's concentration and free Zatanna. Zatanna then defeats Amazo once and for all by using

6834-495: Is occasionally assisted by Khalid Nassour . The Talisman of Atlantis is the mystical amulet Zatanna used during the character's redesign in the 1990s. Used in tandem with a magical staff , it allowed her to channel magic through concentration alone, offering additional ease and control. She also possess the Demonography book which contained comprehensive on demonic entities and is magically updated by unnamed entities and

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6968-418: Is often depicted as a stage magician who possesses genuine magical abilities and is recognized as the father of the mystic character Zatanna , and is the uncle of Zachary Zatara , who uses the "Zatara" name. Within the fictional DC Universe , he has made intermittent appearances, primarily serving as a supporting character to Zatanna and is typically deceased in modern settings. The character's proficiency as

7102-536: Is revealed to be the Joker in disguise; he shoots Zatanna in the throat and incapacitates Batman. Zatanna is able to heal herself by writing a curing spell in her own blood, and she is instrumental in foiling the Joker's scheme, driving Joker insane in the process. Bruce puts Zatanna's betrayal behind him, allowing the two to renew their friendship. On the "Roll Call" of Justice League of America #22 (August 2008), Zatanna

7236-432: Is so tall that its thumb alone looms over Hell, takes notice of their group twice. The first glimpse dooms Sargon, whom Zatara convinces to 'die like a sorcerer' and not break the holding of hands. Sargon burns to death nobly. The second glimpse starts to literally heat up Zatanna. Zatara willingly takes the effect onto himself, dying (his smoldering hat lands on the table), but sparing his daughter's life. Zatanna starred in

7370-470: Is sometimes also referred to under the title of "Sorceress Supreme". Originally, the character was portrayed as half human and half homo magi, with her human lineage stemming from her father's side. However, later retellings of Giovanni's background established her as a full homo magi. This updated heritage has persisted in the New 52 onward. Additionally, the character's maternal ancestry includes demigod Arion ,

7504-621: Is the archetypal superhero: he wears an outlandish costume, uses a codename , is unfailingly good and honest, and fights evil with the aid of extraordinary abilities. Although there are earlier characters who arguably fit this definition, Superman popularized the superhero genre and established its conventions. He was the best-selling superhero in American comic books up until the 1980s. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met in 1932 while attending Glenville High School in Cleveland and bonded over their admiration of fiction. Siegel aspired to become

7638-460: Is the one they need, sacrificing himself to Gamemnae's quagmire spell in order to free Zatanna. She subsequently joins Nightwing, Firestorm and Hawkgirl in travelling back to ancient Atlantis, where Aquaman has been trapped in a pool of water as a water wraith, Firestorm creating a channel between the pool and the sea before Zatanna casts a spell that allowed the water-based Aquaman to control the entire ocean as his body, allowing him to sink Atlantis in

7772-555: Is tricked by an evil scientist into consuming an experimental drug. The drug gives Dunn the powers of mind-reading, mind-control, and clairvoyance. He uses these powers maliciously for profit and amusement, but then the drug wears off, leaving him a powerless vagrant again. Shuster provided illustrations, depicting Dunn as a bald man. Siegel and Shuster shifted to making comic strips , with a focus on adventure and comedy. They wanted to become syndicated newspaper strip authors, so they showed their ideas to various newspaper editors. However,

7906-476: Is unclear whether Siegel and Shuster were influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche 's concept of the Übermensch ; they never acknowledged as much. Since 1938, Superman stories have been regularly published in periodical comic books published by DC Comics . The first and oldest of these is Action Comics , which began in April 1938. Action Comics was initially an anthology magazine, but it eventually became dedicated to Superman stories. The second oldest periodical

8040-611: The Batman television craze when Batman was at the height of his popularity. The premise that the witch in Detective Comics #336 was Zatanna was perceived as an attempt to get Batman participating in this issue of Justice League of America no matter how vague the connection to Zatanna's quest was. She briefly was featured in backup features in Adventure Comics and Supergirl from 1971 to 1973. Zatanna assists

8174-451: The Atom (Ray Palmer) vote for such action, while Green Arrow , Black Canary , and Green Lantern vote against. The Flash (Barry Allen) breaks the tie. Zatanna mind-wipes Light, and the process results in his intellectual abilities being lowered. In the midst of the process, Batman appears and tries to stop it. Zatanna freezes him, and the members vote unanimously to erase Batman's memories of

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8308-781: The DC Animated Universe , notably voiced by Julie Brown and Jennifer Hale . She has also appeared as a recurring character in the final three seasons of Smallville , portrayed by actress Serinda Swan . A younger version of the character also appears in Young Justice and Justice League Action , voiced by Lacey Chabert , and in DC Super Hero Girls , voiced by Kari Wahlgren . Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson , Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman #4 (November 1964). When she

8442-476: The Enchantress and volunteers her services to the League. The Black Canary and Zatanna graphic novel Bloodspell written by Paul Dini and drawn by Joe Quinones was to be released in 2012, but was delayed until May 2014. The story centered around a 16-year-old Black Canary's first meeting Zatanna. Zatanna made her first Rebirth appearance in Detective Comics #958, assisting Bruce Wayne in taking out

8576-631: The Gnosis Sphere , regarded as among the most perilous objects in the Zatara family collection known for its ability to answer any question posed to it upon direct contact. She also appropriated the Sword of the Sleepless Queen , a weapon capable of transforming others into a "nightmare" version of themselves and serving as a durable, enchanted blade. Zatanna would keep the magical sword after

8710-538: The Shadowcrest Manor , the sentient and ancestral home of the Zatara family which relocates to different locations periodically and is invisible to ordinary observation. The manor can only be accessed by special magic keys or voice recognition and houses the collection of arcane objects, a private library, bestiary, and is inhabited by magical constructs that serve Zatanna, including Hassan the Mummy, who protects

8844-457: The anthology American comic book series Action Comics , starting with the first issue (June 1938). According to writer Al Sulman, "the time came when [Fred Guardineer] didn't want to draw [the Zatara series] anymore, so the editor turned it over to my brother [Joe Sulman], and he began to draw the strip; but he had to imitate Fred Guardineer's drawing style, because the character had to look [the same], and it worked out fine". John Zatara

8978-620: The DC Universe. Notably, she has taken up leadership positions in both the contemporary Justice League , a renowned superhero team, and its offshoot branch, the Justice League Dark , which specializes in confronting supernatural threats. This recognition as one of the foremost practitioners of magic solidifies Zatanna's standing as a prominent figure in the DC Universe. Zatanna has appeared in several different media adaptations, including appearing in several television series in

9112-488: The Fairies and unable to touch anything in the human world, including the ground. After a brief stay, she sent Molly home and Tim wandered off on his own adventures. In 1993, Zatanna starred in her first solo limited series, titled Zatanna: Come Together , which saw her summoning her mother's spirit and battling the sorcerer Tannarak and a demon called Xaos. When the Justice League vanish in the past as they attempt to rescue

9246-458: The Justice League chairperson via votes. At the conclusion of Alan Moore 's Swamp Thing "American Gothic" storyline (which was tied to the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths ), John Constantine comes to get Zatanna, Mento and Sargon the Sorcerer to come together to help demonic and divine forces in other hellish dimensions battle the entity known as the 'Great Evil Beast'. The séance

9380-855: The Justice League of America on a few missions before being elected to membership in Justice League of America #161 (Dec. 1978). Soon after Zatanna joined the group, the identity of her mother was revealed in a multi-issue storyline. Zatanna teamed with Superman in DC Comics Presents and with Batman in The Brave and the Bold . A ten-page short story in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #5 (Nov.–Dec. 1980) revealed new details about Zatara's origin and how Zatanna's quest to locate her father began. During her tenure with

9514-513: The Justice League, her power level diminishes, so that she can only control the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. She starred in a backup feature in World's Finest Comics #274–278 and the limitation of her powers is reversed in World's Finest Comics #277 (March 1982). She assists Wonder Woman and several other superheroines in fighting an extraterrestrial threat. Zatanna once elected as

9648-589: The Justice League. Throughout her publication history, she would adopted several roles as a superhero, serving as a prominent mystic consultant and a popular leader of various iterations of the Justice League, most notably the supernatural offshoot, the Justice League Dark, dedicated to handling supernatural threats. Overtime, the character's reputation and power is portrayed to be highly regarded, rivaling esteemed sorcerers and sorceresses such as of Doctor Fate , Madame Xanadu , and John Constantine . She

9782-434: The New 52 reboot, the character's origin underwent a change, revealing that his family lineage also included a descent from homo magi. Zatara has made various appearances in media, such as Batman: The Animated Series , in which he is voiced by Vincent Schiavelli , and Young Justice , voiced by Nolan North . He first appeared starring in his own story " Zatara Master Magician " by writer and artist Fred Guardineer in

9916-598: The North American market). For comparison, in the same year, Spider-Man merchandise made $ 1.075 billion and Star Wars merchandise made $ 1.923 billion globally. The earliest paraphernalia appeared in 1939: a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club. The first toy was a wooden doll in 1939 made by the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company. Superman #5 (May 1940) carried an advertisement for

10050-578: The October 2001 letter was binding. In 2003, the Shuster heirs served a termination notice for Shuster's grant of his half of the copyright to Superman. DC Comics sued the Shuster heirs in 2010, and the court ruled in DC's favor on the grounds that the 1992 agreement with the Shuster heirs barred them from terminating the grant. Under current US copyright law, Superman is due to enter the public domain on January 1, 2034. However, this will only apply (at first) to

10184-539: The Phantom Stranger. The Phantom Stranger had served as Giovanni's mentor, guiding him through the realm of magical teachings during his earlier years. Xanadu, perceiving the Phantom Stranger as a person of questionable character and moral integrity, became angered by Giovanni's revelation. She believed that the Stranger's actions would give rise to a greater threat than the Stranger himself. Xanadu, considering

10318-538: The Red Tornado's soul. Following this battle, Zatanna rejoins the team. Zatanna later accompanies Firestorm , Black Lightning , and Batman to Metropolis after they come to believe Kimiyo Hoshi has been kidnapped by agents of the covert metahuman team known as the Shadow Cabinet . After a brief conflict, Zatanna and the others are informed by teenage superheroine Rocket that Kimiyo's perceived abduction

10452-528: The Sorcerer , Mister E , and Baron Winters . His distinction as being the most powerful sorcerer of his time is also shared alongside the original incarnation of Doctor Fate , Kent Nelson . In addition to his magical abilities, he is considered a skilled and proficient stage magician and a master of predestigination . Giovanni also possess masterful manipulation skills, enabling him to manipulate even fellow master manipulator magicians such as John Constantine, who found his abilities in doing so considerable and

10586-431: The Stranger to be morally inferior, insulted Giovanni's fondness for him, nearly escalating the situation into a confrontation between the two. However, the Phantom Stranger intervened and attempted to reconcile with Xanadu, acknowledging the unintended suffering he had caused her. Despite not intending to do so, the Stranger sought to make amends. Ultimately, the Phantom Stranger managed to escape Xanadu's capture. Unaware of

10720-502: The boy and name him Clark, and teach him that he must use his fantastic natural gifts for the benefit of humanity. In November, Siegel sent Keaton an extension of his script: an adventure where Superman foils a conspiracy to kidnap a star football player. The extended script mentions that Clark puts on a special "uniform" when assuming the identity of Superman, but it is not described. Keaton produced two weeks' worth of strips based on Siegel's script. In November, Keaton showed his strips to

10854-529: The character as he is depicted in Action Comics #1 , which was published in 1938. Versions of him with later developments, such as his power of "heat vision", may persist under copyright until the works they were introduced in enter the public domain. Lois Lane, who also debuted in Action Comics #1, is expected to enter public domain in 2034, but supporting characters introduced in later publications, such as Jimmy Olsen and Supergirl , will pass into

10988-460: The character was presented as an ordinary human possessing the ability to manipulate magic. However, his origin underwent an update, revealing him to be a member of the Homo Magi race. This modification provided an explanation for his inherent and genuine magical powers. In addition to having a daughter (Zatanna) and a nephew (Zachary), the character was once mentioned to having a son. Giovanni

11122-575: The character. After Siegel's discharge from the Army, he and Shuster sued DC Comics in 1947 for the rights to Superman and Superboy . The judge ruled that Superman belonged to DC Comics, but that Superboy was a separate entity that belonged to Siegel. Siegel and Shuster settled out-of-court with DC Comics, which paid the pair $ 94,013.16 (equivalent to $ 1,192,222 in 2023) in exchange for the full rights to both Superman and Superboy. DC Comics then fired Siegel and Shuster. DC Comics rehired Jerry Siegel as

11256-738: The characters of Douglas Fairbanks , who starred in adventure films such as The Mark of Zorro and Robin Hood . The name of Superman's home city, Metropolis, was taken from the 1927 film of the same name . Popeye cartoons were also an influence. Clark Kent's harmless facade and dual identity were inspired by the protagonists of such movies as Don Diego de la Vega in The Mark of Zorro and Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel . Siegel thought this would make for interesting dramatic contrast and good humor. Another inspiration

11390-500: The choices she has made since that incident. In retaliation, Catwoman shoves Zatanna out a window, with her mouth taped shut. Zatanna parries the next attack from Catwoman and freezes her, before apologizing and leaving her. A 2005 four-issue Zatanna limited series was published as part of Grant Morrison 's Seven Soldiers event. In it, at a support group for superheroes, she recounts a failed magical ritual to search for her father's tomes, during which one of her past spells summons

11524-488: The comic magazine industry and they had done the same with their previous published works ( Slam Bradley , Doctor Occult , etc.), but Superman became far more popular and valuable than they anticipated and they much regretted giving him away. DC Comics retained Siegel and Shuster, and they were paid well because they were popular with the readers. Between 1938 and 1947, DC Comics paid them together at least $ 401,194.85 (equivalent to $ 7,310,000 in 2023). Siegel wrote most of

11658-450: The comics business without ever offering a book deal because the sales of Detective Dan were disappointing. Siegel believed publishers kept rejecting them because he and Shuster were young and unknown, so he looked for an established artist to replace Shuster. When Siegel told Shuster what he was doing, Shuster reacted by burning their rejected Superman comic, sparing only the cover. They continued collaborating on other projects, but for

11792-460: The conversation that had taken place due to being within a time freezing spell, Xanadu departed from Giovanni. As Xanadu had premonitions, her foresight came to pass with the birth of the bond between the Spectre and James Corrigan, confirming the validity of her earlier visions. Zatara became good friends with Thomas Wayne . His excursions with Wayne led to Wayne meeting his wife, Martha . After

11926-618: The daily strips, possibly because Siegel had to delegate the Sunday strips to ghostwriters . By 1941, the newspaper strips had an estimated readership of 20 million. Joe Shuster drew the early strips, then passed the job to Wayne Boring . From 1949 to 1956, the newspaper strips were drawn by Win Mortimer . The strip ended in May 1966, but was revived from 1977 to 1983 to coincide with a series of movies released by Warner Bros. Initially, Siegel

12060-492: The entire universe. As a reward, the other Time Tailors allow her one last meeting with her father, who reveals that his books were written for her, his "greatest spell and gift to the world". In the final battle against the Sheeda, Zatanna casts a spell to move time and space, retroactively positioning the Seven Soldiers to overthrow the Sheeda. In Detective Comics #833 (August 2007), it is stated that Zatanna's father

12194-431: The erratic pay, Siegel and Shuster kept working for Wheeler-Nicholson because he was the only publisher who was buying their work, and over the years they produced other adventure strips for his magazines. Wheeler-Nicholson's financial difficulties continued to mount. In 1936, he formed a joint corporation with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz called Detective Comics, Inc. in order to release his third magazine, which

12328-399: The events of Knight Terrors . Zatanna, as a practitioner of Logomancy, utilizes speech as the primary channel for her magical abilities. This reliance on verbal communication has made her vulnerable to being incapacitated by villains who restrain her through binding and gagging. It is observed that her magical powers tend to increase when unused, but excessive use can deplete them, leading to

12462-427: The fateful discussion with Bruce, to explore the possibility of a true romance, but turned out quietly resigned to the role of best friend and confidant. Claiming to act on Bruce's best interest, she pushes Selina into confessing her feelings to Bruce, thus stealing him from Jezebel Jet before it is too late. In mainstream media, DC Animated Universe touches on Bruce and Zatanna's closeness depicted as her having had

12596-482: The franchise beyond the comic books. Superman, Inc. merged with DC Comics in October 1946. After DC Comics merged with Warner Communications in 1967, licensing for Superman was handled by the Licensing Corporation of America. The Licensing Letter (an American market research firm) estimated that Superman licensed merchandise made $ 634 million in sales globally in 2018 (43.3% of this revenue came from

12730-441: The incident as well. Her working relationship to Batman sours after he remembers the alteration to his memory. When Zatanna helps Batman with reconnaissance at one of Ra's al Ghul 's Lazarus Pits, she asks him why he came to her and Batman says: "I needed someone I could trust. But I had to settle for you". After Infinite Crisis , their relationship appears to have warmed; in Detective Comics #824 he calls her for information on

12864-658: The land of Kharma before her identically-named twin forces her to remove the spell. In Alan Moore 's "American Gothic" storyline, Zatara sacrifices himself to save Zatanna from the Great Evil Beast. He has largely remained dead since, appearing as a spirit in several stories and as a Black Lantern in Blackest Night . The character's ancestral heritage is primarily traced back to French and Italian descent, with notable connections to historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Nostradamus , Alessandro Cagliostro , Nicolas Flamel , and Evan Fulcanelli. Initially,

12998-410: The likes of Batman , Wonder Woman , and others. More Superman comic books have been sold in publication history than any other American superhero character. Exact sales figures for the early decades of Superman comic books are hard to find because, like most publishers at the time, DC Comics concealed this data from its competitors and thereby the general public, but given the general market trends at

13132-470: The magazine and daily newspaper stories until he was conscripted into the United States Army in 1943, whereupon the task was passed to ghostwriters. While Siegel was serving in Hawaii, DC Comics published a story featuring a child version of Superman called " Superboy ", which was based on a script Siegel had submitted several years before. Siegel was furious because DC Comics did this without having bought

13266-536: The manor. Zatanna also owns a personal apartment in Gotham City, serving as her more publicly accessible residence. Known as the Curious Abode of Zatanna Zatara , it also serves as the central location for her side business, " Zatanna's One-Stop Shop For Magical and Mystical Mayhem and Management" , providing magical services such interdimensional travel and the delivery of mail across different universes and

13400-406: The mantle of a mystic superhero, wholeheartedly dedicating herself to the quest of thwarting malevolent forces. Zatanna's extensive understanding of magic and her proficiency in wielding its powers have established her as a highly sought-after consultant in matters pertaining to the arcane arts. Her expertise, coupled with her natural leadership qualities, has led to her assuming prominent roles within

13534-481: The missing Aquaman, an emergency protocol set up by Batman assembles a new League, with this team including Jason Blood as its magical expert. However, when the current threat is identified as Gamemnae , an ancient Atlantean sorceress who seeks to conquer the world, she uses a quagmire spell to absorb Zatanna and Tempest into herself. When new League leader Nightwing attempts to order Blood to transform into Etrigan to help them against Gamemnae, Blood insists that Zatanna

13668-440: The movies and television shows. Comic book stories can be produced quickly and cheaply, and are thus an ideal medium for experimentation. Whereas comic books in the 1950s were read by children, since the 1990s the average reader has been an adult. A major reason for this shift was DC Comics' decision in the 1970s to sell its comic books to specialty stores instead of traditional magazine retailers (supermarkets, newsstands, etc.) —

13802-562: The newspaper editors were not impressed, and told them that if they wanted to make a successful comic strip, it had to be something more sensational than anything else on the market. This prompted Siegel to revisit Superman as a comic strip character. Siegel modified Superman's powers to make him even more sensational. Like Bill Dunn, the second prototype of Superman is given powers against his will by an unscrupulous scientist, but instead of psychic abilities, he acquires superhuman strength and bullet-proof skin . Additionally, this new Superman

13936-434: The newspapers on their behalf. In October, Wheeler-Nicholson offered to publish Superman in one of his own magazines. Siegel and Shuster refused his offer because Wheeler-Nicholson had demonstrated himself to be an irresponsible businessman. He had been slow to respond to their letters and had not paid them for their work in New Fun Comics #6. They chose to keep marketing Superman to newspaper syndicates themselves. Despite

14070-423: The past and present and disrupt Gamemnae's power. Zatanna starred in another solo one-shot in 2003, Zatanna: Everyday Magic , in which she fought Nimue Ravensong, a magic-user jealous of Zatanna's ability to use magic naturally and without committing sacrifices. Nimue seduced and cursed John Constantine, leading Zatanna into conflict with the wannabe sorceress. In the 2004 limited series Identity Crisis , Zatanna

14204-684: The pool of writers grew, Weisinger demanded a more disciplined approach. Weisinger assigned story ideas, and the logic of Superman's powers, his origin, the locales, and his relationships with his growing cast of supporting characters were carefully planned. Elements such as Bizarro , his cousin Supergirl , the Phantom Zone , the Fortress of Solitude , alternate varieties of kryptonite , robot doppelgangers , and Krypto were introduced during this era. The complicated universe built under Weisinger

14338-423: The possibility of having a more meaningful relationship. Both later concede that Bruce is too devoted to his cause as Batman to give her the relationship she wishes for, but the pair reaffirm their bond as close friends. Catwoman once considered Zatanna a more dangerous contender for Bruce's attentions than Jezebel Jet , his fiancé at the time. A pep talk between the two women confirms how Zatanna really meant, during

14472-547: The process of restoring her lost confidence that she was able to regain her magical abilities. Zatara Giovanni "John" Zatara , simply called Zatara , is a fictional magician and superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics . The character first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 during the Golden Age of Comic Books , making him one of DC Comics' oldest characters. The character

14606-661: The rights to Superman using the termination provision of the Copyright Act of 1976 . DC Comics negotiated an agreement wherein it would pay the Siegel heirs several million dollars and a yearly stipend of $ 500,000 in exchange for permanently granting DC the rights to Superman. DC Comics also agreed to insert the line "By Special Arrangement with the Jerry Siegel Family" in all future Superman productions. The Siegels accepted DC's offer in an October 2001 letter. Copyright lawyer and movie producer Marc Toberoff then struck

14740-496: The script that Siegel sent Keaton in June, Superman's origin story further evolved: In the distant future, when Earth is on the verge of exploding due to "giant cataclysms", the last surviving man sends his three-year-old son back in time to the year 1935. The time-machine appears on a road where it is discovered by motorists Sam and Molly Kent. They leave the boy in an orphanage, but the staff struggle to control him because he has superhuman strength and impenetrable skin. The Kents adopt

14874-400: The strips, and they asked Siegel and Shuster to develop the strips into 13 pages for Action Comics . Having grown tired of rejections, Siegel and Shuster accepted the offer. At least now they would see Superman published. Siegel and Shuster submitted their work in late February and were paid US$ 130 (equivalent to $ 2,800 in 2023) for their work ($ 10 per page). In early March they signed

15008-650: The time being Shuster was through with Superman. Siegel wrote to numerous artists. The first response came in July 1933 from Leo O'Mealia, who drew the Fu Manchu strip for the Bell Syndicate . In the script that Siegel sent to O'Mealia, Superman's origin story changes: He is a "scientist-adventurer" from the far future when humanity has naturally evolved "superpowers". Just before the Earth explodes, he escapes in

15142-538: The time, negotiating a deal with the McClure Newspaper Syndicate for Superman. In early January 1938, Siegel had a three-way telephone conversation with Liebowitz and an employee of McClure named Max Gaines . Gaines informed Siegel that McClure had rejected Superman, and asked if he could forward their Superman strips to Liebowitz so that Liebowitz could consider them for Action Comics . Siegel agreed. Liebowitz and his colleagues were impressed by

15276-415: The time, sales of Action Comics and Superman probably peaked in the mid-1940s and thereafter steadily declined. Sales data first became public in 1960, and showed that Superman was the best-selling comic book character of the 1960s and 1970s. Sales rose again starting in 1987. Superman #75 (Nov 1992) had over 23 million copies sold, making it the best-selling issue of a comic book of all time, due to

15410-545: The time, which annoys his colleagues no end. In the alternate timeline of the Flashpoint crossover event, Zatara was transformed into a motorcycle; his daughter, Zatanna is his owner. Zatara appears as a character summon in Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure . Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics . The character

15544-634: The two were killed, Zatara left Gotham City, blaming himself for being unable to stop the orphaning of young Bruce. Eventually, in Europe, Zatara would meet and wed Sindella, who gave birth to their daughter, Zatanna . Sindella seemingly died after giving birth to Zatanna, prompting Zatara to become a depressed drunk. Things changed for the better in Zatara's life when a young Bruce Wayne arrived, requesting Zatara to teach him to become an escape artist and illusionist. Bruce's appearance prompted Zatara to address his alcoholism. Zatanna, Zatara's daughter by Sindella,

15678-423: Was John Carter of Mars from the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs . John Carter is a human who is transported to Mars, where the lower gravity makes him stronger than the natives and allows him to leap great distances. Another influence was Philip Wylie 's 1930 novel Gladiator , featuring a protagonist named Hugo Danner who had similar powers. Superman's stance and devil-may-care attitude were influenced by

15812-518: Was a child and was turned into a puppet by her father. The Zatanna series ended with issue #16 (October 2011). In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. Zatanna is one of the main characters in Peter Milligan 's Justice League Dark series. She sports a new costume, though she still wears her classic magician's outfit during shows. In the first issue, she learns that Superman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg have been defeated by

15946-507: Was a crime-fighting hero instead of a villain, because Siegel noted that comic strips with heroic protagonists tended to be more successful. In later years, Siegel once recalled that this Superman wore a "bat-like" cape in some panels, but typically he and Shuster agreed there was no costume yet, and there is none apparent in the surviving artwork. Siegel and Shuster showed this second concept of Superman to Consolidated Book Publishers, based in Chicago. In May 1933, Consolidated had published

16080-408: Was a friend of Thomas Wayne . Zatara trained Bruce Wayne in the art of escape, and Bruce and Zatanna were childhood friends, although Batman believes that he has never met her in Justice League of America #51, and her only memory of meeting him is while she was disguised. Bruce helps Zatanna investigate the death of one of her former assistants; all clues point to a performer named Ivar Loxias. Loxias

16214-491: Was a radio show, The Adventures of Superman , which ran from 1940 to 1951 for 2,088 episodes, most of which were aimed at children. The episodes were initially 15 minutes long, but after 1949 they were lengthened to 30 minutes. Most episodes were done live. Bud Collyer was the voice actor for Superman in most episodes. The show was produced by Robert Maxwell and Allen Ducovny, who were employees of Superman, Inc. and Detective Comics, Inc. respectively. In 1966 Superman had

16348-591: Was actually a misunderstanding caused by the Shadow Cabinet's mission to seek out her help in dealing with the cosmic vampire known as Starbreaker . With assistance from Hardware and Icon , Zatanna and her comrades are able to defeat Starbreaker in a battle in the Himalayas . In Gotham City Sirens Zatanna is visited and restrained by Poison Ivy , who interacts via a tree and asks her if her encounter with Catwoman changed Selina in any way. Zatanna takes

16482-432: Was allowed to write Superman more or less as he saw fit because nobody had anticipated the success and rapid expansion of the franchise. But soon Siegel and Shuster's work was put under careful oversight for fear of trouble with censors. Siegel was forced to tone down the violence and social crusading that characterized his early stories. Editor Whitney Ellsworth , hired in 1940, dictated that Superman not kill. Sexuality

16616-479: Was also given to him by Zatara's creator, Fred Guardineer . According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes , "he fights Egyptian wizards, an evil Druid, Zulus, a Mad Lama, Mongol warriors, the Gorilla King, a Saturnian terror, and Moon Men". Giovanni Zatara originates from an Italian family with strong magical lineage. His grandfather, Luigi Zatara, is a renowned stage magician who served as

16750-417: Was banned, and colorfully outlandish villains such as Ultra-Humanite and Toyman were thought to be less nightmarish for young readers. Mort Weisinger was the editor on Superman comics from 1941 to 1970, his tenure briefly interrupted by military service. Siegel and his fellow writers had developed the character with little thought of building a coherent mythology, but as the number of Superman titles and

16884-697: Was beguiling to devoted readers but alienating to casuals. Weisinger favored lighthearted stories over serious drama, and avoided sensitive subjects such as the Vietnam War and the American civil rights movement because he feared his right-wing views would alienate his left-leaning writers and readers. Weisinger also introduced letters columns in 1958 to encourage feedback and build intimacy with readers. Weisinger retired in 1970 and Julius Schwartz took over. By his own admission, Weisinger had grown out of touch with newer readers. Starting with The Sandman Saga , Schwartz updated Superman by making Clark Kent

17018-434: Was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster , and debuted in the comic book Action Comics #1 ( cover-dated June 1938 and published April 18, 1938). Superman has been adapted to several other media including radio serials, novels, films, television shows, theater, and video games. Superman was born Kal-El , on the fictional planet Krypton . As a baby, his parents Jor-El and Lara sent him to Earth in

17152-486: Was inspired by heraldic crests . Many pulp action heroes such as swashbucklers wore capes. Superman's face was based on Johnny Weissmuller with touches derived from the comic-strip character Dick Tracy and from the work of cartoonist Roy Crane. The word "superman" was commonly used in the 1920s and 1930s to describe men of great ability, most often athletes and politicians. It occasionally appeared in pulp fiction stories as well, such as "The Superman of Dr. Jukes". It

17286-712: Was later updated, making him a descendant of the Homo magi , an off-shoot race of human beings with natural inclination to magic. Additionally, he is visited by the Phantom Stranger , who grants him access to his ancestor's books, helping him to control his magic. During his earlier years as both a stage magician and sorcerer, Giovanni had a close and casual relationship with Madame Xanadu . He had previously proposed to her for marriage, but she rejected his proposal upon discovering knowledge of his future. However, their relationship became strained when Giovanni recounted his past life and revealed his profound connection with

17420-450: Was slapstick comedian Harold Lloyd . The archetypal Lloyd character was a mild-mannered man who finds himself abused by bullies but later in the story snaps and fights back furiously. Kent is a journalist because Siegel often imagined himself becoming one after leaving school. The love triangle between Lois Lane , Clark, and Superman was inspired by Siegel's own awkwardness with girls. The pair collected comic strips in their youth, with

17554-494: Was successful in banishing the Black Lantern, but was left psychologically crushed from having to kill her father again. In the aftermath of Blackest Night , Kimiyo mentions that Zatanna is one of the members who has left the team. In May 2010 Zatanna received her own solo series, written by Paul Dini and drawn by Stéphane Roux . No longer an active member of the JLA, Zatanna is asked by officer Dale Colton to help solve

17688-639: Was the subject of a storyline which was featured in several titles edited by Julius Schwartz , and in it, Zatanna interacts with Hawkman and Hawkgirl ; battles Batman and Robin while in disguise as a witch and under the control of the villain the Outsider ; and teams with the Atom , Green Lantern , and the Elongated Man . The series culminated in Justice League of America #51 (February 1967). This Justice League adventure took place during

17822-574: Was titled Detective Comics . Siegel and Shuster produced stories for Detective Comics too, such as " Slam Bradley ". Wheeler-Nicholson fell into deep debt to Donenfeld and Liebowitz, and in early January 1938, Donenfeld and Liebowitz petitioned Wheeler-Nicholson's company into bankruptcy and seized it. In early December 1937, Siegel visited Liebowitz in New York, and Liebowitz asked Siegel to produce some comics for an upcoming comic anthology magazine called Action Comics . Siegel proposed some new stories, but not Superman. Siegel and Shuster were, at

17956-496: Was unable to reveal to Zatanna the full extent of their relationship for reasons unknown. Another Zatara was featured in a supporting role in the miniseries Kingdom Come and its follow-up, The Kingdom . This Zatara is the son of Zatanna and magician John Constantine , which makes him the grandson of the original. He is described as "a youthful Harry Houdini-like successor to the magician super-hero lineage". Rather than speak backwards just for his spells, however, he does it all

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