Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #1

History

Morrison has described the Seven Soldiers concept as evolving from a 2002 pitch for a Justice League spin-off called JL8, in which Zatanna was conceived as a Scarlet Witch analogue; two years of development transformed it into the standalone megaseries that reached readers in 2005. The Zatanna miniseries was edited by Peter Tomasi and Harvey Richards, with Ryan Sook providing both pencils and colors alongside inker Mick Gray — a pairing that gave the book a distinctive, slightly glamorous visual texture distinct from the darker registers of the other Seven Soldiers titles. DC positioned the series as the fourth release in the crossover's publication sequence, with the cover-dated June 2005 issue going on sale April 6, 2005.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Misty Kilgore (later revealed as Princess Rhiannon of the Sheeda), who serves as Zatanna's apprentice throughout the miniseries and into the climactic Seven Soldiers of Victory #1.
• Written by Grant Morrison; penciled and colored by Ryan Sook; inked by Mick Gray; lettered by Jared K. Fletcher; edited by Peter Tomasi and Harvey Richards.
• Published April 6, 2005 (cover date June 2005); fourth issue released in the Seven Soldiers publication sequence, continuing from Seven Soldiers: Manhattan Guardian #1.
• The story titled 'Part One: Talking Backwards' opens with Zatanna attending a superhero support group, where she identifies herself as a 'Spellaholic' and recounts how a failed magical ritual — conducted at Baron Winters' Wintersgate Manor — released the shapeshifting elemental Gwydion, who destroyed her companions and robbed her of her powers.
• The support group scene assembles a notable gallery of DC's mystical fringe: attendees include Doctor 13, Gimmix (Jacqueline Pemberton), Ibis the Invincible (Prince Amentep), Princess Taia, King Ra-Man, and Timothy Ravenwind, with Baron Winters' mansion serving as the site of the flashback ritual.
• Morrison explicitly acknowledges continuity: Zatanna mentions Zatara's death, a direct reference to Swamp Thing (Vol. 2) #50, and the ritual flashback is set in the same Wintersgate Manor where her father perished in an earlier magical ceremony.
• Gimmix's throwaway line about landing 'a major team gig out west' is a deliberate in-universe callback to the ad-hoc Seven Soldiers team slaughtered in Seven Soldiers of Victory #0, threading the miniseries into the wider metanarrative.
• The issue has been reprinted at least four times: in Seven Soldiers of Victory (DC, 2006) #1, in 7 Soldados da Vitória (Panini Brasil, 2007) #2, in the 2010 hardcover collection, and in the 2012 reprint series — and is also included in the 2018 Seven Soldiers by Grant Morrison Omnibus.

Cast · 12 characters

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