Zatanna’s Search – DC Events
Read more about it here.
Is this considered the first true comic “event”? I guess it depends on what your definition is. If you consider an event a continuation of a single story or conceptual theme across a myriad of different series, I’d like to see what else (at the very least in the silver age) is older.
More than anything, I’m impressed by how long this comic event ran. Beginning in November 1964 in Hawkman 004, Zatanna’s search continued to February 1967 in Justice League of America 051. Reading through DC in chronological order, you may even occasionally forget that this story is bubbling under the surface.
It’s a fairly straightforward story told in six parts: Zatanna (newly introduced in Hawkman 004) is in search of her golden age father, Zatara. She utilizes Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Elongated Man, The Atom, and Green Lantern to take several magical journeys to trace him.
Finally, in JLA, she reunites with him and they commit to getting to know each other.
There is (sorta) a Batman tie-in issue, but the reader didn’t know it at the time. Totally skippable, as far as I’m concerned.
Frankly, I like how they kept this story running as slowly and smoothly as they did. I am also a sucker for golden age characters making modern appearances.
If Zatanna received a modern age introduction, it would probably be a one-shot issue with an extended intro. Then there’d be a splash on the last page of her in her costume saying something stupid like, “S’ti cigam emit!”
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