Morrison never fails to dazzle with his Seven Soldiers line's surreal super-heroics, and he certainly doesn't disappoint with this finale of the Zatanna section of the unusual event. There's a wonderfully playful tone to the script here. And while the weirdness and challenging nature of Morrison's writing shines through, there's a lightness to the actionas well. There's a more traditional tone to be found here that celebrates the simplicity of the genre's stories of yesteryear while never sacrificing the complexity and ambition of Morrison's grand design and new interpretation of the DC Universe.
Zatanna heads to Slaughter Swamp outside of Gotham City in search of the Seven Unknown Men, who hol the key to averting a cultural and psychic apocalypse at the hands of the alien, magical Sheeda. Instead of the mysterious septet, though, Zatanna encounters another magician, a would-be god who sees no one but the young heroine standing in his way. The pair wages a magical war through the cosmos, and all the while, Zatanna wonders if she will ever find her father's missing books of magic.
Ryan Sook has demonstrated with such projects as Arkham Asylum: Living Hell nad Hawkman that he boasts a rich, gothic style that conveys a darker, edgier and more mature atmosphere with ease. There's some of that to be found here, but he embraces the peppier tone Morrison establishes in the script. Zatanna isn't just sexy here, she's sassy, but she's strong as well. I love how Sook plays with perspective -- no doubt at Morrison's direction -- breaking out of the confines of the traditional panel/gutter structure of comics storytelling. Zatanna threatens to emerge from the page itself at one point, and it not only reinforces the surreal, cosmic tone of the story but involves the reader in the action.
Morrison walks a fine line between setting this story in the DC Universe proper and shunting the Seven Soldiers event off to the side it its own little world. Morrison tickles the fancy of longtime DC readers with plenty of not-so vital references to other elements in the shared continuity, but he challenges us with mind-bending and mind-expanding ideas and dialogue.
I have to admit... the megalomaniacal Zor is a wonderfully entertaining villain. He's very much a traditional, Silver Age antagonist. He is ambition, ego and evil personified. The backwards-spell battle was a blast as well. There's definitely a greater sense of fun to be found here as compared to the other Soldiers series. 8/10
