Zatara And The Dead Presidents!!

Yeah, yeah, I've been doing a lot of Zatara storys lately--I go wherever the comics winds take me.

Also, sorry for the muddy panels here. Hey, DC, how about a Zatara Omnibus, so someone can clean up the surviving art a bit? Hmmm?

Anyway, there's a gang of counterfeiters running about town!

Yup, when you're Zatara, money talks!

That little letter C is a clue--an artist/engraver is being held prisoner by the gang, and forced to make plates for printing money, so he put his (tiny) trademark in each one as a message in a bottle.

That's enough for Zatara to track them down, and give them their just desserts!

YOW!! Don't frak with Ben Franklin!

I'm glad they didn't forget the poor, neglected $2 bill...

If only Hamilton had shot that well in the duel...

The guys are lucky...Harriet Tubman would have kicked the butts much more thoroughly

Oh, man...what about the $1000 bill? Or $5000? $10,000? C'mon, Zatara, animate the $100,000 bill, so we can see Woodrow Wilson kick ass!!

Imagine what Zatara could do with Bitcoin!

From World's Finest Comics #20 (1945)

Manic Monday Triple Overtime--Zatara Invents 3-D TV (And Ends All Hunger And Crime Everywhere)!!

There's a gang of thieves about, and Zatara has used his shrewd deduction skills to figure out how to find them!

Look, "they were talking about watching the game on TV" wasn't as obvious a possibility in 1945, so don't get snotty.

But how can Zatara use this information? Well, at the next Dodgers game...

HOLY COW ZATARA IS THROWING BASEBALLS OVER THE AIRWAVES AND THROUGH THE TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Zatara was discovered Wonkavision decades early--and no need for taffy pullers!! Why can't this spell be used to transport food over long distances to famine-stricken areas? Medicine? Instantly transport troops to trouble spots? Zatara, you've revolutionized the world!!

This is never mentioned again.

Next, Zatara hypnotizes his captive audience into surrendering themselves the next day:

But Zatara wasn't specific in his spell, so...

Yes, ALL the crooks in Grant City who were watching the ballgame are compelled to give themselves up!!

That so many crooks are Dodgers fans probably says something, but I'll leave that alone.

Again, this technology could change everything. Why doesn't Zatara get on a national broadcast and command every crook everywhere to turn themselves in?

Some of the criminals get restive, so Zatara enlarges some ants, because that's a pretty cool thing to do.

And so...

No thanks to you, Zatara. Where's the follow-up? You could solve all of the world's problems!! What the hell?!?!

From World's Finest Comics #19 (1945)

Zatara And The Best Argument For Bitcoin!

Zatara's chasing down a thief...

Have you ever wondered what your cash thinks of you? You probably don't want to know...

By the way, Zatara never needs Red Bull...

We really need some "Ride Of The Valkyries" in the background here...

So remember--your cash hates you, and is just waiting for the magic words to turn on you. For your own safety, only carry plastic!!

From World's Finest Comics #10 (1943)

Spoiler Saturday--Doomed To Repeat Yourself!!

One of the few good things about the nu52 is that it removed that cankerous sore, Identity Crisis, from continuity.

FUN FACT: The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the "fastest growing division of the American Library Association (ALA)", picked Identity Crisis as one of their Great Graphic Novels for Teens for 2007.

Hey, young adult librarians, which was the best part that "great" book for teens--the murder of Firestorm with the weapon of a Golden Age hero? The murder for hire of Robin's father by an overweight, bumbling Captain Boomerang?? Turning a classic villain into a drooling rapist, and having him violate one of DC's more beloved supporting characters? Man, how can you choose--that was all great stuff for teens to read.

Or how about the part where our heroes turn on each other, and Zatanna erases Batman's memories?!?

Ahh, but at least that's off the books now, right?!?!

Hahahaha, as if the sadistic frakkers at DC will ever stop worshiping and referencing that pile of fetid turd.

In this week's Detective Comics #961, we're flashing back to young Bruce Wayne's apprenticeship with Zatara, when Bruce stumbles upon some magical knowledge that the magician deems too dangerous for him to have:

Exact same spell, exact same facial expression on Bruce.

Slow clap...

Thank you, James Tynon IV and Alvaro Martinez, for reminding us that many at DC still consider Identity Crisis good, and worthy of homaging.

Go frak yourselves. DC.

1941 Notes--Yrt Yrt Niaga

I guess the lesson is, if you've got a shtick, stick with it.

That's sure as heck what Fred Guardineer did.

As we discussed yesterday, Guardineer created Zatara the magician in Action Comics #1. He wrote and drew the first few stories, and penciled the feature for the first couple of years.

And, as we all know, Zatara originated the really annoying "talking backwards" method of spell-casting:

Then, Guardineer moved over to Quality, and for the February 1941 Crack Comics #10, he created a new character, Tor The Magic Master.

And Tor's gimmick?


Yes, he talked backwards to cast spells, as well.

So, Guardineer stole his own gimmick. No doubt it happened a lot back in the day.

Meanwhile, Merlin The Magician (no, not that Merlin) had been running in National Comics since #1. He had never done magic by speaking specific spells, just waving his hand and making commands. But when Guardineer took over the strip in the June 1941 issue #12, suddenly Merlin had a new wrinkle:


I don't mean to pick on Guardineer. He's a real pioneer in the field, working on lots and lots (and lots) of comics. And, he's certainly not the only one to recycle his own gimmicks for new characters.

He obviously had a prediliction for the "tuxedo wearing magician" class of charatcers, because he also worked on and/or created Marvelo , Monarch Of Magicians for Columbia Comics in 1940. And although I can't find credits to confirm it, he supposedly worked on Fox's Yarko, who in his later days did spells by using a combination of backward speaking and Pig-Latin.

Seriously.

At the very least, let's tip our caps to Guardineer, who was dedicated to the concept of backwards talking magicians, and by gum he was going to use them as often as possible!!!