Zatanna #3 Review

 

Zatanna #3 Review

Writer, Artist, Colorist & Cover Artist: Jamal Campbell

Letterer: Ariana Maher

Variant Cover Artists: Carla Cohen, David Talaski & Chrissie Zullo-Uminga

Editors: Marquis Draper & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

Like any other territory, the magical realm needs people to safeguard it. So, while Wonder Woman initiates an overhaul of the Justice League, and Emperor Aquaman extends Atlantis' influence to distant stars, Zatanna vows to strengthen the magical realm before Darkseid's return. Instead, she finds an enraged plague spirit ravaging the musical community. And as she attempts to protect people from its predations, Zatanna prevents government agents from capturing the maddened spirit.

 

Director Bones of the Department of Extranormal Operations has opened a new Occult Office. With Agents Di Manes and Rhodes at his disposal, he intends to police the magical realm. And Director Bones isn't interested in sharing power with Zatanna. Will the Occult Office's agents capture the murderous plague spirit? And after Di Manes and Rhodes interrupt her ceremony, can Zatanna recover from their attack? Let's grab our spell books, leap into Zatanna #3, and see!

 

Story

Like the Blue, the Magical Realm unites distant places and worlds. So when Elodie sang to awaken the memories of a plague spirit, Agent Di Manes hijacked her healing ceremony. After the plague spirit attacked Elodie, Zatanna knew she had to act fast. But in the process, the magic backfired. And amid the explosion, Zatanna fell.

 

When Papa Midnite hastily initiates a Voodoo ceremony, Zatanna's spirit visits Guede Nibo. While helping Zatanna recover her memory and her spirit form, the Loa offers suggestions on what she should do next. But in magic, everything has a cost, and Zatanna knows she must pay the price for his assistance.

 

In Zatanna #3, Papa Midnite's condemnation comes back to haunt the self-appointed Prime Magus. His Voodoo ceremonies protect the host. Zatanna may not be as reckless as the magicians at the Serpentes Shrine. Yet, confident in her abilities, Zatanna improvised a bespoke spell that endangered Elodie and damaged the club where her spirit resides.

 

After Zatanna's meeting with Guede Nibo, Jamal Campbell's story follows her quest to discover what transformed a grieving muse into a plague spirit. Papa Midnite may frown on Zatanna's decision to become Prime Magus. Yet others applaud her determination to safeguard the Magical Realms in Zatanna #3. As she seeks to recapture and aid the plague spirit, Zatanna learns more about the Department of Extranormal Operations’ new Occult Office and how Director Bones intends to police the Magical Realms.

 

Art

Paint adorns Papa Midnight’s face and body as he initiates his ceremony in Zatanna #3. After Elodie ministers to Zatanna, her attendants carry the magician before hurling her into a fabric-draped realm. Zatanna hovers like Alice amid pillar-like candles and ceremonial objects as she beholds a giant. Then the Loa picks her up. As he holds her in his hand, his features fade as he reveals where she must travel for the answers she seeks.

 

Jamal Campbell adorns his detailed art with bright colors in Zatanna #3. Yet blue defines Elodie’s musical realm. As he sits before a red-framed window, Zatanna hovers in an indigo room. While her red arm evokes a hero in another universe, Guede Nibo smiles as new skin wraps around her arm like a compression bandage.

 

After leaving the gray-and-brown club, Zatanna visits another blue realm, where she transforms into her iridescent glorified form. Red accompanies Agent Di Manes’ efforts to secure power over the magical realm and shows how the plague spirit affects its victims. Yet just as violet flowers blossom from the troubled muse, violet fills the air as Zatanna combats the Occult Office agent. 

 

As Zatanna addresses the reader, she explains how she created the compass adorning the orange location banners. Ariana Maher's black uppercase dialogue inhabits white balloons. Elodie’s speech fills blue balloons, and Guede Nibo’s off-camera dialogue inhabits orange boxes. Zatanna's spells appear as backward dark-pink letters in light-pink balloons. Laughter follows the reverberating sounds of a Voodoo ceremony, while white music notes swoop through a deadly confrontation. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Papa Midnite accuses Zatanna of wanting to rule the Magical Realms. While Zatanna asserts the purity of her desire to serve as the Prime Magus, others’ motives are less so. And as Zatanna gains insight into the dangers threatening the Magical Realm, she navigates a path between gods and monsters in Zatanna #3.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Zatanna #3.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Zatanna #2. 

For how this series began, see my review of Zatanna #1. 

For Zatanna's fight against Harley Quinn, see my preview of DC K.O.: Zatanna Vs Harley Quinn #1: All Fight Month Round Five Preview  

Supergirl: Survive #2 Preview

 

Before General Zod's speech, Kara Zor-El's biggest worry concerned Ben-Lo, and if he would invite her to the Equinox Formal. Sadly, the vitriolic speech proved the final straw. As the fragile strands that bound Kryptonian government frayed, their parents packed Kara and Kal into a spaceship. Then they sent it off toward a distant planet that had yet to repeat Krypton's mistakes.

Instead, Kara and her cousin have arrived elsewhere. Who inhabits the glowing green moon that serves as a constant reminder of Krypton's faults? And can Kara protect young Kal from any adults who threaten them?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Supergirl: Survive #2 Preview

Writers: Ethan S Parker & Griffin Sheridan

Artist & Cover Artist: Rod Reis

Variant Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke & Ethan Young

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 40 Pages

Series Length: 6 Issues

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US Card Stock

Release Date: July 1, 2026

 

Kara and Kal against the Lobo Gang!

 

Kara and Kal have lost their ship and, light-years from their destination of Earth, are now forced to seek travel from a busy spaceport. Conviction alone won’t be enough to keep Kara and her baby cousin safe from the vagabonds and swindlers of the planet—and Czarnian bounty hunters put the duo right in their crosshairs. Fortunately for them, there’s a full-spectrum squad of Green Lanterns nearby.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Supergirl: Survive #1. 

JSA #21 Preview

 

Everyone has done wrong. Yet condemnation must always be mixed with compassion to achieve justice for an individual and society. In Jim Corrigan, the Spectre found a Human host who could protect people while tempering its outrage at their misdeeds. But after Darkseid attacked the Spectre, the embodiment of God's wrath seeks to punish everyone as it searches for a new Human host. 

As the JSA combats the Spectre in New York City, Dr Fate, Stargirl, Jakeem Thunder, and Kid Eternity search for Jim Corrigan. Can they find the policeman who served society so ably in the past? And how many people will the Spectre punish before it finds a permanent host?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

JSA #21 Preview

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Diego Olortegui

Cover Artist: Pete Woods

Variant Cover Artist: Matt Taylor

Rating: Ages 13+

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US

Release Date: July 1, 2026

 

Where is Jim Corrigan?

 

The New God Metron takes Doctor Fate, Stargirl, Jakeem, and Kid Eternity back to the events of the DC ALL IN SPECIAL in search of Jim Corrigan after his defeat at the hands of Darkseid. Meanwhile, the rest of the JSA continues its battle against the Spectre as it searches for its new host!

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of JSA #20.

For what happened before that, see my review of JSA #19. 

For how the Spectre helped Jay Garrick and Alan Scott in 1940, see my review of JSA #18. 

 

For Darkseid's attack on the Spectre, see my preview of DC All In Special #1. 

 

 

Wonder Woman #34 Review

 

Wonder Woman #34 Review

Writer: Tom King

Artists: Daniel Sampere & Bruno Redondo

Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Cover Artists: Daniel Sampere & Tomeu Morey

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama; Inhyuk Lee; Annie Wu

DC Pride Cover Artist: Fatima Wajid

Editors: Marquis Draper & Brittany Holzherr

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

Discovering Steve Trevor on Themyscira should have overjoyed Diana. Yet she had battled and slain soldiers to reach the secret prison. Worse, the Matriarch's male soldiers guarded her sacred shores. So, while Elizabeth hugged the father she knew only from her Corgi-chasing trips through time, Diana held back. Then, defying the Gods that allowed the Matriarch to murder her friends and defile her homeland, Diana used Lex Luthor's God Killer sword to carve open a passage to the Underworld.

 

The Gods dislike it when their subjects defy their omnipotence. So, when Diana, Steve, and Elizabeth enter the Palace of the Moirai, the Fates invite another guest to the impromptu party. Can Elizabeth and Lyssa rediscover their childhood friendship? Or must Wonder Woman and the Matriarch fight to the death in Hades? Let’s leap into Wonder Woman #34 and see!

 

Story

The Matriarch smiles, not realizing that the sword stored in her White Palace is a copy. When Diana shatters her sword, the Matriarch is as surprised as when she went too far torturing Superman. But as the Fates debate the origins and meaning of myths, the Matriarch claims that there are more powerful things than gods and their swords. Then she uses her power ring to summon a hard light construct.

 

As the Matriarch confronts Diana in Wonder Woman #34, she recalls how she secured the power ring and what she has done to keep it. While the two warriors fight, Lyssa recognizes that she faces the pride of Themyscira. Diana defeated her mother to become her island's emissary to the world. So, after slaying other superheroes and becoming a world leader, Lyssa regards killing Diana as the final act in securing her domination.

 

While Tom King ponders how we relate to others, he focuses on how we judge our worth and determine what will make us happy. Lyssa may not clothe herself in chains to celebrate her victories. Yet she values strength. As the Matriarch, Lyssa has devoted her life to enduring pain to become the ultimate oppressor. Diana defines herself in different terms. Lyssa thinks she must have everything to be happy. But even amid her greatest trial, Diana protects others and takes only what she needs in Wonder Woman #34.

 

Art

Amid arid terrain, a Green Lantern corpse on the road evokes extraterrestrial events in another reality. As the power ring rises from the still hand in this ravaged future, the red surrounding her eyes defines what drives Tomar-Lyssa. Despite taking place two decades hence, Daniel Sampere and Bruno Redondo adorn the two Amazons in armor that recalls a brutal past, when the strong took whatever they wanted, and might equaled right.

 

As the absolute ruler of the United States wields her hard light sword, the Matriarch’s grayscale hair and armor contrast with Diana's red, white, and blue uniform. The Princess of Themyscira adorns her head, heart, and shoulders with gold in Wonder Woman #34. Yet the scarlet running down their faces defines their anger at what each other represents. While Alejandro Sánchez paints the God Killer sword brown, its organic shape and color link it with the Green, as Diana battles a leader who will destroy everything and everyone to get what she wants.  

 

Clayton Cowles fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for intonation and shrink for lowered voices. As block letters emphasizing diagonals locate us in time and space, offscreen dialogue in colored boxes provides divine commentary. Balloons become clouds with wavering arrows when a speaker digs deep to summon extraordinary willpower. Sound effects enhance a battle before disapproving gods who wonder how the combatants will determine their future. Thanks to DC Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Diana defied Zeus and the order of the Underworld to reach the Palace of the Moirai. Like Steve Trevor, Diana has sinned against the Fates. As she battles the daughter of a woman she sought to rescue, Diana must determine how she will face Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos' judgment in Wonder Woman #34.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Wonder Woman #34. 

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Wonder Woman #33. 

For what happened before that, see my review of Wonder Woman #32. 

For how The Wonder War story arc began, see my preview of Wonder Woman #31. 

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #21

 

After Zatanna Zatara weakened Diana, Giovanni Zatara attacked her. With Veronica Cale's attack squad wreaking havoc in Gateway City, Barbara Minerva watched the woman she idolized flee. After regaining a measure of strength at the Hieron, Diana returned to the fighting. Still, the Amazon she admired couldn't prevent Giganta from capturing her. 

Even if she fled the fighting once, Barbara believed that Diana would rescue her from Cale's clutches. But as she lay on a torture table, Veronica Cale tells Barbara that Diana escaped from Area 41 without rescuing her. Again. How will the woman who celebrated Diana's return to her world with a museum exhibit react to Cale's announcement? And bound in the Underworld by her deal with Hades, what can Diana do to aid Barbara?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Wonder Woman #21

Writer: Kelly Thompson

Artist: Dillon Snook

Cover Artist: Hayden Sherman

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama, Terry Dodson & Giuseppe Camuncoli

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

 

A harsh reality comes to light!

 

 

Diana’s worst nightmares come to light. The Hieron finds a new host. Barbara faces a harsh reality. Cale loses control.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #20.

For what happened before that, see my review of Absolute Wonder Woman #19.

For how this story arc began, see my preview of Absolute Wonder Woman #16. 

 

 

DC W.I.P.: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 Preview

 

After she lost her homeworld, Kara Zor-El had to bid goodbye to everyone she ever knew in Argo. She currently calls Midvale home. Yet Kara has had many adventures, and made friends wherever her feet touched the ground. 

Like Kara, Ruthye has suffered loss. She may lack Kara's Kryptonian abilities. Still, Kara senses a strength in the girl that her older brothers lack. But can Kara give Ruthye what she needs? And how much will Kara's kindness cost her?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

DC W.I.P.: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1 Preview

Writer: Tom King

Artist & Cover Artist: Bilquis Evely

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

ISBN: 7-61941-39189-2

Price: $14.99

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

 

A look at the stunning Supergirl Epic

By Tom King and Bilquis Evely!

 

 

Step into the world of comics like never before with DC W.I.P. Get up close and personal with the stunning original artwork from one of comics’ greatest artists. Featuring the original art of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow from Bilquis Evely! The brilliance of Evely’s work can be seen like never before in this massive oversize presentation. Don’t miss your chance to own this incredible, one-of-a-kind piece of comics history.

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For more on Kara Zor-El's history, see my review of Summer Of Supergirl Special #1. 

Bizarro: Year None #2 Preview

 

Perry White thinks the Daily Planet is the greatest news organization on Earth. And Jimmy Olsen agrees. Still, he has some reservations about the Planet's direction. Sadly, Perry White's not interested in how the coffee boy would modernize his beloved institution. But when Bizarro abducts them via the breach created by Dr David Dalton's duplicator machine, Jimmy points out, "In space, no one can hear you scream 'seniority.'" 

Now, they're on an alien planet. Bizarro has placed Jimmy in charge of his version of the Daily Planet. Will Perry White get Jimmy his daily coffee and cruller? And how stable is this new reality Bizarro has created?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Bizarro: Year None #2 Preview

Writers: Kevin Smith & Eric Carrasco

Artist & Cover Artist: Nick Pitarra

Variant Cover Artists: Martín Morazzo & Ibrahim Moustafa

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

 

Goodbye, Bizarro World!

 

 

Trapped on a backward planet of backward doppelgängers doing backward versions of everything they would normally do, the extremely frontward Jimmy Olsen and Perry White find themselves wondering: Will we ever get home again? At least their host—a backward version of Superman—seems to be accommodating of their stay. But if everything is backward on this planet, then what’s the opposite of accommodating? Uh-oh.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For how this series started, see my review of Bizarro: Year None #1.

For more Bizarro fun, see my preview of Batman/Superman: World's Finest #43. 

Swamp Thing 1989 #3 Review

 

Swamp Thing 1989 #3 Review

Writer: Rick Veitch

Artist: Tom Mandrake

Colorist: Trish Mulvihill

Letterer: Todd Klein

Cover Artist: Rick Veitch

Editors: Alex Galer & Chris Conroy

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$7.99 Foil

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

While exploring the wonders of the multiverse, Swamp Thing yearns to return to his beloved Abby. But when three Magi summon a demon, Swamp Thing follows the disturbance in the time stream to Israel 2000 years ago. After preventing Belial's efforts to subvert Earth's history, Swamp Thing once again gets drawn into Earth's past. But along the way, he encounters someone who can carry a message home.

 

When John Constantine receives a dire summons, he abandons his home in London to visit King Arthur's birthplace along the rugged Cornwall coast. There, he meets a knight who arrived on a flying horse. Are Sir Justin's suspicions about Swamp Thing's inability to return correct? And as the momentous event draws nigh, can her friends in the bayou help Abby deliver Swamp Thing's child? Let's leap into Swamp Thing 1989 #3 and see!

 

Story

Many seek to reach the Source. Yet Swamp Thing is chosen. He may stand before it as a stranger. Still, the Source greets him as a friend. And when it senses Swamp Thing's pain, it counsels him. The Source urges him to push past all the concerns that make him Alec Holland and seek the Still Point that binds all of reality together. Then, the Source asks if he would like to remain here, connected to all life, all time, and all places.

 

As Alec ponders his future, Rick Veitch weaves John Constantine into Swamp Thing 1989 #3. Just as Alec yearns to return to Abby, John seeks to help his friend. So, he touches base with Jim Corrigan, hoping the Spectre can help John achieve what Sir Justin proclaimed impossible. And as the supernatural investigator seeks to rescue a friend who has traveled back to before time began, Anton Arcane seeks to leave another realm from which escape should be impossible.

 

As Alec Holland, John Constantine, and Anton Arcane embark on journeys, all roads lead to Abby Holland. Having seen Dr Hubert Sax exploit his position to corrupt the healing arts, Abby has eschewed modern birthing methods for a midwife in the Bayou. As she struggles against the pain, Abby knows the magnitude of what she is attempting. Yet Livie is not the only one who senses the dangers swirling around the unborn child. As they ponder the mysteries of the universe and the Human heart, danger threatens all the scattered protagonists in Swamp Thing 1989 #3.

 

Art

As Swamp Thing stands on a rocky plain, a hand traces words on a black stone slab. Swamp Thing sits cross-legged, his eyes shut as he pictures his recent travels through the infinite worlds filling the multiverse. When the hand reaches out, touching his chest, seven wheels overlay his body. And before Alec vanishes, the Eye of Horus appears on the stone.

 

As Tom Mandrake propels readers on this cosmic journey, Trish Mulvihill pays homage to the four-color era in Swamp Thing 1989 #3. The Avatar of the Green stands beneath a sky streaked with violet and indigo, while the stone glows violet and orange when an orange hand inscribes yellow letters. As Swamp Thing's thoughts revolve around love, yellow, orange, and red dominate a chamber dedicated to hatred and misery. As John Constantine seeks to aid his friend, a yellow coat and blue slacks signal his fears of failure and his hopes for success.

 

Todd Klein places black uppercase letters in white dialogue balloons. Swamp Thing's dialogue appears in orange polygons, while his thoughts reside in melting yellow boxes. The narrator charts Alec’s cosmic journey via green boxes. As the letters grow bold with intonation, red words in black balloons signal danger. After Rich Handley’s introductory essay sets the issue in context, Todd Klein and Trish Mulvihill discuss the challenges of emulating the original letterer, John Costanza, and original colorist Tatjana Wood. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Swamp Thing can have anything he wants. Yet what he most desires is a life of service and love, even if that includes pain, danger, and uncertainty. As he undertakes a new journey to protect others, others seek to control him to increase their separation from others, and feast on the things that divide us in Swamp Thing 1989 #3.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Swamp Thing 1989 #3.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Swamp Thing 1989 #2.

For how this series resumed, see my review of Swamp Thing 1989 #1. 

Absolute Superman #20 Preview

 

Teth-Adam wears a cloak of Egyptian dust. The red dust of Krypton protects Kal-El as a cape. Yet both hear the world scream, and wish they could make it a fairer, safer, and better place to live. As they battle over how best to accomplish this, John Henry Irons tries to keep up with the gods who defied the villain who stole his future. 

Then, there's Hawkman. He thinks he knows better than anyone else. Kal-El and Lois Lane might not like him. Still, Hawkman has been protecting the planet his way for 80 years.

Can Superman do what Ra's Al Ghul believed impossible, and reason with King Shazam? And can anyone prevent Talia Al Ghul from burning the entire world?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Absolute Superman #20 Preview

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artist & Cover Artist: Rafa Sandoval

Variant Cover Artists: David Nakayama, Juan Ferreyra & John Giang

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $4.99 US/Variant $5.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: June 24, 2026

 

 

Absolute Superman’s Greatest Battle Yet!

 

 

It’s Superman versus King Shazam versus Hawkman versus [REDACTED] in the greatest battle the Absolute Universe has ever seen! But who is their mystery challenger?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Absolute Superman #19. 

For what happened before that, see my preview of Absolute Superman #18.  

For more on Hawkman, see my previews of Absolute Superman #16 & Absolute Evil #1.