Zatanna is one of the most powerful magicians in DC Comics, and yet her best tricks are limited in that she has to be able to speak backward to work her most powerful spells. However, the preview of Batman: The Brave and the Bold #20 reveals that she has conjured a clever workaround to this obstacle.
The opening story of the anthology, “The Price,” was written and drawn by Ty Templeton. The story centers around Bat-Mite, a 5th dimensional imp that is utterly obsessed with Batman. Beyond being annoying, Bat-Mite also causes trouble that makes the Dark Knight’s adventures more thrilling. This pushes Zatanna to take a hand in bringing the cosmic fanboy under control.
As a 5th dimensional imp, Bat-Mite can unfortunately alter reality at will. It is a simple matter for him to gag Zatanna so she can’t work her backward-talking magic against him. However, the Mistress of Magic, while silenced, is not so easily beaten.
Zatanna can cast spells in sign language
Zatanna grew tired of different villains, both magic and mundane, getting the drop on her by rendering her unable to speak. This led her to learn sign language as an alternative way of working her magic. This confirms the gift of Homo Magi to rewrite reality with magic spells is not dependent on a spoken language.
The rest of the story reveals that Zatanna often takes a hand in dealing with the unruly 5th dimensional imps that trouble other heroes. This all has something to do with the titular “price” she pays for some mistake in her past. Regardless, it is still impressive that she found such a clever solution to combatting her biggest weakness.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #20 arrives in comic shops everywhere on December 25, 2024.
