In this review of Zatanna #5, light and dark have a full-on collision as Zatanna faces off with a negative double of herself.
ZATANNA #5
Written by JAMAL CAMPBELL
Art and Main Cover by JAMAL CAMPBELL
Variant Covers: ALEXANDER LOZANO, SEBASTIAN FIUMARA, ZOE THOROGOOD, GEORGE PEREZ
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 6/18/25
This review contains spoilers
Zatanna #5 starts off with a bit of a departure from the prior four, as the negative double takes the stage. She spins a tale of Zatanna’s “failures”: mother dying in childbirth, father claiming she’s not good enough, releasing the sorceress Allura from a sword, managing to get herself and her father cursed…
For Zatanna’s part, she finds herself tethered to the rock that’s come up in most of the story so far again. But she manages to reject this self-loathing portrayal that her double pushes, reclaiming her magic from her as she makes her escape.
Before confronting her double once and for all, however, she makes a stop to investigate a particular presence she’d been feeling, one that’s served as a source of support at various points in the story: the spirit of her mother. After a bit of closure and encouragement, we get the usual story sequence. This time, it helps Zatanna to learn the true nature of the sword. Its name: Laevateinn, and its nature: a lie. So now…she’s OFFICIALLY back.
In the Crimson Palace, Lady White has turned against Brother Night, annoyed at him reviving her from her eternal rest. And she’s struck a deal with Allura.
We’re now at the penultimate issue of Zatanna, and we finally get more context around her decision to get rid of the sword. The story threads from the past four issues are starting to come together, with the first issue standing out as especially significant.
The events leading Zatanna to this point are filtered through a lens of deep self-loathing, with the sword’s greatest danger being psychological rather than physical. Overcoming that kind of inner turmoil isn’t as easy as it’s often portrayed, so making it a weapon wielded by a major antagonist feels especially fitting for a Justice League member.
Zatanna’s breaking free of its control is done well, with her literally reclaiming pieces of herself from her double’s story. Throughout the text boxes in said story, there are a few letters replaced by stars. Those omitted letters are the pieces she takes back. Said letters spell out the, well, spell she uses to reclaim her magic. Not only does she reclaim her magic, but she manages to knock herself right through the Fourth Wall for a moment.
I may be biased in loving that particular scene because I’ve always appreciated a good Fourth Wall break. And this one came complete with Zatanna making her way across the not-yet-inked comic art boards and giving a quick greeting to the reader before hopping back into the story. That part feels like it had to be a fun one to bring to life.
The compositions in Zatanna #5, as always, skillfully guide the reader’s eye across each page. One standout panel during the recounting of Zatanna’s failures shows a young Z with an open book, being yelled at by her father. It echoes the recurring story panel from previous issues—but here, it’s a dark, twisted version. Instead of the warm scene of her mother reading to her, we see her crying under the weight of her father’s harsh criticism, being told she’ll never measure up to Sindella.
The spreads in Zatanna #5 really heighten the emotional impact of these moments, especially when Zatanna fully reclaims her magic. Even the single-page compositions carry weight and intensity, proving just as effective in delivering emotional beats.
With the single-page moments that held a lot of impact, one that stands out is when Lady White is calling Brother Night out on pulling her from her eternal rest. All because he thought: “Yeahhh, she’d look damn good on my arm…”. Her rage is palpable (not to mention completely understandable), and there’s a certain catharsis to seeing her and Allura take on Brother Night.
However, this also means that in the last issue, Zatanna will be up against Lady White, possibly Blue Devil and Adam under Lady White’s control, and Allura, who has it out for Z’s family. So, quite the line-up of issues to deal with. But after all she’s experienced in this run, she’s got this.
Final Thoughts
With some beautiful compositions (and a well-executed meta moment), Zatanna #5 is an exercise in reclaiming one’s power. Bring on the final fight!
