DC's Hogwarts

Mystik U #1 (DC, January 2018, $5.99)
Inspired by a recent Zatanna appearance in Detective Comics #959,  I picked this up—and it might be the most fun comic I've read in awhile. Imagine, if you will, if Harry Potter existed in the DC universe. He'd go to Mystik University, natch, and Mystik U is DC's Hogwarts. The series—written by Alisa Kwitney and drawn by Mike Norton—takes place seven years pre-Malevolence, which smacks of the name of a big comic event, but I'm not aware of a Malevolence. Regardless, it doesn't sound good and is clearly worth avoiding.



A current-day Zatanna is sent into the past by Rose to "weave us a different beginning." There, she is sent to Mystik U after accidentally sending her father to hell while on stage. "You've just come into your power." At the school, she meets several new friends, including Sebastian Faust, Pia, Davit, and June Moone, the Enchantress. She also meets members of the university's staff and faculty, including Cain and Abel, a troll named Gerd, Merlin, Baron Winter, and Mr. E.



A "rampaging invertebrate" threatens the campus. It is found to be friendly, but not immediately. Along the way, characters are introduced, students hook up, and the emergence of a larger threat is identified. The comic is very promising. It has an interesting cast, a fascinating setting, and a firm but flexible footing in DC's mystical comics history.

What I think might be most interesting is the tenor and tone. Yes, the comic is grounded in DC's horror lineage: House of Mystery, House of Secrets, the Phantom Stranger, and Secrets of Sinister House. But the comic is anything but dark or heavy. It's light and breezy without being flip or dismissive, not at all dark or heavy—despite its subject matter. There are so many possibilities.

Availability: We recommend Zatanna by Paul Dini and Justice League Dark Vol. 1: In the Dark.