Giovanni Zatara

Written by David Charlton
Picture by Ramon Villalobos


Name: Zatara the Magician

Secret Identity: Giovanni Zatara

Aliases: John Zatara

First DC2 Appearance: DC2 Special# 2 "An Arkham Christmas Carol"

Status:Hero

Base of Operations: Shadowcrest Manor, Westchester, NY

Occupation:Stage magician

HT: 5’11’’

WT: 170 lbs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black (early gray at the temples)

Powers and Abilities: By speaking his spells backwards, Zatara can work real magic. Also, he is a master of disguise, adept at sleight-of-hand techniques, and a gifted stage performer.

History: Born in Italy in 1919, young Giovanni Zatara was given a book of magic tricks by his grandfather Luigi, thus beginning a lifelong fascination with the mystic arts. He practiced his craft everyday, and soon could not be surpassed at minor illusions and sleight-of-hand tricks. But Zatara wanted more. He sought out and apprenticed himself to the legendary Corsican sorcerer Il Magnifico, and under the wizened old man’s tutelage, Zatara was exposed to the Lost Journals of Paracelsus, a library of real magic by his own ancestor Leonardo Da Vinci. Within the pages of those ancient tomes, Zatara discovered the secret to harnessing true power, and he was made to vow to use it only for good.

At 19, he emulated his hero Houdini, and took his show on the road, lighting up the stages of Old Europe, and soon gained a world-class reputation as a performer and magician, collecting a loyal Asian manservant named Tong. His top hat and cane became his trademark, and audiences were enthralled by the young man. But he soon gained the notice of more sinister forces, as well. Sensing his real power, the immortal Egyptian necromancer Amon-Hotep determined to put an end to Zatara, but was frustrated at their every meeting. Still, dark forces watched the young magician as diligently as he tried to expose them, but he was always one step ahead of their deadly snares.
In the winter of 1938, Zatara took his act to America, anglicizing his first name to John, and became a minor sensation on the New York show circuit. It was there that he was known to join forces, from time to time, with the superheroes of the newly-formed Justice Society of America. His house, Shadowcrest Manor, was also known as a gathering spot for a secret brotherhood of mystic comrades-in-arms, such as Dr. Occult, Tor the Magic Master, Dr. Fate, Sargon the Sorcerer, and Ibis the Invincible.

Not much is known of Zatara’s later life. His adventuresome spirit and wanderlust often found him on the road, exposing charlatans and fakirs and fighting a never-ending battle against the dark magical forces always on the verge of overrunning humanity. On his travels, he met and fell in love with a woman named Sindella, a member of a hidden race of magical beings called homo magi. The two were happy for a while, having at least one daughter, which they named Zatanna. But Sindella disappeared under mysterious circumstances, as did all traces of the Hidden City of the homo magi.

Zatanna grew up at Shadowcrest Manor, practically raised by her father’s trusted manservant Tong, while Zatara searched the world for his beloved Sindella. He returned to America seldomly, but often enough to see that his daughter had inherited her parents’ magical ability. Then there came a day when Zatara embarked on what he called his most dangerous mission, entrusting his daughter with the Lost Journals of Paracelsus. He never returned. Zatanna was 13 years old.

But the world spun faster outside the mystic walls of Shadowcrest Manor. When Zatanna finally left those familiar precincts behind to make her way in the world, decades had passed, and it was the 21st Century. And the name of Zatara the Magician had long been forgotten…