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A comiXology Guide to Zatanna!

I will admit, at the moment, we have some gaps in our Zatanna collection here at comiXology (I’ll be sure to let DC know WE WANT MORE!), including not only the first appearance of Zatanna in 1964’s Hawkman #4 but also the introduction of Zatanna’s father Giovanni Zatara whose story appeared alongside the introduction of Superman in Action Comics #1!

That being said, I put together a little reading list that will still give you a nice introduction to one of the DC characters that deserves way more attention than she gets and not just because her bowtie game puts mine to shame.

In 2010, longtime fan of the Zatanna, Paul Dini put the young magi in the spotlight of her own solo series. It’s a great place to start with the character, and Dini (who you may have heard of as the writer of  Batman: The Animated Series) has become the quintessential voice behind character. The series follows Zatana’s adventures having recently left the JLA, and while short lived adds much to the Zatanna mythos, seeing her pitted against a sorcerer who controls the supernatural crime scene in San Francisco, a Faustian casino owner who trades the souls of his new brides for everlasting youth, and a new supervillan named Siphon who attempts to steal Zatanna’s powers.

Read Zatanna's Solo Series

In the mid 2000’s Grant Morrison wanted to take what he felt was a bunch of DC “C-List” characters and form them into his own Avengers analogue. Zatanna was sloted for his Scarlet Witch counterpart and so a 4-issue miniseries featuring her was woven into Morrison’s grand over-arching storyline that brought all of his characters together ending in a climactic final battle. Zatanna’s story can be read on its own if you’d like just a taste, but the whole story has been collected into a couple volumes. With JH Williams III on art, it’s definitely worth a look or two

Read Grant Morrison & JH Williams III's Seven Soldiers: Zatanna

Start the complete Seven Soldiers of Victory

Maybe this is the whole reason I wanted to write this list. Just recently Paul Dini got back in the driver seat of the good ship Zatanna, and this time brought along the incredible joequinones to write one of the best books to come out under the DC banner in recent memory. Bloodspell sees two superheroes brought together by their love for one another as well as their love for fishnet stockings. Witness a young Black Canary meet an even younger Zatanna Zatara, and get glimpses into how their friendship began while they take on a curse that is hunting down the former members of an all-female casino heist that Canary had once infiltrated.

A comiXology Guide to The Sinister Six

With Amazing Spider-Man 2 now officially in theaters, we're already anticipating the chatter to pick up around the next Spidey flick and the Sinister Six! 

We know the comic world can be a confusing place, so we're here once again to set you off on the right path! If you want to get to know the greatest collection of rogues the Marvel Universe has ever seen, these are the stories that will bring you up to speed!

The Sinister Six have quite the strange history as their lineup has changed so many times over the course of history. But all great evil teams need to start somewhere, and when Electro, Sandman, Vulture, Kraven, Mysterio, and Doctor Octopus finally got sick of getting whooped by the web slinger on their own, they teamed up under the guidance of Octavius and formed the first iteration of the Sinister Six in the pages of Amazing Spider Man Annual #1.

See the first appearance of The Sinister Six

Since the Sinister Six are so famous, you may be surprised to know that they essentially disappeared from comics after their first defeat in 1963. They didn't reemerge until 1990, when Kraven was replaced by Hobgoblin after meeting a ghastly fate in Kraven's Last Hunt. 

Read the rebirth of the Sinister Six in Amazing Spider-Man #334-339

After being defeated once again, Electro, Vulture, Mysterio, and Hobgoblin get the band back together, and after tricking a reformed Sandman to rejoin their ranks, go out to seek their revenge on their former leader Doctor Octopus in The Revenge of the Sinister Six!

Read The Revenge of the Sinister Six

Jump forward in time to a Marvel Universe where Doc Ock has defeated Peter Parker by switching their bodies thus becoming the Superior Spider-Man, willing to do things your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man would never have dreamed of! Using his unmatched skills of bio-engineering, Octavius takes control of his old Sinister Six teammates and has them do his bidding as The Superior Six.

Read Superior Spider-Man Team-Up #6-8

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my new favorite iteration of the Sinister Six, found within the pages of the Superior Foes of Spider-Man. This series is the sleeper-hit of the current Marvel catalogue, featuring a Sinister Six that sometimes only includes as few as Four members but is always hilarious and surprising. 

Get started with the Superior Foes of Spider-Man

Every Friday, were going to try to bring you a brief guide on a different comic book character or story, because we all know the world of comics can be a confusing place, and we want to help.

There seems to be a lot of fans of Wonder Woman here on Tumblr, but if you've been wanting to find out more about Diana Prince, Themyscira, and The Amazons, we humbly present to you:

A comiXology Guide to Wonder Woman!

Fierce, bold, and confident, Diana, Amazon Warrior Princess of Themyscira, is both feared and respected by the denizens of the DC Universe. 

Wonder Woman's first appearance came in 1941 within the pages of All Star Comics #8 but her origins really were developed in the early issues of DC's Sensation Comics. In these classic comics, you see the introduction of some of WW's best known tools like the Invisible Jet and her Magic Lasso. In May 1942, only 5 months after her first appearance, Wonder Woman was the star of her own solo comic.

Read All Star Comics #8

Read Sensation Comics #1-9

Read Wonder Woman #1

If all you want is one must-read example of a great modern take on Wonder Woman, look no further than gailsimone's story, The Circle, which brings the heroine face-to-face with talking gorilla warriors, neo-nazis, and the vulnerability of being powerless.

Read Gail Simone's Wonder Woman 

Finally, the rebooting of the DCU with The New 52 saw the combining of comic legends Brian Azzarello and cliffchiang bringing their much acclaimed talents to the Wonder Woman comics. While the New 52 has seen its share of successes and failures, Wonder Woman has consistently been one of the brightest stars in the new universe.  

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