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Zatanna ... god! What a Hottie! And those Fishnets!..... ouuuuuuch!
Zatanna Zatara (Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson) first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4 (October-November 1964). Zatanna is the daughter of magician John Zatara (who appeared in Golden Age comic books) and Sindella, a member of the mystical “Homo Magi” race. She is the direct descendant of the artist Leonardo da Vinci, who was a magician, and is related to Nostradamus; Alessandro Cagliostro; alchemists Nicolas Flamel, Ian Flemming, Evan Fulcanelli, King Arion of Atlantis and Kieth Partridge from the Partridge Family. Her younger cousin, Zachary Zatara, is also a magician but she doesn't wear fishnets until she turns 18.
Zatanna makes her living as a stage illusionist at the Bada Bing and sells cigarettes on slow nights. Zatanna's search for her missing father was the subject of the first major comic book crossover in 1964, and in it, Zatanna meets with Batman and Robin (who's first words were "HOLY CRAP BATMAN... Do we get to work with her??!) Hawkman and Hawkwoman (who's first words were, "Holy Crap! I'm not working with some fishnetted trickster whore in a top hat... I'm a professional... Biotch!") the Atom, Elongated Man, and Green Lantern (who simply said, "HOLY CRAP! Fishnets!").
Zatanna assists the Justice League of America on a number of cases before being elected to membership in JLA #161. During her tenure with the group, her power level diminishes, so that she can only control the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water; this limitation is reversed in World's Finest Comics #277. .. of course, thank you great writers of DC.
In the 2004 limited series Identity Crisis, Zatanna is a member of the JLA at the time the villain Dr. Light brutally attacks and rapes the Elongated Man's wife Sue Dibny. When apprehended, he threatens the JLA members' families. Although Zatanna is prepared to erase Light's memories of the incident (as she had done before), tampering with Light's mind sparks a debate among the Justice League members: should the villain's personality be transformed in order to prevent him from repeating his crime? Zatanna, Hawkman, and The Atom vote for such action, while Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Hal Jordan vote against. The Flash (Barry Allen) breaks the tie. Zatanna mind-wipes Light, and the process results in his intellectual abilities being lowered. In the midst of the process, Batman appears and tries to stop it. Zatanna freezes him, and the members vote to erase Batman's memories of the incident as well. And boy when he finds out... is HE PISSED!
Batman and Zatanna's relationship sour after he discovers she messed with his memory. When Zatanna helps Batman with reconnaissance at one of Ra's al Ghul's Lazarus Pits, she asks him why he came to her. Batman says, "I needed someone I can trust, but I had to settle for you." Yet, after Infinite Crisis, their relationship appears to warm ever so slightly; in Detective Comics #824 he calls her for information on a card-counter involved in scamming the Penguin. He makes no mention of their conflict, and casually calls her by her nickname, "Zee". After departing from the League, Zatanna continues to appear on stage, no longer selling cigarettes and to defend against mystical threats, joining the Sentinels of Magic.
Zatanna's mind-wipe of Dr. Light in Identity Crisis is not an isolated occurrence. Catwoman discovers that her journey from villain to hero and her resulting efforts to lead a moral life are the result of Zatanna's mental intervention. Catwoman comes to distrust her memories, motives, and the choices she has made since that incident. Zatanna appears in several issues of Catwoman where, at the title character's behest, she mind-wipes Film Freak and Angle Man, two villains who had deduced Catwoman's secret identity.
Now if we can only get her to mind-wipe half of Congress, the President, VP and a bunch of Senators we'll all be sitting pretty!
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