Zatannurday: Mother's Day

Tomorrow is mother's day. And for Zatanna that means dressing weird and finding out her memories had been messed with thanks to dad. She must have learned that trick from him.

Anyway, what do we really know about Zee's mom? Not much. Her name was Sindella and she was one of the Homo Magi race; an offshoot of Humans that can perform magic at will more or less. In DC that means that Zee is a magician (father's side) and a witch (mother's side).  Here is the costume that she showed up in one day when she went to join the Justice League.

d

This is from right around 1978-79 I think, Justice League of America #161.  This may be the worse costume I have ever seen Zee in. Normally turning evil makes you hotter, but I think she got it wrong here.  Maybe she was stoned again.  Anyway.

Turns out it was the same costume that her mother wore when Zatara met her.  We find out later (#163-165) what was going on that her mother wasn't really dead, but a super powerful magic battery and being used as such.  Now she really is dying and Zee is a good replacement.

You can tell he is evil by the beard and calling Zee a half-breed.

Zee is only about 20 or so here and spent her life without a mother, her mother does what any mother in this situation would do. She sacrifices herself so that her daughter may live free.

Course she grows up and gets involved with John Constantine a lot, but hey.

This does bring up an interesting idea.  Let's say Zee was in her 20s at the end of the 70s (that would make her a HUGE Ramones fans in my mind) and use the Constantine idea that she ages at the same rate as the real world, then she would be in her early 50s now.  Since she is a member of the Homo Magi race, a notoriously long lived one, then she could still appear to be in her early 30s easy.

Let's hope John Zatara II has better luck with his mom.