Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell

When her old foe begins killing victims from beyond the grave, Black Canary, a street-level crime fighter with scant supernatural expertise, enlists spell caster Zatanna to fight magic with magic in this snappy team-up of two long-running DC characters. Perhaps paired merely for their shared proclivity toward fishnets, the two heroines nonetheless jibe well together on the page, thanks to a wealth of charisma and candor seldom found in expository superhero storytelling. Dini, brings an animator’s energy to the plot and presentation, adhering to a brisk pace to tackle the episodic narrative, and Quinones (FF) provides a polished and especially expressive style. Quinones is particularly adept at depicting Bloodspell’s comely leads, giving them celebrity good-looks but avoiding gratuitous eye candy—another common failing of the superhero genre. By steering clear of typical pitfalls, the book makes for a pleasing standout and a welcome departure from the publisher’s usual output. (June)