Zatanna Special #1 (1987)
VF/NM
$8.00
$8.00
Condition
Description
Summoning
The spirit of Zatanna's mother beckons her daughter to the secret city of the Homo Magi. Without haste, she and her stage manager, Jeff Sloane, ride on horses through a mystic plane which forces them to enter a giant snake's digestive tract. Through Zatanna's quick magic, they escape the snake and finally reach her mother's native land only to find the people dying from an unknown sleeping sickness. Zatanna successfully utters the "spell of cures" at the Temple of Hope, saving everyone's life. The High Lord asks that she stay as Queen, but she hesitantly declines. The High Lord then requests her to visit the guardian of the Shrine of Ages in order for her to know what her correct decision should be. She agrees and she and Jeff ride their horses to the top of the mountain to visit Kohl, the ancient one. Upon entering the shrine, they speak briefly with Kohl who suddenly turns into dust. Ghostly spirits appear, threatening the two and they dive inside a fountain where Zatanna is carried deeper under water by the strong current. Sensing danger in their path, Zatanna sends Jeff back to Shadowcrest using magic, but shortly afterwards, she falls unconscious. When she awakes, Zatanna is back at her Shadowcrest home. Her father welcomes her back with open arms thanking her from reviving him from death. However later that night, she realizes this is not her home and her true enemy revels herself. It is Allura, mistress of the dark elements. Allura had created this illusion to trick Zatanna and trap her before she could learn the secret behind the source of her magic. Zatanna is trapped by Allura, who takes Zatanna's amulet and leaves Zatanna ensnared by dark magic. Once again, Zatanna enters a subconscious dream, in which the spirit of her mother, Sindella, speaks to her and reveals the secret source of her magic. Zatanna finally understands that life gives magic a meaning and thanks to the newfound wisdom, she recovers her powers and strength to defeat her most powerful opponent: her own doubts, fears and darker side. Once she has overcome her inner demons, Zatanna breaks free from Allura's trap and her powers return to her. In Shadowcrest, Jeff Sloane worries about Zatanna's fate, but Sindella's spirit reassures him that her daughter shall soon return from her quest and that his presence will provide Zatanna with the much required healing. True enough, Zatanna shows up in Shadowcrest shortly afterwards, reinvigorated after the whole experience and thanks to Jeff Sloane, she is ready to face any and all future challenges.
Release Date: 1987
THE HIGH GRADES (Investment Quality)
- 9.9 – 10.0 MINT: Near perfect. No discernible defects.
- 9.8 NM/MT: High-end; negligible stress or bindery tears.
- 9.6 NM+: Nearly perfect; very minor surface wear.
- 9.4 NM: Standard high-grade; minor corner blunting.
- 9.2 NM-: Excellent; small stress lines (no color break).
- 9.0 VF/NM: Great eye appeal; minor spine stress.
THE MID GRADES (Collector Quality)
- 8.5 VF+: Clean copy; small amount of wear/creasing.
- 8.0 VF: Very attractive; minor surface wear or foxing.
- 7.5 VF-: Slight accumulation of defects; minor blunting.
- 7.0 FN/VF: Solid copy; minor creases or color breaks.
- 6.0 FN: Average mid-grade; small spine splits or tears.
- 5.0 VG/FN: Significant wear; small pieces may be missing.
THE LOW GRADES (Reader Quality)
- 4.0 VG: Average used copy; heavy creasing or scuffing.
- 3.0 GD/VG: Heavily read; major creases or staple rust.
- 2.0 GD: Well-worn; covers may be detached but present.
- 1.0 FR: Heavily damaged; large chunks missing.
- 0.5 PR: Fragile; missing pages or severe degradation.
Our raw grading is an opinion based on 30+ years of experience. We do not guarantee a specific numeric grade from 3rd party services (CGC/CBCS) but strive for maximum accuracy.
