Zatanna Heads To College In DC’s New ‘Mystik U’ Series!

John F. Trent |

Aug 17, 2017

Zatanna Zatara heads to college in DC Comics new prestige format series Mystik U. Zatanna will be joined by four other DC Comics magic users. They include Sebastian Faust, the son of Felix Faust, June Moon/Enchantress, newcomer Pia Morales, and Sargon the Sorceror.

The new series will be written by Alisa Kwitney with art by Mike Norton.

Mike described the characters:

Mystik U is about a sheltered show biz kid (Zatanna), a bitter rebel (Sebastian Faust, son of Felix), a split personality (Enchantress), a competitive premed student (new character Pia Morales), and an awkward prodigy (Sargon the Sorceror) all discovering that they have the capacity to perform real magic.

Alissa added much more detail and why she chose these specific characters for Mystik U:

I wanted some of the more obscure magical characters from the DCU because I knew I would have the freedom to explore different aspects of them. For example, it seemed clear to me that Sargon should be from the Middle East. The historical Sargon of Akkad was the founder of a dynasty that ruled over what is now Iran and Iraq and beyond. I also wanted to look more closely at Sargon’s relationship with his ruby. Does it give him his powers, or enhance them? And at what cost?

I wanted a brooding, aloof, tormented Heathcliff type, because that’s always sexy, and Sebastian Faust fit the bill perfectly. I mean, he gets his powers because his father, the evil sorcerer Felix Faust, betrays him and uses him. And Faust (the son) needs to conceal his eyes with dark glasses because he’s not in complete control of his power. That’s just deliciousness to a writer. I don’t know why everyone hasn’t been clamoring to write more Faust.

As for Enchantress, I wanted to show a different side of her. I don’t see June Moon and Enchantress as a good girl/bad girl split, or a clear case of possession. I mean, who hasn’t gone to college and experimented a bit and discovered a new side of themselves?

And then there’s Zatanna. There’s so much expectation placed on her—she’s the one who comes into the book, and the school, with a reputation, with history and baggage. Everyone expects her to be the one to watch—so how does that impact on her? And what happens when she doesn’t perform as well as she—and everyone else—expects?

Pia, who is the new character, is clearly the most obscure. She thought she was on one track—medical school—until her powers manifested and she realized she had to figure out what to do with this new ability. She’s also snarky and opinionated. I get tired of seeing ensemble casts where the guys get all the funny lines and the girls are always left saying, “Come on, it’s time to get back to work.” Pia’s a bit of a wiseass.

Mike went on to describe the overall plot that we can expect from Mystik U:

They’re enrolled at a university for the magically gifted, where the world’s most powerful practitioners of magic will mentor their fledgling talents…and try to discover which of them is fated to betray the others and become a powerful force of evil.

Alisa compared their villain to J.K. Rowling’s Tom Riddle who would later become Voldemort. However, she was mum on giving any details to who the villain would be.

There is definitely a villain, but there’s also an exploration of the villain’s journey. One of the things I always loved about Harry Potter was the unfolding of the story of the young Tom Riddle and how he came to be Lord Voldemort. If I could ask J.K. Rowling to write a book for me, it would be the complete tale of Tom Riddle’s school days at Hogwarts.

Here’s a peak at what you can expect. Mike Norton’s pencils look fantastic.