Mystik U
Alisa Kwitney, writer; Mike Norton, artist; Jordie Bellaire, colorist
DC Comics, 2018
A fun dip into the magical side of the DC Universe. The story opens with the magicians fighting against an evil force known only as the Malevolence, and they are losing. As a desperation move they go for a seven year magical reset, sending teen aged Zatanna Zatara (who has just discovered she has magical powers) to the Mystik U, an academy designed to train young magicians how to properly use their abilities.
Dr. Rose Psychic (and her body-sharing husband, Dr. Occult) lead the faculty, with also includes the mysterious Mister E and Madame Xanadu, as well as Cain and Abel and the House of Secrets (which includes the Dean's Residence). Her fellow students include Davit Sargon, June “Enchantress” Moone, brooding bad boy Sebastian Faust, and eventually an obscure DC non-human horror character named Plop (who is played for laughs).
If this is a "real" story--and DC has been cagey about this--it retcons the history of the DC magical characters by bringing them together as young adults. It would mean they have a shared history that did not exist previously. In the meantime, none of them remember the previous timeline, at least in detail. But magical signs point to one of the five new students turning into the Malevolence. So the question is, how to discover which one? Mr. E's solution of killing all five is rejected.
The students get to know each other, pair off romantically, and learn magical powers in classes like Divination 101: all very Harry Potter. Speaking of which, it is notable that young mage Timothy Hunter of the various The Books of Magic series is not involved (that series has often been compared to Harry Potter, although writer Neil Gaiman has always waved off the similarities as just part of any magical coming of age story, from Merlin on). Despite the best efforts of the faculty, in the end it is the students who figure out the solution, in a dramatic episode that begins with a bargain made in Hell with a demon. The closing scene finds Zatanna and Sebastian Faust heading off for an adventure on his motorcycle.
Given the generally light tone of the series, it is especially important that the character designs have charm, and Mike Norton (Revival, Runaways) delivers, aided by Jordie Bellaire's colors. At the same time, the appearance is true to the older versions--especially Zatanna, who has a central role. Same thing with the writing: as a former Vertigo editor, it should not be surprising that Alisa Kwitney has a good handle on these characters.
Replies
I really liked that book; I'd love to see more of it. I don't think I want it to be the official history of magic in the DCU, but I'd be very happy to see more adventures like that in an alternate timeline.
Yeah, I agree that making this story "official" would have an "everything you know is wrong" effect. But it would be fun to read further adventures.