After 51 episodes, WEBTOON's Zatanna & the Ripper is the first of DC's various WEBTOON offerings to be written to completion. Once all is told, Zatanna & the Ripper is a solid tale of the DC universe, capturing the adventures of a still-fledgling Zatanna as she struggles to come to terms with her true potential as a mage, friend, and daughter. Although the plotting sometimes takes an uneven pace, Zatanna & the Ripper ultimately thrives on the strength of its characters and how they interact and grow together.
Sarah Dealy and Syro combine forces with Jace, Rachel Koo, Ayumumum and Maryia to tell the story of how, on her 21st birthday, Zatanna Zatara survives the sorceress Allura's magical assault on her and her father that leaves her stranded in 1800s London, during the infamous Jack the Ripper's reign of terror. While Zatanna struggles to unravel the mysteries of the Ripper in the past, she must also find a way back to the future - where Allura waits for her, plotting. And things don't get any simpler when John Constantine stumbles into the mix.
Zatanna's WEBTOON Gives Her a Compelling Arc
The characters are some of the strongest elements in Zatanna & the Ripper, especially Dealy and Syro's Zatanna. Inexperienced and uncertain, Zatanna's arc as she comes into her own sees her slowly learning to open up to others. While often sharp-tongued, she never comes off as petulant; rather, Zatanna is a performer struggling to adapt to her stage and to find her legs. Ultimately, this makes her eventual triumphs all the more delightful, and helps to draw the audience to her throughout her pitfalls. We want to see her grow, and more importantly, she is shown to be capable of understanding and overcoming her mistakes.
Jack the Ripper is a Frightful Villain for DC's Magicians
Opposing Zatanna are a delightfully ghoulish cast of villains. The aforementioned Jack the Ripper makes for a delightfully twisty journey through DC's roster of magical "who's-who"s, managing to provide a credible threat to the heroes without too many implausible twists. Allura is delightfully unhinged as a nemesis, combining deadly power with comically misplaced priorities, making for a villain who always leaves one on their toes. As for the supporting cast, John Constantine headlines and is appropriately both roguish and clueless as ever, but it's Zatanna's Whitechapel friend Roz who steals the show. Grounded firmly in the "present" of the 1800s when confronted with future technology (let alone magic) she possesses a joie de vivre that plays beautifully off Zatanna's occasionally sour demeanor, and the two together make for an absolute delight. Special mention as well goes to Constantine's demon companion Gorgo, who simply must be seen to be believed.
Zatanna & the Ripper bounces back and forth from comedy to thriller, with as many genuine laughs as there are legitimately horrifying scenes; for all the silliness that comes from comparing modern junk-food to a meat-pie obsessed 1800s London, the fact remains that there is still a killer on the loose. These shifts keep the reader on their toes, but can also come quite abruptly; if the series has one weakness, it is in its pacing, with some critical story elements feeling rushed while other scenes play out for a bit too long. Despite this, the strength of the characters still shines through, and ultimately carries the series to its conclusion.
While DC's other WEBTOON series continue, the totality of Zatanna & the Ripper sets a high bar for them to match. The shift to webcomics has been an experimental one on DC's part, but if Zatanna & the Ripper is anything to go by, then this move is a rousing success.
Zatanna & the Ripper is now complete on WEBTOON.