Bizarro #4

Bizarro #4The six-issue mini-series centering on the bizarre friendship between Bizarro and Jimmy Olsen continues when the unlikely pair run into Zatanna in Bizarro #4. The madcap adventures from writer Heath Corson and artist Gustavo Duarte (with a little help from Darwyn Cooke) get a little magical boost to the proceedings with this issue. What happens when you mix backward magic and Bizarro? Total chaos, that’s what!

Bizarro #4 features three DC characters I enjoy but often dislike how they are used within the DCU. This issue allows Jimmy to be a troublemaker, Bizarro to show some humanity, and Zatanna to shine without getting lost in a grim Vertigo-esque plot.

With Jimmy and Bizarro temporarily switching places, giving us the Silver Age-ish Jimzarro for the first time, and Zatanna being frustrated with how well Bizarro understands magic, the issue is a complete delight that includes several fun cameos from the Rock of Eternity to Skartaris. There’s also a nice message at the end before the mini-series sets up its next adventure (sadly without Zatanna). Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]