Zatanna

"What do you care about some leggy dame in nylons? Or did I just answer my own question?"

- Zatanna to Batman

Zatanna Zatara is a character from DC Comics. Though she possesses superhuman-level training in magic she prefers to pass as a stage magician and even trained magi have had trouble separating her real spells from her stage illusions. She was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson.

Biography
Zatanna's was born the daughter of the renowned magician Giovanni Zatara, and his wife Sindella, a member of the magically gifted Homo Magi, race. Her father preformed for years as a stage magician and showman but in truth knew more than a little about actual magic; Zatanna, possessing her mother's gift for magic and her father's keen mind for applying it followed and preformed with her father across the U.S. learning both real and fake magic.

Zatanna not only practiced spells back-stage but, escape artistry, slight-of-hand and theatrics, allowing her to hide any real magic she wished to show behind illusions until no one would be able to call her on public displays of arcana. After her father's death Zatanna continued his work and his tour. She was so sensational to audiences that she was easily able to be considered as an entertainer unto herself. She has preformed at Paris, Hollywood, Metropolis, Gotham and Bludhaven and helped various heroes in the DC world as her tours brought her to them.

Zatanna would eventually be recruited into the Justice League due her powers, her expertise in advising members on real magical threats and been a trusted ally of Batman, Hawkman, Nightwing, Raven, Superman and Doctor Fate. Zatanna keeps her membership, though not association with the Justice League a secret so no one will ever suspect she is using magic publicly. Zatanna keeps her magic a secret not only to give her an excuse to spice up her act but also because she worries about modern day witch hunters (she considers the politicians and religious leaders to be even more in need of the public lime-light than magicians).

The New 52
Following the events of Flashpoint, Zatanna was made a main characters for the Justice League Dark series. Though Zatanna still wears her old-school stage magician's costume from time to time she mainly wears a new updated classic sorceress look. In the first issue, she hears about the Justice League's run-in with the Enchantress and volunteers her services to the League. Though Batman tries to join in the fight, Zatanna uses her powers to tie him up, saying that Batman was too valuable to the world to die in battle.

Trivia

 * Her cousin Zachary Zatara, is also a magician in the DCU.
 * Her signature power is being able to cast spells by speaking backwards.
 * Bruce Wayne trained as an escape artist along-side her during her father;s tours.
 * The heroine, Raven, originally tried to work as Zatanna's apprentice but was rejected when Zatanna became suspicious of it being a trick by Raven's father, the demon Trigon.
 * Zatanna has had an on off again crush on Bruce Wayne through-out her life.
 * Zatanna is trained in vocal activation of her powers. This means she can not use her powers if she is gagged, underwater or for any other reason unable to speak.
 * Zatanna frequently appears in stories written by Paul Dini, who also wrote for Batman: The Animated Series.
 * She has had a romantic relationship with John Constantine.