The use of magic in the comic book world is always interesting. Sometimes it is played for laughs, and sometimes it is played straight, and can often turn to the horrifying. This week, we are asking you an important question about two casters of spells.
This week, two magicians enter the playing field:
ZATANNA
Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4 (October–November 1964). The character, both a stage magician and a real magician like her father Giovanni “John” Zatara, is known for her involvement with the Justice League, her retconned childhood association with Batman, and her crossing of the Vertigo line with characters such as romantic partner John Constantine and protegé Timothy Hunter.
SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH
Sabrina, who is really a half-witch (her mother is a “mortal”, while her father was a warlock) lives with her two aunts, Hilda and Zelda (both witches themselves), in the fictional town of Greendale, which is located somewhere near Riverdale, the home of Archie Andrews. Also living with the three women as the family pet is Salem Saberhagen, a warlock-turned-cat for constant world domination activities.
Most of Sabrina’s adventures consist of Sabrina either trying to use her powers in secret to help others (witches generally are not allowed to tell mortals about their abilities), learning more about her powers (either through her aunts or from trips to the “Other Realm”, an extradimensional plane that is the home of various magical creatures, including witches), or trying to deal with the day-to-day trials of being a teenager. Sabrina also has a mortal boyfriend named Harvey Kinkle who, like nearly all the other mortals in Sabrina’s world, is unaware his girlfriend is a witch. In the live-action sitcom, Harvey would eventually learn Sabrina is a witch on his own.
Now that you know the players, it’s time for the question.
VOTE!
[poll id=”230″]
27 Comments
I vote Zatanna, because given the context of their experience Zatanna knows what she is doing and knowledge is power!
I voted for Sabrina, but it is primarily because of the TV show, as Archie Comics never really made much of an impression in Ireland. That show is, in part, why my college career never really took off. Plus Zatanna, despite being a somewhat vintage character, has never really interested me.
I voted for Sabrina due to her obvious lack of foresight with her spells, the basis of EVERY Sabrina story.
However, it was a close call, since a mind-raping lady is fishnet stocking tends to be pretty dangerous to most relationships…
On the question of danger, I have to give it to Zatanna, who clearly has more maturity and combat experience thanks time spent in the League.
Plus, while Sabrina’s boyfriend is Harvey Kinkle, Zatanna’s boyfriend is John Freakin’ Constantine. That’s all the danger you’ll ever need right there.
Zatanna. She fills the fishnets better than Black Canary
Heresy! :)
I vote Zatanna.
She had a part in the spiritual battle of the original Crisis.
If she could survive that ordeal, Sabrina will be a cakewalk.
Zatanna because I have always liked her in every form, where with Sabrina I thought the live action TV show was OK she never really caught on in any other form to me.
I voted for Sabrina’s orange sweater…I mean, Sabrina.
-c
This depends on whether you’re talking about dangerous to enemies or just dangerous to everyone around them.
Zatanna is a more dangerous enemy, as she’s an actual combatant. Sabrina on the other hand is just dangerous to those around her.
I voted for Sabrina… although I really only had the bios to go on and the Sabrina TV show since I’ve never read a comic with either of these women in them. Sabrina’s bio was much more fleshed out, Zatanna’s was much less informative of what her abilities are. The description of her as a magician made me think all she could do was pull rabbits out of hats.
I voted for Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Not because of Archie comics (which I didn’t even realize she was a part of) but due to the television show. I loved the show when I was growing up and while Zatanna is hot in those fishnets, I only know her as the teenager in Young Justice, in which she is very emotionally fragile because she lost her father to Dr. Fate.
I personally loved the live action Sabrina sitcom, even the later seasons when she went off the college (though not by much). But if it were a straight-up magical battle, I’d have to put my money on the woman who both knows what she’s doing, and has extensive experience in combat. Zatana would win.
But I must say, I’d much rather see the two in a crossover fighting on the same side, rather than in a head to head brawl. Magical though it may be.
annataz rof etov attog !
Ecin!
lol
…yas ot tnaem I, spoO
lol
Sabrina. You don’t even know that she is a witch. It’s always the quiet ones that you have to watch out for in life as well as in comics. You know Zatanna is a sorceress, Sabrina looks all calm and normal, then you forget one anniversary, then poof your turned into a lawn gnome.
you’re turned into a lawn gnome. sorry.
I vote Zatanna because her picture is better…and because she’s Zartan’s sister (Sabrian want’s none of the dreadnoks…none)
I’m surprised nobody has cited Identity Crisis as their reason for voting Zatanna; I think that proved just how dangerous Z can be!
I voted for Zatanna as she does have the better picture. But in all honesty I think Zatanna would be a better combatant since she can actually put up a fight. While Sabrina is mostly remembered as Melissa Joan Hart who couldn’t fight her way out of a paper bag even with magic.
I’m voting Sabrina because her spells have an alarming tendency to get really screwed up. More often than not, her plots deal with her containing the chaos caused by her casting a spell to get her laundry done & creating a world where insects reign or something.
I went with Sabrina since she’s the biggest blunderer, but really, for early Baby Boomers, the most dangerous witch was Granny Goodwitch. As part of a half hour cartoon show that was really just a long infomercial, she helped chivvy an entire generation into scarfing down over-processed and over-sweetened cereals (Super Sug@r Crisp), a generation which has become almost to a man, obese and diabetic. Thanks loads, Granny. But, seriously, the only witch in popular culture that scared the Sugar Crisp out of me? That would be the Wicked Witch from the wizard of Oz movie. Margaret O’Brien was so scarey as a witch that in later years, she still gave me the creeps when she chivvied Maxwell House coffee on T.V. Is it a coincidence that, even decades later, I have NEVER bought a can of Maxwell House coffee?
Oh, sorry, the witch was played by Margaret Hamilton, not Margaret O’Brien. My apologies to both actresses for the blunder.
I voted Zatanna because I think she’s the most dangerous of the two if you were two face them in battle, but I now realize that in a global scale, Sabrina’s lack of focus could cause some really ugly situations, like that time when she kept the same day being repeated over and over again. I’m going with Zatanna anyways, because I think whatever mayhem the teenage witch could cause, Zatanna could fix it. Besides, anyone with the ability to wipe someone’s memory must be an omega level threat!
I’m going with Zatanna. As some one above said, she’s got loads of combat experience.
Also her spells don’t go awry as much.
Sabrina because while Zatanna has to recite her spells backwards, outloud, all Sabrina has to do is point and zap.