Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I wrote a column called “Gather ‘Round, Padawans.” Its intent was to show the myriad ways in which comics and graphic novels teach both children and adults emotional and social intelligence.

Well, we’re getting the band back together.

And by “we,” I mean me. And by “the band,” I also mean me.

This week, we’re looking at another DCKids graphic novel: Zatanna and the House of Secrets.

The Story

Zatanna lives with her father, stage magician Zatara, and their annoying rabbit Pocus. She goes to school like other teens her age, likes classic films, and, occasionally, strange things happen when her emotions get the better of her. This Halloween is particularly problematic, but she tries to talk to Zatara about it, he shoves Pocus at her, and runs off, claiming he has to get to a last-minute gig.

Zatanna decides to join her friends at a party, which doesn’t go particularly well, with the evening culminating in a “prep school vampire” stealing a key from Pocus’s collar. When she arrives home, Zatana finds said prep school vampire – actually Klarion the Witch Boy – and his mother the Witch Queen have invaded her house and woken it up.

Because, just as it turns out Zatanna isn’t a normal teenager, her house is actually the House of Secrets and her father the Caretaker of the magical place that can be anything, anywhen, anywhere. A place that can show you anything, even that which you’ve lost. Says artist Yoshiyani of the House of Secrets:

I really wanted the backgrounds of the house to look magical and like it had been used by many different owners from different backgrounds that all left their own mark on the house. And then here is Zatanna, a modern girl with a kind of dated fashion sense sort of fitting and not fitting into any of this.

Oh, and did I mention the rabbit talks?

The rabbit talks.

The Lesson

A lot of the story catalysts in Zatanna and the House of Secrets, including the danger in which the titular character finds herself, is due to, well… secrets, primarily important information Zatara is keeping from her. Zatanna doesn’t know what’s special about their home. She doesn’t know her father is, in fact, a magician and not an illusionist. She doesn’t understand the importance of Pocus’s key collar because Zatara doesn’t explain it to her, and she certainly has no idea rival witches might attempt to steal it and take control of her home. She doesn’t know Pocus is equipped with a human level of intelligence and that she should, perhaps, take his advice when he offers it. She doesn’t understand why strange things, like the boys who tease her at school turning bright red, happen when she’s angry or upset and that she has the power to do real harm if she doesn’t control herself.

She doesn’t even know she has powers.

Zatara is a loving father who wants the best for his daughter. His goal in keeping things from her is to protect her, to shield her from the heavy responsibility of being the House’s Caretaker and from the inevitable dangers that come with both magical powers in general and being the magical keeper of a magical house in particular.

If superhero stories have taught us anything over the years, though, it’s that keeping secrets to protect the people you love never turns out well. The fear that the bad guys will use the hero’s loved ones as a weapon usually has more dire consequences than the bad guys actually doing so. And besides, we mere mortals, while fragile, are pretty decent at kicking ass when our survival and family are threatened.

“But, Shiri,” you may be thinking, “adults are one thing. In this story, Zatanna is a child. Isn’t it a parent’s responsibility to protect their children?”

Absolutely. But does hiding things from kids actually protect them? Does sheltering them from the realities of the world make their lives better?

Obviously, I’m not suggesting you throw the whole messy, trash-fire world at your kiddo as they emerge from the womb or as they’re welcomed into your family by other means. There is 100% such thing as age appropriateness.

What I am suggesting is that kids are smart. They’re perceptive. They’re resilient. And they’re curious. They notice everything and they wonder about everything they notice as Zatanna does in Zatanna and the House of Secrets. And when people are curious, what do they do? They go looking for answers.

Because  Zatanna is missing so much information about herself and her family, that search leads her into a fair amount of trouble.

We never want to hurt out kids or frighten them. We never want to be a source of discomfort or introduce concepts that make them feel insecure. We do far more damage, however, when we hide things from them than we do by discussing them openly. When we address their curiosity and questions, we encourage them to bring other topics to us in the future. We let them know we’re a safe source of discourse – we’re trusted adults who will help them understand something they don’t understand and feel the need to crack open and examine.

Kids are so much more perceptive than many adults realize, and believe me when I tell you they know when you’re lying or evading. They certainly know when you’re brushing them off. If they’re curious enough, and you choose one of those responses, they’ll look for answers somewhere else. If you (and they) are lucky, that source will be another trusted adult, but it’s more likely to be a less reliable option: their friends or the internet.

These conversations may not always be easy for us, but they are essential to prepare our kids for the real world and the challenges they’ll encounter in it. And while they may not be fighting witches or demons, some days it will sure as well feel like it.

Give them the tools to ask the right people for help now, and they’ll be able to climb those mountains the rest of their lives.