I just finished Volume 1 of The Books of Magic (Written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by John Bolton, Scott Hampton, Charles Vess, and Paul Johnson). It’s the tale of a young English boy, Timothy Hunter, who has the potential to become the greatest sorcerer of the age. He is approached by 4 men who have determined that Tim must be inroduced to magic and decide if he will live a life of magic or science.
Two things I wanted to bring up about it.
First, I guess there has been a lot of speculation/criticism that Harry Potter was “ripped off” from The Books of Magic. My opinion: absolutely not. Apparently, it’s also the opinion of Mr Gaiman.
I’m guessing this speculation stems from the fact that both Harry and Tim are young boys with a natural abilty for things magical. They both wear glasses and have pet owls. That’s where the similarities end.
The second thing I want to bring up is that this series was created by Vertigo/DC Comics to introduce people to their “occult” characters. (Which may sound like it makes for a cheesy parade of characters, but this is written by Neil Gaiman for Pete’s sake. You’re going to get a Story with a capital “S”.)
The four men who act as Tim’s guides are John Constantine (Hellblazer), Doctor Occult (Superman), the Phantom Stranger (The Phantom Stranger/Justice League), and Mister E (Secrets of Haunted House). Many other charachters from the Vertigo/DC Universe pop up (Including Death, Dream, and Cain, Abel and Goldie from Gaiman’s own Sandman Universe).
Very good story. The illustration is fantastic. The mythology is tightly woven (as expected from such a master of mythology as Gaiman). I recommend it highly!
(BTW, the intro, written by Roger Zelazny, is also quite good!)