The Books of Magic
DC/Vertigo.
Books
of Magic (4-issue mini). Written by Neil Gaiman, with each issue
by a different artist: John Bolton, Scott Hampton, Charles Vess, and Paul
Johnson. [From DC Comics: Horror and
humor, wonder and awe: the knowledge of hidden things… A spellbinding
tale. An enchanting experience. An unforgettable journey. Magic. From
Neil Gaiman, author of the best-selling novel American Gods and the writer
who brought to life the world-renowned The Sandman, comes a mesmerizing
tale of the dangers and opportunities of youth—and its endless possibilities.
Illustrated by four of comics' most accomplished artists—John Bolton,
Scott Hampton, Charles Vess, and Paul Johnson—The Books of Magic
collects all four issues of the original miniseries that introduced the
character of Timothy Hunter and set the stage for his continuing adventures.]
Old Book of the Week 2/2/05: The original series that
introduced us to Tim Hunter. Written by Neil Gaiman, each of the four
issues had a different top-rate artist (John Bolton, Scott Hampton, Charles
Vess, and Paul Johnson), with a different DC Universe magic character
(the Phantom Stranger, John Constantine, Dr. Occult, and Mister E) teaching
Tim something about magic. It was a fascinating exploration of how somebody
could get started on the pathn towards becoming, well, a comic book character,
and although it was a bit self-consciously "origin" at times,
the magnificant art never lets you down.
All written by John Ney Rieber.
1
Bindings (1-4; a Gary Amaro, Peter Gross). [From
DC Comics: Continuing from the original Books of Magic story, this tale
picks up with Tim's magic odyssey, as he finds himself on his own. At last
he meets his true father, but first he must endure the evil of the perverse
Manticore and his second encounter with Death!] 
2
Summonings (5-13; a Peter Gross, Peter Snejbjerg, Gary Amaro, Dick Giordano).
[From DC Comics: Timothy Hunter, age 15, may become one of the most
powerful magicians of all time. But that's only one of his problems. In
the five tales collected here, Tim must contend with: A heartless sorcerere
and the alluring teen succubus he keeps in a box. Tea in Hell with a rogue
angel and his junkfood-demon nemesis. The Industrial Revolution and murderous
Victorian cyborg. A whirlwind family reunion with an insanely jealous Faerie
Queen. And perhaps the greatest terror of all—a first date.]
3
Reckonings (14-20; a Peter Snejbjerg, Peter Gross, John Ridgway).
[From DC Comics: Timothy Hunter was your average teenager until he
learned that he is destined to become the greatest magician in the world.
Forced to juggle the trials of adolescence with the unpredictable forces
of magic, Tim must also contend with those who seek to destroy him.]
4
Transformations (21-25; a Peter Gross). [From DC
Comics: Happy birthday? Turning fourteen is hard enough, but for Timothy
Hunter—the boy who may one day become the world's most powerful magician—it's
only the beginning. While his father plans an ill-fated party, Tim faces
an age-old enchantress with plans for him; deals with an old friend who's
been transformed into a tiny statue; and engineers his own bizarre transformation—into
a cat. Meanwhile, his sometime girlfriend Molly has a close encounter of
the Faerie kind, and Death of the Endless drops by for a moving story about
fear and letting go.] 
5
Girl in the Box (26-32; a Peter Gross, Peter Snejbjerg).
[From DC Comics: Road trip! Timothy Hunter was just an average teenager—until
he learned of his destiny to become the most powerful magician of this age.
Now, ordinary adolescent pressures and the added burden of his magical potential
have become more than Tim can handle. His solution? Leave his family, friends
and London home for a new life in the United States. But new challenges
await the young mage - including a lost mermaid, a pair of oddly modernized
old gods, and an enticing young succubus named Leah.] 
6
The Burning Girl (33-41; a Peter Snejbjerg, Peter Gross).
[From DC Comics: Someday, Timothy Hunter is destined to become the
world's greatest mage. But right now, he's a teenager with a whole mess
of problems. Trapped on a small island off the coast of the mystical land
of Faerie, he bides his time trying to figure out a means of escape. Meanwhile,
his ex-girlfriend Molly remains trapped in Faerie, cursed by Queen Titania
to seethe with the fires of hate. But the queen has failed to recognize
the power of the curse, and Molly's hatred now threatens to turn all of
Faerie into a raging holocaust.] 
7
Death after Death (42-50; a Jill Thompson, Temujin, Richard Case).
[From DC Comics: Timothy Hunter is different from other fourteen-year-old
boys - when he grows up, he's going to be the world's greatest magician.
Growing up is hard enough by itself, but Tim must deal with it at the same
time as he struggles to understand his growing power and the forces that
want to control it. After leaving his family in England behind and travelling
across America, Tim has learned some hard lessons about trust and maturity.
Now, with his girlfriend Molly no longer speaking to him, he must return
to his life and try to clean up the mess that has gathered in his absence.
But things back home are not as he left them, and the storm that is brewing
threatens not only Tim's world, but all of Creation itself.] The Names of Magic
The
Names of Magic (1-5; w Dylan Horrocks; a Richard Case).
[From DC Comics: Who is Tim Hunter? No one knows better the importance
of names than fourteen-year-old Tim, especially when it comes to magic.
But names and identity are elusive, tricky things, and none more so than
his own. Now, after facing down demons, angels, and his own worst nightmares,
Tim Hunter—destined to be the world's most powerful magician—must
finally find out who he really is. And he must find out before enemies old
and new either turn him to their cause—or destroy him. The Names of
Magic continues the saga of the acclaimed The Books of Magic series, reprinting
the 5-issue miniseries written by Dylan Horrocks and illustrated by Richard
Case.] Books of Magick: Life During Wartime
Book
1 (1-5; w Si Spencer with Neil Gaiman; a Dean Ormston).
[From DC Comics: The siege of the Faerie Queene has gone on for more
than fifteen months, and the last stronghold of humanity is near total collapse.
Their one last hope is that the Hunter - the very embodiment of magic itself
- will come to save them. But hope is not enough for their battle-fatigued
leader, John Constantine. Only reassembling the lost Books of Magick can
guarantee the Hunter's return, and Constantine is prepared to sacrifice
anything to make that happen - just as the Queene of Faerie will stop at
nothing to prevent it. But Constantine has the edge: Only he knows the Hunter's
whereabouts and true nature - the blissfully unaware post-graduate Timothy
Hunter, safe in another world where magic cannot reach... for now.]
Book of the Week 2/2/05: This is a series in the general vein of the Sandman-Hellblazer-Lucifer
type of magic/fantasy-based book that has been the mainstay of Vertigo since
its inception, and forms a quasi-sequel to the various Books of Magic
series about a young sorcerer-in-training named Timothy Hunter. Here, Tim
(along with his girlfriend Molly) is all grown up. But is he the same Tim
Hunter? He lives in an alternate universe, one with no magic, no war, no
dreams, and no religion. He doesn't know who he really is. And in yet another
alternate universe, a John Constantine and a Zatanna are involved in a terrible
magical war that has almost wiped out mankind, a war in which Hunter is
destined to play a pivotal role. Books of Magick is not good as a
casual read; it requires more attention than usual to piece together the
storyline, or even the basic situation. And being divided into monthly installments
makes it even more difficult to follow; I found that rereading it in one
sitting for this review made things a lot more clear than they had been
as a monthly, when I forgot seemingly minor details from issue to issue
that provide important clues to the big picture. And this makes Books
of Magick an ideal trade paperback, especially since DC has continued
their tradition of offering first volumes at a cheap price ($9.95).The Books of Faerie
The
Books of Faerie (Books of Faerie 1-3; Arcana Annual 1; w Bronwyn Carlton,
John Ney Rieber; a Peter Gross). [From DC Comics:
In the finest fantasy tradition, this companion volume to Vertigo's ongoing
Books of Magic series collects for the first time the acclaimed Books of
Faerie miniseries, featuring the story of Titania, Queen of Faerie. Also
included is the much sought-after Arcana Annual, featuring an early tale
of young mage Timothy Hunter and his journeys in the magical realms.]
Auberon's
Tale (Books of Faerie: Auberon's Tale 1-3; Books of Magic 57-58, Annual
1; w Bronwyn Carlton, John Ney Rieber; a Peter Gross, Mark Buckingham, Ryan
Kelly, Hermann Mejia). [From DC Comics: The king
is dead! A bizarre accident throws the land of Faerie into chaos. As the
court of the fallen King Magnus buckles under the weight of Machiavellian
intrigue, a young boy stakes his claim to the throne. But will he survive
to rule the realm?] 