The Books of Magic is an American comic book created by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. It was originally published as a four-issue limited series, written by Gaiman and illustrated by John Bolton, Scott Hampton, Charles Vess, and Paul Johnson, from December 1990 to March 1991. The limited series was followed by a number of ongoing series and spin-off limited series.
Publication history
editOriginal limited series
editVertigo series
editThere's a lot of them
- Books of Magic
- Names of Magic
- Hunter: The Age of Magic
- Books of Faerie
- Hellblazer crossover
- Life During Wartime
Sandman Universe series
editSynopsis
editVolume one (1990–1991)
editThe Trenchcoat Brigade—a group of mystics consisting of the mysterious Phantom Stranger, cynical chain-smoker John Constantine, paranormal investigator Doctor Occult, and the blind, crazed vigilante Mister E—discuss Timothy Hunter, a boy who has the potential to become the world's greatest magician. Tim's allegiance to good or evil is undecided. Constantine favors leaving Tim alone, while E argues for killing him. The Stranger and Occult overrule them, stating it is their duty to resolve the uncertainty around Tim's fate. The Brigade accosts Tim and offers him a magical education. Tim is skeptical but agrees after Occult turns his yo-yo into a pet owl. The Stanger takes Tim and shows him the history of the DC Universe. They witness Creation, the War in Heaven, and the fall of Atlantis, and meet an Atlantean sorcerer who warns Tim away from magic, Jason Blood before he is bonded to Etrigan the Demon, and two modern magicians—Zatara and Sargon the Sorcerer—who adapted to a science-based world.
Tim's next teacher, Constantine, takes him to America to show him the present world of magic. Constantine introduces Tim to Madame Xanadu, Jim Corrigan, Doctor Fate, and Baron Winters. Meanwhile, the Cult of the Cold Flame, a rival sect of mystics, learns of Tim and places a bounty on him. Corrigan transforms into the Spectre to protect Tim from an assassin, while Boston Brand follows Tim across the country to warn him of the coming danger. When the Brigade solicits Constantine's assistance in assaulting the cult's headquarters in Calcutta, Constantine leaves Tim in the care of Zatara's daughter Zatanna. On Halloween, Zatanna takes Tim to Bewitched, a club populated by villainous black magic users. Zatanna breaks a cardinal rule of magic—not to reveal one's true name to possible enemies—when she introduces Tim to the club owner, Tannarak. The revelers attack Tim and Zatanna and are stopped only by the reappearance of Constantine.
Occult takes Tim to the realm of Faerie, which serves as a hub connecting the Mundane World to planes of existence such as Gemworld, Hell, and the Dreaming. Occult occasionally transforms into a female alter ego, Rose Psychic, as he guides Tim through Faerie. While there, Queen Titania lays a number of snares to try to trap Tim with her, such as a goblin who tries to swindle Tim and the child-eating Baba Yaga. When they meet Titania, she gifts Tim a key allowing him to glimpse the other planes of existence but, by Faerie law, also indebts him to her. Titania attempts to use this to force Tim to stay in Faerie with her, but Tim manages to provide a Mundane Egg, allowing him to leave.
The final member of the Brigade, E, takes Tim to the future to understand what will become of magic. E explains that magic's future contains periods of stability and instability. He shows Tim a battle between good and evil that will take place in 15 years; while the battle is inevitable, its participants are uncertain. In the timeline E and Tim witness, Tim embraces evil and leads the villains of the DC Universe, including Abra Kadabra, Eclipso, Etrigan, and Klarion the Witch Boy. While E emphasizes that this is only a possible timeline—others feature Tim embracing good or staying neutral—Tim is horrified by the sight of him killing his new friends, including Constantine and Zatanna. E takes Tim further into the future, showing him the time of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century, when magic and civilization merge in the 64th century, and when humanity devolves into spider-like creatures millions of years later. At the end of time, E attempts to murder Tim, but Death and Destiny intervene. Death sends Tim immediately back to the present while forcing E to slowly travel backward through time.
When Tim returns, he decides not to pursue magic, finding the cost too high, and goes home. While Constantine is disappointed, the Stranger reveals that Tim had accepted magic as his destiny from the moment he had accepted the Brigade's offer; everything he learned has made it impossible for him to turn away.