BOOKS OF MAGICK: LIFE DURING WARTIME #1 REVIEW

[Zeb Aslam]

<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0704/BooksOfMagickLDWCVR1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/0704/BooksOfMagickLDWCVR1t.jpg"align=left alt="BOOKS OF MAGIC: LIFE DURING WARTIME #1"></a>Reviewer: Zeb Aslam, shrinkingleviathan@hotmail.com
Quick Rating: Good
Story Title: Have You Seen The Stars Tonight?

There is no such thing as magic...

Written By: Si Spencer and Neil Gaiman
Pencilled By: Dean Ormston
Inked By: Dean Ormston
Colors By: Fiona Stephenson
Letters By: Todd Klein
Publisher: Vertigo Comics

I loved The Books Of Magic when it first came out. Growing up, I always thought there was a huge dearth of fantasy, and magic-related comics available in the market, and this book seemed like just the thing to help me in getting my magic 'fix;' It never disappointed. Tim Hunter, Molly, and all the rest kept me wanting more and more, and month after month I would strive to find this comic and somehow get my parents to buy it for me (I was only 10 when this first came out...and with Vertigo being what it is, getting it was no easy feat.) Somehow though, I managed. I managed to amass a whole collection and although I lost touch of Mr. Hunter when I stopped reading comics for a while, he was one of the first I sought out again when I returned to the fold.

While this book is great for people who actually know Tim Hunter, I'm afraid that there is a problem with it in regards to the overall outlook; namely the fact that we're thrust directly into the story with no preamble and no introduction whatsoever. I can understand the writer's need to approach this from inside-out, but if I were picking this up as my first Tim Hunter offering, I would be confused out of my skull, and would probably seriously consider dropping the book with this issue. Accessibility is a major factor in this book's success and I hope that Spencer manages to clarify Tim's origins within the first storyline, because otherwise he'll have a hard time holding onto new readers.

This issue was something of a teaser truth told. We get bits and pieces of information throughout the issue. The whereabouts of Tim...the lack of his involvement in the War, the fate of the various magical beings and users of magic in this new, war-ravaged world; but we don't get any information about how the world arrived at this crossroads, nor do we have any insights into which member of the cast is on which side of the war, or for that matter what sides exist in the war. Again, the concept is sound, but the execution isn't as good as it could've been.

This doesn't mean the issue was a bad read, or that I would not recommend it, it was a great read, and while I do have these quibbles with how the book was handled, the overall story is interesting, and broad enough to make me want to come back for more. The whole 'world without magic' was a nice sight to behold, and a good story plot; I was immediately intrigued by the continous mention of the time-frame involved, and the whole idea of laughably approaching magic. It was also a bit disturbing to see how far the various magical factions are willing to go to get their hands on Tim, and how much they seem to be dependent on his power to turn the tide in favor of one side over the other.

Seeing old favorites in a whole new light...one that's been skewed by months at war was also a bit disturbing and at the same time, remarkably refreshing. Zatanna is better than I've ever seen her before, employing her magic and her body to achieve a truly deadly combination. Constantine also seems to have been rattled by the events in the book and seeing a rattled Constantine seems to say more about the events in this book than anything else. The end, with the 'eyes' was especially interesting as it seems the floodgates have been opened, and where we go from here is anybody's guess.

The artwork on the issue was suitably subdued, dark, grim and at times, gritty to reflect the horrors of a war-torn planet. Ormston has managed to express the horror of war in the eyes of both Constantine and Zatanna, and it has made both characters far more real for me. To see the mystics so horribly fazed, you know that whatever is going on is worse than worse...it's the big one; the one that invariably kills all. The coloring was also well-suited to the artwork, although I thought that the scenes with Tim and Molly could've been brighter as they seem to express a brighter, more innocent side of Hunter's and seeing it reflected in the colors would've been quite appropriate.

The various incarnations of Books Of Magic have dealt with souls, heaven, hell, and even chocolate angels and alternate realities, but throughout these outlandish stories, Tim's character has evolved, he's one of the few characters in comics today who can actually be said to have 'grown' right in front of the reader's eyes. Yet, even with this growth, it appears that like us, Tim can never really stop growing. This book seems to be headed in the right direction as regards to the evolution of Tim into a stronger more will-full and more importantly, more real character than he has ever been before. It remains to be seen if the book will deliver on all its promises, but from this issue alone, I would say that there is a fairly good chance of that. Highly recommended for all lovers of Tim Hunter, Lucifer, and even, to a lesser extent, Harry Potter.

ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vhalf.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vnone.jpg

STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vnone.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vnone.jpg

ISSUE OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vhalf.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/vnone.jpg

Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics and save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopexd.asp?id=11933)

[Carnage-DVS]

Good review. Would have given it slightly higher.

Question. Is the Molly Tim is dating right now, the old Molly from the original series? I always liked her, and hated it when they split up.

[Matt Lazorwitz]

Very good review. This is my first Tim Hunter since the original mini, but with Neil Gaiman's more active role, I thought I'd give it a shot, and I dug it. Makes me want to get teh tardes of the last couple series actually. I likde seeing Zatanna and John, and this very diffeent Tim is interesting. I also was a big fan of Dean Ormston's work on Lucifer, so seeing him get his own monthly book to draw is a real treat on the eyes.

[raul grau]

I really really wanted to like this book. I've been a fan of Tim Hunter ever since there's been a Tim Hunter. The original mini was amazing, and the Reiber series was even more impressive, giving real life to an already interesting character. When Reiber left the book, I did as well, so I was really looking forward to the return of Gaiman on Tim. Then I read this issue...

I don't mind the radically different supporting cast. I can even accept the new Tim in a new world. What bothers me is that there really doesn't seem to be much of interest going on... oh, there is a lot going on, but not much of it is interesting.

Good review, Zeb, and I agree with a lot of your points. So much so, that I probably will not be getting the next issue.

- Raul

[GilSpiderig]

Like everyone else here, I was a fan of Tim Hunter since the beginning, but sadly enough this issue just confused me. Also the art wasn't what I was expecting....O.K. to be incredibly honest it was hideous. I'm sorry Dean Ormston, I have never seen your work before but....There were moments when I just stared at a panel and said to myself....I can draw better than this. I miss the artist from Hunter: The Age of Magic, he was great. I forget his name, but he had something. O.K. back to the story, Can someone just explain a little bit what happened, because this issue just flew right over my head...Does Tim NOT remember anything about magic or is he just faking or what?

[raul grau]

Gil, I think Tim was placed on an alternate Earth, where magic never existed, and he has no memory of his past life. It seems he has been hidden there, to keep him safe from the crazy big war taking place on the real Earth. Of course, I may be completely wrong. :)

- Raul

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

and i think Dean Ormston is an awesome if unconventional artist. i've only seen the preview stuff for this book, but it looks great and i've typically loved his fill ins on Lucifer.

[ursabearX]

I have to admit I was very confused while reading this first issue seeing is how I only read the original Books of Magic mini. I do have to say though that I loved every bit of it, Zantanna was awesome, the art I thought was great, not every artist has to be a Jim Lee clone to want to make me pick up a title. I very much look forward to adding this title to my pull list. Oh yeah great rev. Zeb

[Al Harahap]

One thing I thought Vertigo would never do is use a Gaiman quote to sell a book by slapping it on its #1 cover. I absolutely cringed seeing that.

Otherwise, I'm excited to see where this is going. Especially loving Zatanna's involvement, as she's such a versatile supporting character who can do both superhero maisntream DCU and freaky mystical Vertigo, and fit in either perfectly.

[James Groves]

Well ive never read Books of Magik stuff before but on 1st reading i loved it. At times i had no idea what it was on about, but it kept me locked and within the story, so i could find out more. It was strangely compelling.

Loved the artwork. Very good read. My one major gripe though is accesibilty. Like i say as a newcomer to Tims "adventures" i found it hard to get into it fully. So not the best for a new reader.

Plus is John Constantine the Wolverine of Vertigo comics?:p

[Carnage-DVS]

He's a much more complex, badass, better version of Wolverine per say.

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

Originally posted by James Groves


Plus is John Constantine the Wolverine of Vertigo comics?:p

um...well...yeah, pretty much. Except John's still allowed to smoke. ;)

[Carnage-DVS]

So..is this molly the original molly or a new molly?

[Zeb Aslam]

Originally posted by Carnage-DVS
So..is this molly the original molly or a new molly?

We don't know yet. It'll be revealed eventually I hope...but for now think of her what you will :)

[Al Harahap]

Originally posted by James Groves
Plus is John Constantine the Wolverine of Vertigo comics?:p

Originally posted by Carnage-DVS
He's a much more complex, badass, better version of Wolverine per say.

I think you skipped a step there. Fables' Bigby Wolf is a much more complex, badass, better version of Wolverine. John Constantine is a much more complex, badass, better version of Bigby Wolf. So, basically, John owns Logan twice over. :D

[Carnage-DVS]

Haha, on second thought you're right. Wolverine - The most overated and overused character ever.

[Si Spencer]

Cheers mate, great review, well-balanced and well expressed. I'm glad you liked the book overall and totally take your point about the somewhat nebulous approach to filling the reader in. In my defence I can only say that it was a deliberate move to create an air of disorientation and hopefully put both new and old Tim readers off guard. Both Neil and I were keen to drop readers headfirst into our vicious little story and while in retrospect i may have underplayed the exposition, i hope we posed enough intriguing questions to whet your appetites for more. Don't worry things do become clearer, i promise.:)

Big word up to Dean and Fiona for and to Frank of course for his covers and Todd's amazing letterin as well as huge hugs to Shelly and Neil for sterling support. This is my first big comic book (hopefully not my last) so thanks to all for your kind words and constructive criticism.

[Zeb Aslam]

Thanks so much for dropping by Mr. Spencer. I'm going to hold you to your promise about things becoming clearer because I'm in this for the long haul...I love Tim, and regardless I will stick with this book.

Also, thanks for mentioning Frank Quitely...in my haste to review the actual comic I tend to skip over the cover, and a beautiful cover like this one should be praised over.

Finally, thanks for the kind words about the review. I hope you'll continue to read future ones and drop by and offer any comments which you deem appropriate.

[Vector]

I picked this up on a whim and I have no clue what's going on. :bow: