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[personal profile] espanolbot posting in [community profile] scans_daily
12 out of 55

Recently discovered the deluxe hardcover of the original Books of Magic series, and being only vaguely familiar with the series that followed it, I've decided to share some of it.

One of the things that I love about this series that I think that reboot lacks? A sense of history.

That is particularly evident in the first book in the series, in which Tim Hunter (whose future occupation, appearance and familiar being almost identical to a certain cashcow that followed some decade later is purely coincidental) is approached by a series of odd men in trenchcoats while skateboarding around a seemingly abandoned council estate...











The Phantom Stranger takes Tim on a trip of the origins of both the universe and of magic, and Tim witnesses both the creation of the universe and meets the last true Atlantean. Being shown several million years of history all at once proves to be a bit too much for the 12 year old though, so PS takes him to meet someone Tom can talk to despite their being partially removed from time whilst on this trip.







They travel forward in time a bit further, coming closer to the present day, where they meet three of the early 20th century magical practitioners (the daughter of second having an appearance in book two). While doing so, he explains the difference between science and magic.









That's Sargon, I don't know much about him other that he died in the same way as Zatara, incinerated in Swamp Thing in an attempt to save the world. Zatara has had more post-mortem appearances though, in Star Man for example. And, wow, Jonathan Ross had Zatanna AND Knight Squire on his show? Aw man, it sounds much more awesome in the old DCU. :(

With the past and origins of magic laid out by the Stranger, the next book has John Constantine taking Tim to the US to meet the contemporary magic users of the DCU...

Date: 2013-02-18 11:26 pm (UTC)
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From: [personal profile] the_blue_padre
Greatest premise for a series: The central character is going to be very powerful someday, so before that power is made manifest, the guardians of that power decide to educate the young neophyte in what this power can do, and what it wil cost. This particular series is a fantastic travelogue of the old DCU, and its the second thing I read that Gaiman wrote, but the first that made me undertand what a gift he was to DC at the time.

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