Books of Magic No. 3: Timothy Hunter gets a familiar

Books of Magic fills out its hero’s repertoire with a companion.

The recently rekindled Sandman universe has four titles: The Dreaming, House of Whispers, Lucifer, and Books of Magic. All are set in the confines of the preexisting canon that is The Sandman, each dealing with some aspect of that rambling story. Written by Kat Howard, drawn by Tom Fowler, colored by Jordan Boyd, and lettered by Todd Klein, Books of Magic deals with Timothy Hunter, prophesied to be the greatest magician of all time, and his gathering of magical knowledge to become said magician. Unfortunately, it is not an easy path, and in this issue we learn of some of the troubles plaguing Tim as he proceeds down the trail.

Vertigo Comics

Books of Magic can make a man weep

Last issue, Tim killed a whole bunch of evil wizards in an alley, and ever since then he’s been having trouble sleeping. Having the deaths of dozens of people on your conscience would definitely be a distraction, and Tim counts sheep, magical sheep, to stay awake to avoid dreaming, and the terrible memories those dreams bring. He is getting better at performing feats from the Books of Magic, though, as evidenced by his causing a tree to bloom in the dead of winter. He passes Mad Hettie in the park and gives her a toy, in recompense for the yo-yo she gave him in the first issue. She acts all nice, but as he’s leaving she seems a little put off by it. Seems like it will factor back into the story-line, somehow. Tim sees his friend Ellie crying, and learns that their teacher, Mr. Brisby, has been found dead. (Dr. Rose killed him.) There will be a memorial at school, and Tim plans to attend.

Vertigo Comics

Stress from the Books of Magic runs deep

In Dr. Rose’s office, Tim confesses that he’s sleeping badly, and that the deaths of the wizards haunt him. After a brief explosion of anger, Tim apologizes and tells Dr. Rose that he’s concerned that the prophecy from the Books of Magic might mean he will be an evil wizard, which he doesn’t want to be.

Worried about finding his missing mother, Tim Hunter is distracted, and Dr. Rose advises him to focus and imagine a guardian who protects his mind as he sleeps, which will stop the nightmares from coming, implying that perhaps they are magical in nature. She sends him home, but he stays and attends the memorial for Dr. Brisby. On the way out he is mocked for crying by Tyler, a bully, but avoids confrontation. That night, he focuses on a guardian, and sure enough, a big ol’ barn owl materializes in his room. How Harry Potter. Over in her magical lair, Dr. Rose prepares to do some necromancy with the skull of Dr. Brisby, and there the issue ends.

This issue was a bit of a slow burn, giving us a familiar for Timothy and some more scenes with Mad Hettie. Not a lot of action, but important in that it sets the stage for inevitable confrontation between Timothy and Tyler. Dr. Rose is up to some weird stuff as well, and maybe that will pan out to be some gnarly magic rituals or something. Let us know what you thought in the comments section below.