Are the Books of Magic worth it?

[desolation/oblivion]

So far I have only read the one Neil Gaiman authored. And I have constantly wondered if it is really worth my money to resume reading the continuity.

[Forsaken_One]

I enjoyed the Books of Magic, but I'm not sure they're all out in trade, so you might have to do some backbin hunting in order to get the whole series.

[desolation/oblivion]

Is it over?

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

I quite enjoyed the original John Ney Reiber Books Of Magic.
That said it is character before story stuff, so it's not to everyone's taste.
There's also the problem that the bridging one-shot between the mini and the ongoing isn't in the first trade - so there's a bit of a "missed the first reel" type disorentation.
That issue is in the rather lacking Books Of Faerie trade.
(problem is if you get that first it spoils a story in the first two BoM ongoing trades)
Still easy enough to pick up though.

The run that he wrote is all in trade (60 or 70 issues).

Then the artist Peter Gross took over - only read a few of his issues.
Not sure if these are in trade.

Then there was the second series, of which only the initial mini is in trade (Names Of Magic I think it was called. Never read it, cause they never collected beyond the mini).

Then there is the current BoM series of which I know nothing.

[dancj]

I started reading the first tpb of the new series this morning.

This probably won't mean anything to Americans, but in the intro Si Spencer say's he's written Eastenders and on the 4th page someone says "They're going to go spare..."

This made me laugh because I've never heard anyone use that expression outside of Eastenders - despite the fact that I grew up in London.

Dan

[JTLauder]

Is it over?Forsaken is referring to the first regular series, which ended on issue 75 but only the first 50 are collected in trades.

Are you asking about the current series which is actually called "Books of Magick: Life During Wartime"? That's still ongoing. This series isn't actually written by Neil Gaiman. He does appear in the credits as a consultant, but I think he just pitched the story idea and Si Spencer wrote the whole thing.

If you're really interested in continuity, there was a second regular run series after the first Books of Magic and before the current Books of Magick, Hunter: Age of Magic. And sometime during then, there was a mini called Names of Magic.

I really enjoyed the first Books of Magic mini and the first series. I don't care for the older Tim in the current series. And I had stopped reading comics by the time of the second series, so I don't know what that was like, but I hear the Names of Magic was good.

[Master Darque]

I liked the prestige format Gaiman mini . My first intro to Constantine . I loved " Great . The charge of the Trenchcoat Brigade " . And I'm a Phantom Stranger fan .....

[UniqueFrequency]

i liked the first volume, but didn't really enjoy the series after. but the recent ones by dylan horrocks was rather enjoyable for me

[Forsaken_One]

I rather enjoyed Hunter: Age of Magic myself. I was sad when it went away so quickly.

[UniqueFrequency]

I rather enjoyed Hunter: Age of Magic myself. I was sad when it went away so quickly.

yeah me too. my first introduction to tim, and i really enjoyed it. it was because of this series that i went to pick up the old stuff

[dancj]

Is Hunter: The Age of Magic better than The Names of Magic, because I thought that was pretty poor?

On the other hand I quite enjoyed the first TPB of Books of Magick: Life During Wartime. I'll be around for more of that

[FanboyStranger]

Is Hunter: The Age of Magic better than The Names of Magic, because I thought that was pretty poor?

On the other hand I quite enjoyed the first TPB of Books of Magick: Life During Wartime. I'll be around for more of that

Hunter: Age of Magic was a great deal better than Names of Magic, which I felt was mediocre at best. Hunter was a quality book, and I actually like it better than the current series, which I think will fade when the true nature of the conflict and Tim's role in it is revealed. Personally, I think it's all the result of a nervous breakdown.

[dancj]

I might have to keep an eye open for that then. I'm still hoping they collect Peter Gross's run in TPBs - Maybe then they'll start on Hunter

[FanboyStranger]

I might have to keep an eye open for that then. I'm still hoping they collect Peter Gross's run in TPBs - Maybe then they'll start on Hunter

I'm really hoping they collect Gross' run, too. I greatly preferred it to John Ney Rieber's writing, particularly the first few issues where Tim attends Bardsey. It slipped for me a bit when Tim went world-hopping, but it was still quality stuff. (Granted, I find anything Gross draws to be quality stuff.)

Cyril is such an annoying bastard. He's what the last too Hunter series ave lacked.

[FunkyGreenJerusalem]

This series isn't actually written by Neil Gaiman. He does appear in the credits as a consultant, but I think he just pitched the story idea and Si Spencer wrote the whole thing.


Neil was listed as a consultant on the first ongoing, and in the intro to the second trade John Ney Reiber talks about consulting with Neil, so maybe he does do stuff for the series.

(probably just answers questions and goes over or approves scripts).

[dancj]

According to the intro in the first TPB, it looks like Si Spencer and Neil Gaiman made up the plot between them. The war was Neil's idea. With the basic plot set up, Si Spencer is handling all of the details

[Devan]

I bought the first BoM-Tpb on a whim, and thought it was ok. Neil Gaiman's story contained some great ideas and humour, but I thought it didn't focus enough on Tim Hunter. In retrospect, it definitely lacks the profound fantasy I so enjoyed during Mr Gross's run. While searching a box with reduced Tpbs in my local comic store I came upon Tpb 4 of BoM vol.2 (Transformations). Being curious of Tim Hunter's further exploits, and having ascertained that the art was to my liking, I bought it. The single issue story 'Used to be' really stood out for me, and still does. It features not only Tim Hunter, but Death, one of my favourite Gaiman-creations, and is set in Brighton, England, a place I frequently visited with my grandparents. I found the other stories to be merely enjoyable, though.
I later came across the issues written by Gross, and was at first shocked by the amount of suffering Tim went through during the 'The Other' storyline - his estrangement from Molly, his (step)father's brutal death at the hands of Thomas, the loss of his magic and his being forced into exile. I then proceeded to read 'A Day, a Night and a Dream' (#66, 67), which has remained my favourite work of fiction to this day. I wonder if I'm the only one for whom this is the case...
Now I hear that Mr Gross continued his run beyond #67, which surprises me as ...a Dream seemed like the most perfect ending possible. Can anyone give me a summary of what happened in the following issues? And what became of Molly?