Tim Hunter is returning to print as Neil Gaiman‘s ‘The Books of Magic‘ are coming to DC Vertigo thanks to the expanding Sandman Universe! The character is slated to come back this week in Kat Howard’s new series and might throw Harry Potter fans for a loop who aren’t familiar with him. Debuting four years before the appearance of Potter, this young English wizard wears glasses, has a huge magical destiny, and has a best friend that is an owl. That is just about where the comparison can stop, though, as the focus is more of a “search for identity, belonging and, of course, understanding about the magical abilities he has.”

The new series is being illustrated by Tom Fowler and puts Hunter back in high school and very out of touch with the world of magic which is all around him.

As to how Howard is tackling the new series:

“One of the pieces of the “what else” that I’m having fun with is researching books as physical objects. I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about things like medieval illuminated manuscripts, and chained libraries, and all sorts of cool and strange book facts. I’ve also been reading a lot on the history of magic (stage magic, sleight of hand, that sort of thing). And yes, obviously, things like comics and storytelling of all sorts are present there — in a way, my whole history of reading is a foundation for anything I write — but those are a couple of pieces where I’m making specific effort to find things for this story.”

Tim Hunter had grown older in previous comics, and we’re getting him rather young here:

“I think it allows us to focus on different aspects of Tim’s life. By beginning early in his involvement with magic, we can see the way that gift affected him, and we can also see the consequences of the responsibility that came with his ability. For me, one of the most interesting parts of Tim’s character is that there are two possible ways the prophecy can go, for good or for ill. And so seeing from the beginning his reaction to that, and the choices he makes, I think it gives us something really powerful to build on as we continue to tell his story.”

We’ve also got a multi-page preview of the upcoming book worth checking out below!

Are you looking forward to ‘The Books of Magic’? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter