Books of Magick: Life During Wartime

Last updated
Books of Magick: Life During Wartime
Books magickissue2.png
Cover of Books of Magick: Life During Wartime #2, art by Frank Quitely. Pictured left to right Molly, Tim Hunter, Cat and Dog.
Publication information
Publisher Vertigo
ScheduleMonthly
Format Ongoing series
Publication date 2004-2005
No. of issues15
Creative team
Created by Neil Gaiman
Si Spencer
Written by Si Spencer
Artist(s) Dean Ormston
Steve Yeowell
Duncan Fegredo
Letterer(s) Todd Klein
Collected editions
Book 1 ISBN   1-4012-0488-0

Books of Magick: Life During Wartime is a fantasy comic book series published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint in 2004 and 2005 that was discontinued after fifteen issues. [1]

Contents

All of the issues are written by Si Spencer, with some script consultation done by Neil Gaiman. The artwork is done solo by Dean Ormston throughout most of the series' run. Steve Yeowell is co-credited as an artist in issues eleven and twelve and Duncan Fegredo fully replaces Ormston for issues six and ten.

The series depicts the events that take place on two fictional worlds, both of which are connected through an alternate version of the character Timothy Hunter.

When Timothy Hunter first appeared he was a young boy who had the potential to be the world's most powerful magic user. He starred in his own series titled The Books of Magic . Over the course of the character's history he changed and aged.

The idea behind Books of Magick: Life During Wartime was to present a more mature version of The Books of Magic without the character's past continuity attached. During the planning stage a problem appeared. A series of books based on the comics and also titled The Books of Magic had been released and marketed in this form to children. Books of Magick: Life During Wartime depicts nudity and sex, as well as a higher degree of violence than The Books of Magic. Although tastefully depicted these things make it a series inappropriate for children and there were fears that the new series and the books could be confused in some sectors. The decision to change 'Magic' to 'Magick' and to add the words 'Life During Wartime' was made and the series went forward. [2]

Setting

The true Earth of this series is a world upon which humans (known as the Bred) live side-by-side with members of the races of Faerie (known as the Born). It is a world torn by war. On one side is the ruling elite made exclusively of Born. On the other is the Coalition made up of both Born and Bred. The majority on both sides are members of the same religion. They worship Tim Hunter as a god under the name The Hunter.

The second Earth is known as Hunter's World and was created by Hunter as a means of protection and escape. The things he was running from were magic, war, and religion. As a result, when he created Hunter's World none of those things existed there.

Publication history

The first five issues detail the current status quo in the final days of the war. The Born make their final attack and the war ends in issues seven to nine. Issues eleven to fifteen show the aftermath of these events with eleven and twelve dealing with the true Earth and thirteen, fourteen and fifteen showing the fate of Hunter's World and the main cast of characters. These three sections are separated by two one issue stories that show events from the perspective of two supporting characters. Issue six shows Dog's perspective while issue ten deals with Cat's.

Characters

Plot synopsis

The Beginning of the End

The series starts fifteen months into the war between the Born and the Coalition.

On the real world John Constantine finds himself in charge of the besieged city of Kraków. The forces inside are surrounded by the soldiers of the Born under the command of a monstrous Faerie known as The Cherish, and the food stores ran out seven months previously. In Jerusalem Zatanna searches for a way to obtain the three keys that will give her access to the Books of Magick. Her hope is that the books will allow Tim Hunter to regain all of his memories when he comes back from his exile.

Things get worse for the Coalition when an apparition of the Hunter appears worldwide. Seeing this the Coalition launches its naval fleet from Reykjavík to attack England (known as Albion on this world) despite the misgiving of Lord Midian. This turns out to be a disastrous move when the fleet is destroyed by giant wood golems guarding the landing beaches. In Kraków things get much worse when the forces surrounding the city begin launching deadly cluster spells. On top of all of this Zatanna is captured in Jerusalem and tortured. The pain of this last event is lessened when Zatanna escapes taking the three keys to the Books of Magick with her. The apparition also allows the Faerie Queen to discover Tim's location. She sends her agents, the Micturides to get him.

On Hunter's World, Tim meets his girlfriend Molly at the train station. Later they meet with their friends Cat and Dog who give Tim a book named The Books of Magick. After looking through it he collapses and sees a vision of the real world. While in the middle of this vision he inadvertently causes the apparition that appeared there.

This event causes Brewster to make his presence known. He introduces himself a few days later and enters Tim's circle of friends. Brewster begins to take actions that are designed to force Tim to use his powers and to remember magic again.

Strange things begin to happen around Tim at this point. These culminate when Cat gets hit in the head by a broken stone. Her eyes turn solid red and insects begin to exit her mouth. Tim drives to the oceanside and submerges her and himself in the water. The magic he uses in this location allows him to save her. While this is going on The Micturides arrive and are confronted by Brewster. [1]

The Return of the Hunter

On the true Earth things are dark for the Coalition. The Born begin their invasion of Iceland (known as Thule on this world and the last nation still under Coalition control).

On Hunter's World Tim has regained enough of his memories to know who he is and where he comes from. He creates a church and has a funeral for Brewster who he believes was killed by the Micturides. In attendance are the very confused Molly, Cat and Dog. A very much still living Brewster arrives and begins to argue with Tim over Tim's actions. The argument grows heated and Tim's church is cracked in half. In the chaos Molly, Cat and Dog disappear only to appear in the real world. Molly appears to John Constantine in Kraków. Dog appears in Zatanna's shower in Jerusalem while she is taking a shower. Finally, Cat appears in front of a captured Lord Midian in Thule and is taken prisoner alongside the other Coalition survivors.

The War Ends

The Cherish on the cover of issue #9, art by Frank Quitely. Cherish booksmagick ldw9.jpeg
The Cherish on the cover of issue #9, art by Frank Quitely.

Tim arrives back in the real world along with Brewster. While deciding what to do they encounter a group of Alfar, a Faerie race known for eating other sentients, Tim begins a relationship with one of their women named Birgit. After coming to a decision on what his actions should be Tim transports his allies to the prison in Thule where Cat and Midian are being held. They rescue Cat but Midian dies from wounds he received while being tortured.

While Tim is in Thule, The Cherish gives the order to begin the final assault on Kraków. Tim and his allies teleport in not long after that order is given. In the battle Birgit is killed and Tim challenges the Cherish to one on one combat. The head of the Cherish's conjoined twin is cut off by one of her own soldiers just as she is about to kill Tim. This soldier is a worshiper of the Hunter and did not wish to see his god killed. This small victory is not enough to save the day as the forces of the Born overwhelm the city's defenders and the war comes to a conclusion. [1]

Confronting the Queen

Tim, Molly, Constantine and Cat are taken as prisoners to Jerusalem where they are placed in chains at the head of a victory parade led by The Cherish. The spectacle winds its way through the streets on its way to the Queen's palace.

Seeing this Zatanna and Dog hatch a plan to steal the last of the Books of Magick. Slipping into the palace they quickly make their way to the room containing the last book. Just as they are about to take the book the soldiers assigned to guard the book discover their presence.

In the Queen's throne room, Tim and his allies are presented to the Queen. Tim casts an illusionary spell that distracts the Queen long enough to allow an escape. Constantine leads this small group through the palace halls to where Zatanna and Dog are fighting. Now joined together, Tim and his allies take the last of the books and fight their way to a place of temporary safety. There Tim assembles all four books and casts the spell that will give him all of his memories back.

The spell fails and the Faerie Queen appears in the doorway. John Constantine goes to her and they embrace. He reveals that he is her lover, that he has been working for the Born the entire time and that the two of them destroyed the true Books of Magick months previously. As The Queen prepares to kill Tim and end any threat to her reign, Tim joins hands with Molly, Cat and Dog and casts a spell. Tim's three friends from Hunter's World crumble before his eyes and disappear. The effect on the Faerie Queen is similar as she dies and takes on the appearance of a desiccated corpse.

Seeking to see the Queen's true appearance Zatanna turns the corpse over only to see a feminine version of Tim's face. Constantine reveals that she was an alternate version of Tim and both he and Zatanna reveal to Tim that Constantine's actions were a double cross. Constantine's plan was to trick the Queen into allowing a small group close enough that she could be killed.

The Final Fate of Hunter's World

Since Tim's return to the true world, the social situation on Hunter's World has deteriorated. Tim returns with Brewster and is shocked to find that the strange events that preceded his departure have caused a religion to form. In a reflection of the true world this religion worships Tim as a deity under the name The Hunter.

This world has its own version of John Constantine named Jackie Constantine, who works as a delivery girl. Her assignment is to take a small package to the church that Tim created. Since Tim's leavetaking it has become the center of the new religion and the home for its leaders, the Holy Six. Jackie's delivery goes wrong and she barely gets away with her life.

Jackie is fired and now jobless she rescues a young woman from Hunter worshippers who were about to burn her at the stake. The young woman's name is Charlotte and the two of them become lovers. Later Jackie encounters a woman running from some more Hunter worshippers and saves her as well. This woman turns out to be the woman that Tim created on Hunter's World to be his "mother". This rescue leads to an encounter with Molly, Dog and Cat who have recently reappeared back on Hunter's World. The three of them and Brewster have a mission for her.

Tim has decided to destroy Hunter's World and Jackie is sent to talk to him in hopes that she can talk him out of it. She fails at this and Hunter's World ceases to exist. The only survivors are Jackie, Charlotte, Tim's "Mother", Dog, Cat and Molly. Along with Brewster, Tim transports this group to another realm using two cabins from the Hunter's World version of the London Eye.

This new world is a place of lush green beauty free from predators. Tim tells Cat and Dog that they are not really brother and sister and that they will be this dimension's Adam and Eve.

Tim takes the rest of his group to the Realm of Faerie to drop off Brewster and to have a talk with Titania, the Queen of Faerie (not to be confused with the foe he defeated). Molly and Tim's "mother" wander, see what Faerie is like and decide to stay.

Jackie and Charlotte travel with Tim to the true Earth. There Tim uses his powers to set them up in a new life. [1]

Reception

Although most of the reviews were favorable, there was some criticism. Most of this centered around the thought that, despite the fact that the story had no connection to the history of Timothy Hunter, you still needed to know that history to fully understand many plot details. A review from TheForthRail.com complained that "the writers seem to assume that the reader will be familiar with Tim's history". [3]

Collected editions

There has been one trade paperback collection so far:

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Irvine, Alex (2008), "The Books of Magick: Life During Wartime", in Dougall, Alastair (ed.), The Vertigo Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, pp. 42–43, ISBN   978-0-7566-4122-1, OCLC   213309015
  2. ↑ Name change from Magic to Magick
  3. ↑ Question of accessibility Archived November 15, 2005, at the Wayback Machine

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vertigo Comics</span> Imprint of comic-book publisher DC Comics

Vertigo Comics, also known as DC Vertigo or simply Vertigo, was an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993. Vertigo's purpose was to publish comics with adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and graphic violence, that did not fit the restrictions of DC's main line, thus allowing more creative freedom. Its titles consisted of company-owned comics set in the DC Universe, such as The Sandman and Hellblazer, and creator-owned works, such as Preacher, Y: The Last Man and Fables. The Vertigo branding was retired in 2020, and most of its library transitioned to DC Black Label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Constantine</span> Comic book superhero

John Constantine is a fictional character who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Constantine first appeared in Swamp Thing #37, and was created by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben.

<i>The Books of Magic</i> English-language comic book mini-series

The Books of Magic is the title of a four-issue English-language comic book mini-series written by Neil Gaiman, published by DC Comics, and later an ongoing series under the imprint Vertigo. Since its original publication, the mini-series has also been published in a single-volume collection under the Vertigo imprint with an introduction by author Roger Zelazny. It tells the story of a young boy who has the potential to become the world's greatest magician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titania (DC Comics)</span> Comics character

Titania is a fictional character, a comic book faerie published by DC Comics. She first appeared in The Sandman #19, and was created by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess. She is inspired by and implied to be the same as Titania as the faerie queen in William Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zatanna</span> DC Comics superhero

Zatanna Zatara is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Gardner Fox and Murphy Anderson, and first appeared in Hawkman #4. Zatanna is a stage magician with actual mystic powers much like her father, Zatara, granting her magical powers notably controlled by invoking commands speaking incantations backwards. Her powers originate from her homo magi heritage, an off-shoot of humanity capable of naturally manipulating magic energies. She is known for her involvement with both the Justice League and Justice League Dark, having served as a leadership figure for both teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Thirteen</span> Comics character

Dr. Terrance Thirteen, known simply as Doctor Thirteen, Dr. 13 and The Ghost-Breaker, is a fictional character in comic books set in the DC Universe. The character's first published appearance is in Star Spangled Comics #122.

Meredith "Merry" Gentry is the protagonist of an eponymous fantasy series by US writer Laurell K. Hamilton, best known for her other fantasy series Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter. Since 2000, she has been alternating between the two series, publishing nine Merry Gentry novels as of 2014. The most recent book, "A Shiver of Light" was published June 3, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zatara</span> DC Comics character

Giovanni "John" Zatara is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He debuted as a superhero, starring in his own stories in Action Comics during the Golden Age of Comics. He first appeared in the first issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raven (DC Comics)</span> DC Comics character

Raven is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26, and was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez. A cambion daughter of a demon father (Trigon) and human mother (Arella), Raven is granted several powers from her supernatural heritage. A powerful empath, she is able to sense emotions and control her "soul-self," which can fight physically, as well as act as Raven's eyes and ears away from her physical body. More recently, she has been depicted as being adept with various types of magic and sorcery. She is a prominent member of the superhero team Teen Titans. The character also goes by the alias Rachel Roth as a false civilian name.

Sargon the Sorcerer is the name of several fictional characters, the first incarnation of the character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics during the Golden Age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doctor Occult</span> Fictional character

Doctor Occult is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Doctor Occult is an occult detective and private investigator and user of magic who specializes in cases involving the supernatural. Doctor Occult first appeared in 1935 around the Golden Age of Comic Books. He was published by National Comics Publications and Centaur Publications within anthology titles. He is the earliest recurring, originally featured fictional character created by DC Comics that is still currently used in the DC Universe. He is commonly affiliated with the All-Star Squadron and has appeared occasionally in paranormal-related stories by DC and Vertigo Comics titles. Doctor Occult has appeared in a few official tie-in comic books and has appeared in one DC based video game which is established as within DC's multiverse canon.

The Sheeda is a fictional race created in comics published by DC Comics. They first appear in Seven Soldiers #0, and were created by Grant Morrison and J.H. Williams III. Their first DC Universe appearance was in Morrison's introductory run on the JLA: Classified series in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Hunter</span> Comics character

Timothy Hunter is a fictional character, a comic book sorcerer published by DC Comics. He first appeared in The Books of Magic #1, and was created by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton.

Mister E is a fictional character, appearing in magazines published by American company DC Comics. Created by Bob Rozakis and Jack C. Harris, the character first appeared in Secrets of Haunted House #31 and was a recurring character for ten issues. He was then radically redesigned by Neil Gaiman for use in The Books of Magic, after which he appeared in his own mini-series and was a recurring character in Vertigo Comics titles owned by DC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Children's Crusade (comics)</span>

"The Children's Crusade" is the over-arching title of a seven-issue comic book crossover and limited series, and specifically the two bookends thereof. It was published in 1993 and 1994 by DC Comics as a part of the Vertigo imprint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molly O'Reilly</span> Comics character

Molly O'Reilly is a fictional character created for the Vertigo comic-book series The Books of Magic by writer John Ney Rieber and artist Peter Gross. Although she was written out of the main series, she was brought back by popular demand in a limited series called The Books of Faerie: Molly's Story. This series was never produced, and Molly returned as a regular character partway through the short-lived Hunter: The Age of Magic series.

<i>The Books of Faerie</i>

The Books of Faerie was a series of three mini-series spun off from Vertigo Comics' series The Books of Magic written by Bronwyn Carlton and John Ney Rieber. It featured characters used predominantly in the parent series – Titania, Auberon and Molly O'Reilly – to tell stories set in the realm of Faerie prior to the start of The Books of Magic, and later in the present era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faerie (DC Comics)</span>

Faerie, The Fair Lands or The Twilight Realm is one of two fictional otherdimensional homelands for the Faerie, as published by DC Comics. The Vertigo Comics realm of Faerie is an amalgam of the mythological realms of Álfheimr, Otherworld, the Fortunate Isles, Tír na nÓg and Avalon. This mix is heavily influenced by Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is home to the faeries and other mythical races, ruled over by the Seelie Court and King Auberon and Queen Titania. Faerie debuted in The Books of Magic #3, and was created by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice League Dark</span> Fictional Superhero team appearing in DC Comics

Justice League Dark, or JLD, is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team would make their debut appearance in Justice League Dark #1. The Justice League Dark team features some of the more supernatural characters in the DC Universe, handling mystical threats and situations deamed outside the scope of the traditional Justice League. Similarly to the Justice League title, the team features well-known characters such as John Constantine, Zatanna, Batman, Doctor Fate, and Wonder Woman while also bringing exposure to lesser-known supernatural characters.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.