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Books of Magic Reading Order, The Adventures of Tim Hunter

Launched in 1991 by Vertigo with a miniseries, The Books of Magic is a creation of Neil Gaiman (with artists John Bolton, Scott Hampton, Charles Vess, and Paul Johnson)—and contrary to some beliefs it was not developed as a spin-off of The Sandman, even if the Endless appeared in it. In fact, it was commissioned by DC Comics as a way to highlight the already existing mystical characters in its universe.

The original miniseries introduced us to Timothy Hunter, a twelve-year-old boy who could be the most powerful magician in the world (a character inspired by T. H. White’s The Once and Future King and other classic fantasy stories). The question is: does he really want to be? To find the answer, Tim goes on a trip through the magical world, guided by John Constantine, Phantom Stranger, Mister E, and Doctor Occult, a group of magicians (aka the Trenchcoat Brigade). They want to aid Timothy in his decision.

Once the original Books of Magic miniseries concluded, the story continued with an ongoing 75-issue series by John Ney Rieber (who wrote the first 50 issues) and artists Gary Amaro, Peter Gross, and Peter Snejbjerg. We reconnected with Tim when an enigmatic man named Tamlin decided that he was the key to saving the dying world of Faerie. But exactly how Tim is supposed to do that? And who Tamlin really is? Read the book to discover the answers!

The Books of Magic ongoing series was punctuated with other miniseries, there even was a two-issue crossover miniseries with Hellblazer. Once it concluded, Tim’s story continued in a five-part miniseries by Dylan Horrocks called Names of Magic that opened the way for a new ongoing series, Hunter and the Age of Magic.

An alternate Tim Hunter was also introduced in 2004 with Si Spencer’s 15-issue series called “The Books of Magick: Life During Wartime.” Another version of Timothy was also created during the New 52 era in a Justice League Dark storyline.

In 2018, when Neil Gaiman launched a new Sandman Universe imprint, The Books of Magic was partially rebooted (by writer Kat Howard). Timothy Hunter is back to being a 12-year boy destined to be the world’s most powerful magician who has to learn how to control his burgeoning abilities as well as figuring out whom he can trust—and who wants him dead. Even if it was somewhat of a fresh start, past events were referenced.

Books of Magic Reading Order:

Like with a lot of Vertigo-era comic books, it may be hard to find trade paperback collected editions of the Books of Magic, but everything had been reprinted in an omnibus collection.

Books of Magic Reading Order: The Omnibus Collection

  • The Books of Magic Omnibus Vol. 1
    Collects The Books of Magic #1-32, The Children’s Crusade #1-2, Vertigo Gallery: Dreams and Nightmares #1, Vertigo Preview #1, Vertigo Visions – Doctor Occult #1, Who’s Who #15, Arcana Annual #1, Mister E #1-4, and The Books of Faerie: Auberon’s Tale #1-3
  • The Books of Magic Omnibus Vol. 2
    Collects The Books of Magic #33-75, The Books of Magic Annual #1-3, The Books of Faerie #1-3, Vertigo: Winter’s Edge #1-3, Hellblazer: Books of Magic #1-2, Books of Faerie: Molly’s Story #1-4, and Vertigo Secret Files: Hellblazer #1.
  • The Books of Magic Omnibus Vol. 3
    Collects The Trenchcoat Brigade #1-4, The Names of Magic #1-5, Hunter: The Age of Magic #1-25, and Books of Magick: Life During Wartime #1-15. 

Books of Magic Reading Order: The Paperback Collection

This next part is very incomplete. A lot has not been collected in this format and can only be found in the omnibuses. This is not the recommended road to follow if you want to read the series.

Tim Hunter in the New Sandman Universe

 

Books of Magic Reading Order: Issue by Issue

  • The Original Books of Magic miniseries 1-4 by Neil Gaiman.
  • Mister E #1-4
  • The Children’s Crusade #1
  • Arcana: Books of Magic Annual
  • The Children’s Crusade #2
  • Vertigo Visions – Doctor Occult #1
  • Vertigo Rave #1 – “The Lot”
  • The Books of Magic #1-25
  • The Books of Faerie: Auberon’s Tale #1-3
  • The Books of Magic #26-33
  • The Books of Magic Annual #2
  • Vertigo Winter’s Edge #1 – “Thanks for Nothing”
  • The Books of Faerie #1-3
  • The Books of Magic ongoing series #34-35
  • The Books of Magic Annual #1
  • The Books of Magic Ongoing Series #36-50
  • Vertigo Winter’s Edge #2 – “We Three Things”
  • The Books of Magic #51-60
  • The Books of Magic Annual #3
  • The Books of Magic #61
  • The Books of Faerie: Molly’s Story #1-4
  • The Books of Magic #62-67
  • Vertigo Winter’s Edge #3 – “Waiting For Good Dough”
  • The Books of Magic ongoing series #68-75
  • The Hellblazer/Books of Magic #1-2
  • The Trenchcoat Brigade #1-4
  • The Names of Magic #1-5
  • Hunter and the Age of Magic #1-25
  • Books of Magick: Life During Wartime #1-15

Tim Hunter in the New Sandman Universe

  • The Sandman Universe #1
  • Books of Magic #1-18

Last Updated on February 2, 2024.

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