The Names of Magic (DC Comics Vertigo) [Paperback]

Dylan Horrocks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2002 | Series: DC Comics Vertigo

From the pages of The Books of Magic comes a new tale of Tim Hunter, the young man destined to become the greatest magician of our time...Tim Hunter has lost his girlfriend and family; the price Tim has had to pay for his initiation into the world of magic. Now, Tim wants the abilities he's paid for - and to learn to control his vast power. To do so, he must enter the White School, a place where he will be able to study without fear of the many groups who would control him and harness his power for their own dark ends. But to enter the White School, Tim must discover his true name, and his true identity - while evading the clutches of a deadly array of enemies...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dylan Horrocks is the author of Hicksville, Pickle and The Names of Magic. Richard Case is best-known for his groundbreaking work with Grant Morrison on Doom Patrol. Steve Bird has worked on Green Lantern and Robin Hood. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: Vertigo (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563898888
• ISBN-13: 978-1563898884
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,308,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice addition to Tim Hunter's saga, September 21, 2003

By 

Glen Engel Cox (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Names of Magic (DC Comics Vertigo) (Paperback)

When I was younger, I had fantasies of being a great wizard, of being able to conjure things from thin air with the power of words and gestures. I doubt I was alone, as magicians are a special favorite of children, who aren't so skeptical to search for the wires and trick pockets. The Vertigo series, "The Books of Magic," taps directly into those fantasies in its depiction of young Timothy Hunter, who can not only perform feats of magic, but is destined to be the greatest wizard of all time. That is, if he can survive adolescence.

In this he, of course, resembles that other famous fledgling wizard, and the stories have some of the same moral lessons along with their sympathetic protagonists. Harry Potter is written for young adults, and while Tim Hunter's tale is part of the Vertigo line, suppossedly a comic (or today's preffered term, the graphic novel) meant for adults, in this particular case it rarely contains anything more shocking than prime time TV.

The latest installment of Tim's story, The Names of Magic, doesn't really add anything to the drama of his story, but it does fill in some of the pieces of his mystery by answering the question of his parentage. It's a well done adventure, presented nicely, and a welcome addition to the series, but I do hope that there's more to "The Books of Magic" than this as several threads from the main tale remained unfulfilled, especially the powerful love story between Tim and Molly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Loses the magic, October 13, 2003

By 

Shimmertje (Muscat, Oman) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Names of Magic (DC Comics Vertigo) (Paperback)

The original Books of Magic had wonderful, quirky dialogue that's mostly missing in the Names of Magic. NoM reads like the screenplay for a B-grade spy movie. If the characters weren't the same I'd say this didn't belong to the BoM series at all.

NoM does tie up some loose ends, but not all of them, and not in a particularly satisfying way - the fight between good and evil for instance. I can't believe Araquel's whole purpose boiled down to that.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not entirely magical, April 30, 2004

By 

"georgemackie" (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Names of Magic (DC Comics Vertigo) (Paperback)

This is a worthy addition to the Tim Hunter chronicles, with fine art & some nice lines (Constantine: "Sometimes I wonder if [being a magician] is really worth it... the rest of the time I just know it's not.").
Iolanthe, half-human half-faerie, is the most engaging new character (new to me anyway). The Walker & Nick Bearclaw are appealing if somewhat cliched, but the bad guy, Lily, initially scary, fails to convince. He's a poor imitation of Preacher's Starr (with a similar power of vocal command to Jesse Custer's) & his girl-pop obsession is just cringeworthy.
It's ultimately moving & really adds something to the overall mythos, but the ending feels very rushed - story & characters could have done with more space to breathe.