Put these negative aspects together and it all feels very unappealing. Or it could be that the art style has an exaggerated quality that makes Timothy’s every expression seem twisted and uncomfortable. Perhaps it’s because he’s frustrated with his inability to use his powers, or that there aren’t any engaging supporting characters who don’t feel one note. Then there’s the lead character, Timothy, a frustrating and frankly unlikable protagonist who isn’t compelling in the slightest. It’s a grim world to be in and it leaves the story feeling dull.
But as the story moves into the “real” world, the non-magical one, all that depth becomes grey and lacklustre. This does lend a sense of history to the places being shown and it matches with the depictions of literary and historical characters. It has the appearance of more classic comic book stories: jagged lines and an almost oil painting effect a contrast to the smooth curves and digital cleanness of many modern comics.
The art, especially in the magical realm, has bright and bold colouring. It offers a wonderful setting that the rest of Books of Magic doesn’t quite align with. This is both a blessing and a curse as The Sandman Universe is a colourful and intriguing world that’s bursting with strange people, magical creatures and a unique point of view – a raven, who traverses between worlds. With colours by Jordan Boyd and letters by Todd Klein, this first volume collects the first six issues of Books of Magic with The Sandman Universe Special #1, which leads the book. Based on Neil Gaiman’s creations, writer Kat Howard and illustrator Tom Fowler explore the mundane and magical life of Timothy Hunter, a boy who is ‘destined to be the world’s most powerful magician’, if he can navigate his teenage life with school, family and a few bad guys who seem to be on the hunt for him. The Sandman Universe is a new world of stories of which Books Of Magic is just one part.
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