“The Books of Magic” first hit the U.S. market in 1990, a few years before J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” was released. The series of four comics by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton followed the adventures of 12-year-old Timothy Hunter, gifted with extraordinary abilities.
“Harry Potter” inspired by a comic book?
The boy is transported to a magical world with several other heroes: Phantom Stranger, Doctor Occult, Mister E, and John Constantine. During his journey, the young wizard meets, among others, Merlins and heroines known from the DC universe, namely Zatanna, Doctor Fate, and The Spectre. The boy wears short hair and glasses, which, however, are slightly more associated with the aviator glasses popular in the 90s than the round lenses that the main character of the book by the British writer wore on his nose.
Although the resemblance between 12-year-old Timothy and Harry Potter is indeed striking, the plot of the comic book itself differs significantly from the one created by JK Rowling. “Harry Potter” is a multi-threaded story, full of nuances and intrigues that we will not find in “The Books of Magic”. The creators of the comic book have never accused the author of plagiarism of the series of books about the young wizard.
Neil Gaiman himself noted that “The Books of Magic” is not the first such story about magic, because TH White had already made his debut in this field. Of course, similarities to Harry Potter can also be found in other cultural texts. A good example would be the series entitled “The Worst Witch”, telling about a school of magic.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
