The struggle to stay sane.
Creative Staff:
Story: Kat Howard
Art: Tom Fowler
Colors: Jordan Boyd
Letterer: Todd Klein
What They Say:
The body of Tim’s teacher, Mr. Brisby, has been discovered, and the scene is grisly—could his killing have been a ritualistic act? Tim tries to comfort his classmates, but finds himself in need of his own protector.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I really enjoyed the opening issue of this series since it was more linear and clearer than the other Sandman Universe books but it felt a bit off in its second installment. With this issue, Kat Howard continues to work some good material and at the right pace but it’s also something that in a monthly format just feels too slow, which is frustrating because I’m enjoying it at the same time. Thankfully, Tom Fowler and Jordan Boyd continue to deliver a great looking book, especially since they’ve managed to make Tim look almost dumpy as he struggles with the death of Brisby and discovering that the body has been found now, which is accelerating his own issues.
Tim’s struggles with what’s happened has made sleeping pretty much near impossible at this point as it’s completely vivid. There’s a darkness that’s in his mind that’s made worse by the interpretation of the prophecy that he can see kicking around, which is making him extra paranoid. There are a lot of panels early on with him laying in bed with an overhead view of him that really drives it home just what kind of mental numbing that he’s going through. It’s cute when he visualizes the screwdriver he’s taking to his head as well as the sheep as well as watching him going through part of his day trying to work on his focus and concentration as Dr. Rose has instructed him to do. He’s trying to do what he can to handle all of this but he really does look like death warmed over.
Tim does try to do good things, such as a little crafting for Hettie and helping Ellie with her own coping as she tells him that Brisby’s body was discovered, but the real frustrations come out with Dr. Rose at school. She’s prodding him just enough to get a reaction so she can really help him and he falls into it all too easily. I do like how she counsels him over his fear with the prophecy but also her reaction to him saying he wants to use his magic to find his mother. That felt like something that was really a surprise to her and quite honest when you get down to it. Tim’s struggles are well-realized here and seeing him go through it, and getting closer to an actual restful sleep, really humanizes him here as opposed to someone that just comes naturally to the power and magic.
In Summary:
The Books of Magic is teasing more and more of what’s to come in a light way as right now it’s focused on how Tim’s coping with everything. There’s a lot of things going on with him at this point but it’s keeping it mostly narrow, such as wanting to do right by his father and with those around him that he cares about. Kat Howard may be moving things a bit slower than I care for here but I’m also enjoying the pacing. It’s making me wish this was like the original prestige series where each volume was twice as long so that there was more than just the quiet spaces like this that’s building the world. It’s a solid installment and I’m looking forward to more, and a re-read of what came before.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: Vertigo Comics
Release Date: November 28th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
