The Books of Magic Omnibus Vol. 1 (The Sandman Universe Classics)

THIS BOOK IS SEWN BINDING.

I have yet to purchase this item myself but have seen it in person and it is sewn binding, not glued binding. You can tell by the signatures (folded sections of pages sewn to the spine). The other review of this book says it is glued. So don’t let that dissuade you if you were concerned about binding type. I’ve included a screenshot of the book from a video review so you can see for yourself that it is sewn.

I have seen no diminution in the quality of DC's bindings. I don't understand. Also, their recent Spectre Omnibuses (Omnibi?) and Justice League International were total masterpieces of construction in terms of simple graphic design, with the former even using acid-free paper of the non-magazine gloss variety, the sort IDW would use in an art edition. I don't always 'get' some of the reviews I see in terms of forever broken blu-rays, missing episodes, totally different descriptions of the content.

This book is thick and enormous! It's excellent. Printing seems good, I flipped through but haven't read it yet.

I didn't check closely what was included in this volume before buying- I was hoping to replace my incomplete Books of Magic trade and comic collection. I consulted Wikipedia to check, and found I can't get rid of everything yet.
I hope there will be another volume to complete the series. I will say they did include some other side stories I didn't even know about so that was nice.

I wanted to have it all, because I remember enjoying parts of the series, but honestly my enjoyment really varied by storyline and I wouldn't say it's good in its entirety. I tended to like the parts that involved Molly, which aren't all included here. I am super disappointed a series continuing Molly in Faerie was cancelled. Perhaps some of the things they omitted weren't worth reprinting, but I disagree on some.

If you're new to the series, I'd maybe stick to cherry picking the tpbs for the better stories if you can find them at a reasonable price, and just reading summaries of the rest.
I still wish this series would be adapted for TV at some point. I know it suffers from being compared to Harry Potter even though it came first, but the core of the story is very different.

Not included:
Books of Magic #33-75 (vol 6 The Burning Girl and vol 7 Death after Death, #51-75 were never reprinted in tpb)
Of course anything later than the second series (ie The Names of Magic, Age of Magic, etc)
Books of Faerie
Backup stories in Books of Faerie: Auberon's Tale x2
Books of Faerie: Molly's Story (never reprinted in tpb)
Winter's Edge stories x3
Hellblazer crossover x2

This is a long story, but it is all gathered together here. Many people have tried to call this a Harry Potter rip-off, but it was first and I think it is a better story. And other than how the hero looks, they are two different tales.

Wonderfully written, and illustrated fantastic book. Arrived damaged at no fault of the author or publisher.

An uneven but intriguing omnibus. Tim Hunter is a minor DC comics character who exists in Neil Gaiman's Sandman universe. He will grow up to be the most powerful magician of his age. He could grow up to be the world's savior or its downfall. He could also pass through history unremarked, and fail to tip the balance either way. But for now he's just a teenager in London, trying to survive long enough to choose his own path.

The foreword makes brief mention that Tim Hunter has been compared to Harry Potter, which is laughable from the first page. Other than their British-ness, dark hair and glasses, the two have nothing in common. And that's as much as needs to be said. I picked up The Books of Magic because I'm a huge fan of Neil Gaiman's writing, but he's not the primary writer of these comics and it shows. They're still good, but don't expect the frequent callbacks or attention to world building minutiae that characterizes the Sandman series. Check your expectations at the door and you're in for a fascinating ride. It's 3.5 stars (rounded down) for me because it took a while for the story to find its groove and the storylines aren't always very coherent. Climaxes tend to be rushed (even for a comic book), and there is an over-reliance on Tim's habit of talking to himself being used for exposition. And there are some important plot points where the reader has to fill in the blanks, when it would really be better to have them explained (or at least, for the characters to have a conversation about it, rather than making us completely assume).

For example: In one issue, Circe shows up. Yes, the mythical Circe who turns men into pigs. She kidnaps Tim, does a scan of his soul and figures out it's 100% pure. She grants him a favor for her mistake and he asks him if she can do something to keep him from hurting anyone, since he's worried about going evil. The next time we see him he has a chest tattoo of a moth and a scorpion that hurt him if he does something unkind. We never see Circe again, we never find out why she was in London, the full workings of the tattoos are never explained and in a later scene, the tattoos jump off his body, turn into live animals and fight each other. Next thing we know he's down one tattoo, and the other one comes off randomly during his adventures. It's clear that the tattoos are a metaphor for something but we don't know what. I can make some educated guesses but a couple more hints would make the story more coherent.

Anyways, Tim Hunter is very much a protagonist of his time. These comics were written in the 90s and Tim is the picture of a Gen Xer. When told that he has powers that can change the very nature of reality itself, he doesn't soberly admit that he's unworthy and seek a mentor to keep him in check (like one of the Greatest Generation). He doesn't run to start seeing what he can do (like a Boomer). He doesn't go tell a trusted friend or family member, and make a plan on how he can help people and have a little fun on the way (like a Millennial or Gen Z). Nope, he swears he just wants to be normal and proceeds to act as if magic doesn't exist, all the while angsting about how nothing interesting ever happens to him. If that ain't Gen X energy, I don't know what is.

I'm just poking fun, but it took me a while to warm up to Tim because he's so darn passive. I've read some reluctant heroes in my time but Tim tops the list of characters who just let things happen to them. He has zero initiative and won't lift a finger to use his powers unless and until his life is being threatened. And by threatened, I mean somebody scary is literally in his face trying to kill him. He'll get warned that someone is after him, and doesn't even contact John Constantine (who even lives in London, just a bus ride away!). He doesn't even spend any significant time learning basic magical self-defense. Nope, he decides to run away because it's not like a villain would ever take someone he cares about hostage to lure him out of hiding (*insert eye roll here*).

Nonetheless, adventure keeps finding Tim whether he likes it or not. A lot of magical stuff happens to and around him, but the day is only saved when Tim's survival reflex kicks in and he automatically does something really cool without knowing how he did it or how to replicate it. A couple of times, the villains defeat themselves by being overconfident, and setting in motion the tools of their own demise which swoop in at the right moment. However, in the last two story arcs presented here Tim finally starts to get a clue and become someone you can root for. Fortunately, the rich supporting cast and interesting antagonists carried the story while Tim was getting on my nerves.

The second (and final) volume of the omnibus is scheduled to be released in October and I'll be eagerly awaiting it. Despite my criticisms, this was an entertaining read.

Book is amazing and one my wife has waited a long time for, but the cover arrived slightly dented.