Books of Magic #10: Magic Has A Price

Right from the start it’s clear something is different with the art and it wasn’t until I checked the credits at the end I saw the colorist had changed. Though the change is subtle it is noticeable and I immediately took to Marissa’a style. The tones were a little brighter and of a lighter pastel shade, compared to the more earthy and warm natural accents we have seen in the previous issues. I think after the otherworldly nature of the previous outings to the Dreaming, Faerie and the Bookbinder prison this may be deliberate. It is definitely what gave the issue it’s more vibrant and welcoming feel and made the mundane earthy plane a little more focussed than before. And it also compliments the style of Tom Fowler & Brian Churilla very well. The different settings of the sun dappled park, Ellie’s warm and relaxed home and the contrary cool appearance of Tims own home life informed the emotional difference between the various settings very well. They also depicted Tim’s distress at his fathers incarceration perfectly.
Tim explaining his absence to the police as a school trip was hilariously tongue in cheek, given there was only one teacher and no one knew about it other than he and Rose. And the conclusion of that meeting was at least plausible. But what wasn’t so funny was the consequence of his spell affecting his father as much as it did. The return to the mundane world could so easily have been a come down after the recent exploits, but the ramifications of said jaunt were perfectly played out here and the pacing was well meted out. Tim now faces the realisation that even the simplest of spells can cause unmitigated disaster, both physically in the case of his father and emotionally when related to Ellie. And he is also now facing the fear that to cast any more spells could make matters worse and cause irreparable damage, as he ponders what to do to help Ellie.Both Tim and Rose have now come face to face with the very real conundrum of how much trouble is caused by simply going off on adventures without him having any formal training. This is not a new problem in the Books of Magic. It originally took over eleven years from Tim’s introduction to magic before he finally enrolled in the White School. It will be interesting to see if he rolls up his sleeves any time soon and actually takes any actual proper instruction from Rose. Maybe this will be the nudge they need to address the issue. All I know is Hettie was not wrong when she broached the subject with Rose, as did Titania recently. And it is equally worrying how she has dealt with other versions of Tim in the past. Was she forced to kill another Tim who had learnt too much and that’s why she is holding back now? It is clear from her overreaction when he mentions the spell on his father that she is edgy about him practising magic at all when unsupervised. As each issue progresses I find my judgement and trust of her going first one way, then the other, which is good for dramatic purposes to keep us guessing. With the closure of the dual plot of missing persons there are clearly now more pressing matters to attend to.
And with all of the fallout Tim is now facing from his previous exploits you’d be forgiven for thinking that was enough. But no, to top it all off we now have more questions to answer with the arrival of his mother. And the unconcerned look his father has on his face clearly means Tim will have some explaining to do when that little scenario plays out. Overall I found this issue to be a suitably human drama after the fantasy adventures of the last few issues and the change was far from jarring but on the whole a welcome breather. And the cover by Kai Carpenter depicting Rose and Tim and their overall progress is perfectly descriptive of the whole journey so far and also almost echoes their depiction on the previous issue.

My one gripe (don’t I always have one) is the slight inaccuracy of the wardrobe department. I have only ever seen American police wear their badges on a cord round their necks. Not our boys in blue, whether it be uniform who wear it on their person, or plain clothes who are usually seen to flip their badges out of a wallet. I believe this is possibly a health and safety issue, as door security staff have to wear clip on ties to reduce any threat of strangulation from attackers. It’s a small point but it does niggle when there are inaccuracies like this as it breaks up the concentration in reading and therefore the enjoyment. Other than that the whole issue was perfect.