Some felt that The Books of Magic struggled to establish itself as distinct from Harry Potter series. Although Timothy Hunter had debuted earlier, Harry Potter was better known. In fact, the two series were very different in tone; The Books of Magic was labeled “for mature readers,” after all. Still, DC had licensed novels starring Timothy Hunter, in an attempt to capitalize on the simularity.
When the series was relaunched with the 2001 mini-series The Names of Magic, written by Dylan Horrocks and illustrated by Richard Case, the series seemed to go in a different direction. Timothy Hunter seemed older and his stories a bit more mature. The change of title indicated this new approach.
The Names of Magic was followed by an ongoing series, titled Hunter: The Age of Magic, by the same creative team. Many saw this title as an attempt to create brand awareness for “Hunter,” in order to avoid the somewhat generic “Books of Magic” title. This new series lasted 25 issues, after which the Books of Magic would again be relaunched with a new title and another redefined central concept.
