Thought Balloons by Don MacPherson "Magic" or "Neil Gaiman, John Ney Rieber, Peter Gross and Dylan Horrocks beat the snot out of J.K. Rowling" Went to see the Harry Potter movie this past weekend... under its proper title, no less (Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone... silly Americans). It's not as though I had a pressing drive to see it. I haven't read any of the four Potter books by J.K. Rowling, but some friends wanted to check it out right away. The promos promised a sharp-looking film, anyway, and I was curious. So I figured what the hell. After all, given its popularity, the film has become one of those cultural and social equalizers, an experience most of us will share. It was a pleasant enough experience at that, but not surprisingly, the film failed to live up to the hype, at least in my mind. Judging from the $93.5 million it took in during its opening weekend, though, others were far more fascinated than myself. I think I know why. I think it's because I read comics. For many, Harry Potter is taking them into new territory. The idea of a young boy learning of a powerful heritage of magic he never imagined before, watching him hone his skills, making new friends along the way... I can see why it would capture the imagination. But I've seen similar subject matter before, and although it was handled differently, I have to say it was handled better as well. I am referring, of course, to Tim Hunter. Created by writer Neil Gaiman and artist John Bolton in 1990's The Books of Magic prestige-format limited series, Tim Hunter was a bespectacled kid with a troubled home life who's approached by a group of magic-users who inform him of his potential to be the most powerful magician in the universe. Sound familiar? Hell, Tim even had a pet owl from the start too. Comicdom beat J.K. Rowling to the punch by seven years. Mind you, Gaiman's take on the concept was initially devised as a means to explore the supernatural side of the DC Universe, and it was far darker and more mature in tone. But he planted the seed for a fascinating character and some surreal adventures. John Ney Rieber picked up where Gaiman left off -- first, with a "Children's Crusade" crossover tie-in called Arcana Annual and later with the Books of Magic regular series. That series lasted 75 issues and several annuals, with artist Peter Gross taking over the writing chores for the last third of the run. Last year, Dylan Horrocks brought Tim back a decade after his debut in The Names of Magic and now writes a new ongoing series, Hunter: The Age of Magic, in which a slighter more grown-up magician isn't satisfied with just learning his craft. Four Harry Potter books have been released thus far. Four Tim Hunter series have hit the shelves of comic shops. So who's the four-eyed King of Magic? Potter rules the roost these days. His world is a cute one, full of wonder and imagination. He flies through children's dreams, and he's the topic of conversation around the water cooler. He made almost $100 million in a weekend. He is a testament to the power of marketing. Tim Hunter, on the other hand, is known probably only to a few thousand people. A-list movie directors aren't fighting over him. There is no Books of Magic wall calendar. But in some ways -- important ones -- Tim Hunter is more powerful than his popular younger brother. Tim's adventures over the years have been more challenging... not in terms of danger or imagination, perhaps. The writers who have presented us with Tim's life have spurred their readers not to think about spells and trolls, but about themselves. Despite his power and fantastic circumstances, Tim Hunter is basically a confused young guy, making things up as we go along. Harry Potter has his destiny and his happy endings. Tim Hunter is just trying to figure out who he is. Sound familiar? Don MacPherson has been known to make magic happen by using his wand too. Email Don MacPherson comments about this column, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.