Potter is the Antichrist!

He may be a hero for million of children around the world but Harry Potter is about to get a re-imagining that will no doubt see those fans throwing their plastic wands down in disgust. A new graphic novel is set to be published later this week which will be portraying the ‘boy who lived’ not as a hero but as the Antichrist.

Century 2009 is written by the graphic novelist Alan Moore and is poised to create a huge amount of controversy over its parody of JK Rowling’s best-loved creation. Scores of Potter fans are likely to be angered by the book’s suggestion that Potter has been sent up as the Devil.

Though the words “Harry Potter” are never actually mentioned, the allusions are unmistakable. One section of the book features a magical train which is on a hidden platform at King’s Cross station and which leads to a magical school. The Antichrist character has a hidden scar and a mentor named Riddle, which anybody who has read the books or seen the films will see through in an instance. Characters which look remarkably like Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger also appear. One of the strangest parts of the book sees the Potter character kills someone with a lightning bolt from his flaccid penis, we leave you to comment on that below.

The books premise is a weaving together of history and fiction, taking readers through different periods in British history from 1910 to 2009. The final instalment will see the series’ three main characters, Mina Murray, Allan Quatermain and Orlando attempt to face down the Antichrist Potter.

The book will be released on Wednesday in the UK and US and has been heavily embargoed to avoid being leaked on to the internet due to fears of reprisals from Rowling’s publishers.

Rowling’s phenomenally successful franchise has been the subject of numerous Harry Potterlegal proceedings over the years. In 2007, Rowling sued a US publishing firm to block the publication of a 400-page book version of the Harry Potter Lexicon, an online reference guide to her work. The judge found in favour of Rowling and the book was released in a much shorter, unauthorised version a year later.

Laura Sneddon a journalist who reviewed an advanced copy of the book says Moore is depicting Potter as the Antichrist is simply a comment on the current state of the publishing industry. “As the publishing industry takes fewer risks, originality is visibly dwindling, while major franchises and celebrity biographies are relentlessly pushed upon us,” says Ms Sneddon. “Moore is always keen to point out that the League books are satire and that he has respect for all characters that he uses and hints at, expressing hope that people will look beyond the Harry Potter connection to appreciate the whole.”

Moore is Britain’s most famous graphic novelist and his stories such as the Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell have been turned into major Hollywood blockbuster films.