Today’s strip came about due to a conversation I had with a couple of friends – vowed Harry Potter enthusiasts – who didn’t know their beloved author, J.K. Rowling, had released a new book, The Casual Vacancy, last week! And after their initial excitement, I saw the enthusiasm drain from their faces when I mentioned this new novel  wasn’t Rowling’s return to Hogwarts and was instead a more “mature” work from her, targeting adults. (Even though I’d say I knew just as many adults who read and enjoyed the Harry Potter books as I did kids.) Anyway, I understand why my friends might not embrace something totally new from J.K. – they want more Potter, dang it! And they don’t know what else to expect since that’s all they really know of her. Myself, I’m not completely guiltless in all this – I got as far as downloading the sample to my iPad but haven’t read it yet, much less paid for the entire book. Still, I’m at least open to the idea of being excited for J.K.’s novels beyond the Potterverse, and that’s something, right? Hmm. Okay, I’ll read that sample and actually give the book a chance, once I’m done with a new book I just started – Among Others by Jo Walton. Which so far, is pretty brilliant, and I’m enjoying it immensely when I actually get the chance to read a few pages here and there.