As hard as it may be to admit, fans of the original Harry Potter series have all grown up. And while HBO’s TV series adaptation is exciting, it won’t hit quite the same for those now-adult fans who grew up with the original movies and J.K. Rowling’s novels. However, if you’re looking for a more R-rated Harry Potter experience that brings together the best of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Leonardo DiCaprio’s The Revenant, then look no further.
The new series, which markets itself as “The Revenant meets Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” is finally here. With its first issue released on July 29, 2026, Black Star #1 is the first of what promises to be a gritty, bloody, and dark five-part series.
Coming from the creative talents of acclaimed actress Kristin Kreuk (Smallville, Reacher, Murder in a Small Town), co-writers Peter Mooney (Rookie Blue, Mistletoe Murders) and screenwriter Eric Putzer, and illustrated by artist Joe Bocardo (Nightwalkers, The Hexiles), this series brings together horror, science fiction, and noir to tell one gripping story that will have you in a chokehold from start to finish.
Black Star 1 COVER 1
Intended for a mature audience, this series is recommended for readers 17 and older, with its first 32-page issue now available to purchase digitally and at local comic shops for $4.99 for U.S. readers and £3.30 for readers in the United Kingdom.
The Revenant Meets Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in New Northern Gothic Noir Series
Preview Pages Come from Kristin Kreuk, Peter Mooney, and Eric Putzer’s Black Star #1 (2026) – Art by Joe Bocardo
Black Star is the perfect read for those who love Northern Gothic Noir tinged with horror and dark humor, along with stunning visuals where each panel feels like a true piece of art. Future readers can find a preview of the opening pages above, along with the official synopsis below:
Amidst skirmishes between two warring factions in the early nineteenth-century fur trade, Dashiell Carlyle discovers he has magical abilities… and that he’s not alone. Thrust into a secret order with designs to use their magic to build a new and better world, Dashiell discovers that their utopia may come at a horrific cost.
It’s a violent world: gritty, bloody and dark. But that’s balanced with a sense of discovery and awe. The storytelling’s propulsive, and the morality grey. It’s The Revenant meets Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. It’s a love letter to a frozen corner of the world that few know. It’s weird. And wonderful. And something wholly its own.
Given the mention of the nineteenth-century fur trade and the frozen frontier setting of Winnipeg, it’s clear where the connection to The Revenant comes from. However, its magical twist is what takes this series out of The Revenant territory and thrusts it into the world of Harry Potter, with the lead protagonist discovering he has magical abilities and isn’t alone. Hence, the premise feels strikingly similar to Harry Potter, but rather than an eleven-year-old child, the protagonist is an adult man.
With an adult protagonist, this opens the door to more mature themes and narratives, making it feel like a true adult take on Harry Potter. But rather than a magical boarding school, readers are thrust into a frozen corner of the world where magic and violence collide. So, if you were once a Harry Potter kid and are now looking to graduate beyond these magical tales to something darker, more mature, and wholly unique, then it may be time for you to become a Black Star adult.
Ministry of Magic · O.W.L. Examinations Test Your Wizarding Knowledge “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”
🦁GryffindorBravery
🐍SlytherinAmbition
🦅RavenclawWisdom
🦡HufflepuffLoyalty
🏰HogwartsMagic
01
What spell is used to disarm an opponent, famously becoming Harry Potter’s signature move throughout the series?
✓ Correct! Expelliarmus is the Disarming Charm. Harry used it so often that it became his trademark spell — even using it in his final duel against Voldemort in the Battle of Hogwarts.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Expelliarmus. Stupefy is a Stunning Spell, Protego is a Shield Charm, and Petrificus Totalus is the Full Body-Bind Curse. Expelliarmus forces an opponent’s wand out of their hand.
02
In “The Prisoner of Azkaban,” Hagrid introduces his Care of Magical Creatures class to a proud hippogriff. What is the creature’s name?
✓ Correct! Buckbeak the hippogriff became a key part of the story when Draco Malfoy insulted him and got injured. Harry and Hermione later saved Buckbeak from execution using the Time-Turner.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Buckbeak. Fang is Hagrid’s boarhound, Norbert is his baby dragon from the first book, and Aragog is the giant Acromantula in the Forbidden Forest.
03
What potion allows the drinker to assume the physical appearance of another person, and plays a major role in “The Chamber of Secrets” and “The Goblet of Fire”?
✓ Correct! Polyjuice Potion transforms the drinker into someone else for about an hour. Hermione brewed it in their second year to infiltrate the Slytherin common room, and Barty Crouch Jr. used it to impersonate Mad-Eye Moody.
✗ Not quite! The answer is Polyjuice Potion. Felix Felicis is liquid luck, Veritaserum is a truth serum, and Amortentia is a powerful love potion. Polyjuice Potion is the one that changes your appearance.
04
How many Horcruxes did Lord Voldemort intentionally create to split his soul and achieve immortality?
✓ Correct! Voldemort intentionally created six Horcruxes: the diary, the ring, the locket, the cup, the diadem, and Nagini. Harry became an accidental seventh Horcrux, making the total number of soul fragments seven — the most magically powerful number.
✗ Not quite! The answer is six. Voldemort deliberately created six Horcruxes: Tom Riddle’s diary, Marvolo Gaunt’s ring, Slytherin’s locket, Hufflepuff’s cup, Ravenclaw’s diadem, and Nagini. Harry was an unintentional seventh piece.
05
How many points is the Golden Snitch worth when caught by a Seeker during a Quidditch match?
✓ Correct! Catching the Golden Snitch awards 150 points and ends the match. This is why the Seeker position is so crucial — catching the Snitch almost always wins the game, though famously at the Quidditch World Cup, Viktor Krum caught it but Bulgaria still lost.
✗ Not quite! The answer is 150 points. The Golden Snitch is worth 150 points and also ends the match. At the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, Krum caught the Snitch for Bulgaria but Ireland still won because they were more than 150 points ahead.
06
What form does Severus Snape’s Patronus take — revealing his lifelong love for Harry’s mother, Lily?
✓ Correct! Snape’s Patronus is a doe — the same as Lily Potter’s. When Dumbledore asked “After all this time?” Snape famously replied, “Always.” It’s one of the most emotional reveals in the entire series.
✗ Not quite! The answer is a doe. Snape’s Patronus matches Lily Potter’s because of his deep, enduring love for her. James Potter’s Patronus was a stag — the male counterpart. The doe is what led Harry to the Sword of Gryffindor in the frozen lake.
07
What magical object must you look into to see the Mirror of Erised’s true purpose — and what does it show the viewer?
✓ Correct! The Mirror of Erised (“desire” spelled backward) shows the deepest desire of whoever looks into it. Harry saw his parents, Ron saw himself as Head Boy and Quidditch captain, and Dumbledore claimed he saw himself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks.
✗ Not quite! The answer is their deepest, most desperate desire. “Erised” is “desire” spelled backward. The inscription reads: “I show not your face but your heart’s desire.” Dumbledore warned Harry that the mirror gives neither knowledge nor truth, and men have wasted away before it.
08
The three Deathly Hallows are the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and which third object that Harry himself possessed?
✓ Correct! The Cloak of Invisibility was passed down through Harry’s family — he inherited it from his father, James. Unlike ordinary invisibility cloaks, this Hallow never fades or weakens, making it a true relic of Death from “The Tale of the Three Brothers.”
✗ Not quite! The answer is the Cloak of Invisibility. Harry inherited it from his father on his first Christmas at Hogwarts. Together with the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone, these three objects make up the Deathly Hallows from “The Tale of the Three Brothers.”
O.W.L. Examination Complete Your Wizarding Score
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/ 8
Outstanding, Exceeds Expectations, or Troll?
Black Star #1 from Titan Comics is now available to read!
