Lowborn High (Volume 1)

What if Harry Potter had to go attend his local high school instead of the elite Hogwarts in this far more relatable spin on the magical school fantasy genre.

For as long as anyone can remember, Wychdusk Manor has been the school to which all the top magical novices are sent, where they are trained to become the world’s greatest wizards. Androgeus Frost, part of one of the wizarding worlds’ most esteemed families, always thought it was a sure thing he’d get in, but somehow finds himself dumped at Lowborn High.

A struggling inner-city comprehensive school for those with mediocre magical talent, Androgeus finds himself with all the other duds, drop-outs, and those who don’t have the upper-class wizarding family background. Making friends with Maisy, Ali and Dril, soon the group of friends find there are mysteries to solve and the pupils of Lowborn High can still be capable of some truly amazing feats!

David Barnett is a novelist, comic writer and journalist, based in the North of England. He has written Chopper, Lowborn High and other strips for 2000 AD, Books of Magic for DC, and Punks Not Dead and Eve Stranger for IDW — the latter is being developed by BBC Studios for television. His novels include The Handover, Alien: Colony War, and, in 2023, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. He writes features for the Guardian, Observer, Independent, Tortoise, BBC Culture and many other outlets.

Anna Morozova is a Russian-born freelance comics artist and illustrator from Estonia, who now lives and works in Scotland. Following graduation from a Comics Masters in Dundee, she produced work for various comics publishers and commercial clients. As well as co-creating Viva Forever with David Baillie, Anna’s contributions to 2000 AD so far include illustrating Future Shocks and a Black Museum episode for the Judge Dredd Megazine.