Later this month, Scholastic will release a special edition box set of the seven iconic Harry Potter novels with new cover art by renowned graphic artist Kazu Kibuishi of the best-selling Flight and Amulet series. The new set will commemorate the Harry Potter series’ 15^th anniversary. Can you believe Harry is turning 33 this year?

Kibuishi was surprised at Scholastic’s request for his work. “I’m the cartoon guy,” he says. “Why would [they] want me to do it?”

As it turns out, when David Saylor was thinking of what to do about the covers, he looked at the Flight poster on his wall and knew exactly who he wanted for the project. Interestingly enough, the poster for Flight Volume 3 heavily influenced the original cover art for Chamber of Secrets all those years ago.

David Saylor is the vice president and creative director at Scholastic Book Group. He was the art director of all seven American editions of Harry Potter.

The new covers were revealed one by one from August 1-7, with the last reveal falling very appropriately on J.K. Rowling’s birthday.

While fans may argue that messing with the gorgeous original cover art by Mary GrandPré is sacrilegious, Kibuishi feels that his covers take a different approach than hers that has its own place in the lexicon. While GrandPré’s covers made Harry Potter history, Kibuishi’s will offer insight into the series as a whole with a retrospective focus on the pivotal moments from each story. In short, the new covers have the benefit of knowing what happens in the end.

When lined up in a row on your shelf, the spines of the books combine to create a very cool illustration of Hogwarts. The set is available in hardcover and paperback, and is set to release on August 27, 2013.

If you’re like me and have a mismatched collection of paperbacks and hardcover Harry Potter books making your bookshelf look untidy, it may be a good time to invest in this beautiful new collector’s set.