It's almost like Rowling is not the brilliant world builder that folks like Tolkien and Assimov are.

Wands are optional too, the only thing you have to do is think about something. But then Harry finds a book with a spell and without knowing what its effect are he uses it and Malfoy almost bleeds to death. The magic system just doesn't make any sense.

There's also a thing where most of the practitioners, including very high level ones, don't have a clue how it works. They know what works for them, that's about it. All of it is all intent and the wand and words and other trappings are intended to help channel it but are commonly mistaken as the tools doing the job. They would know this in universe if any of them were even passably interested in the scientific method instead of being arrogant rich bastard assholes that I fully detested by the end of the source material.

A fantastic real life corollary was Jacob Aldolphus "Jelly" Bryce, a prominent, arrogant, and primarily lucky FBI agent who had survived a number of shootouts. His method of 'shoot your pistol from the hip like a madman' became official government training for many years until someone did a study and rightly pointed out that the technique only really works if you're naturally coordinated in exactly this way, which Jelly was. For everyone else it was awful training that lost quite a few lives until actual science could show that bringing the pistol up in line with your eye didn't take measurably longer and allowed you to hit your target much more effectively.

In canon a wand is also a european invention, in many other cultures its optional and using your hands the norm.

After a quick search I found a copy - I lost it at "There's a troll in the dungeon! [BLAM]" Harry Potter and the Deathly Weapons

Lovecraft is dead, meaning he can't hurt anyone. Rowling actively uses the money she makes off the franchise to hurt people, and even the most indirect forms of advertisement for her IP ultimately help her profit and then use those profits to do harm.

The difference is that Lovecraft is dead and no longer benefits from any sales or attention. JKR is, unfortunately, still alive and actively spreading as much misery as possible. Considering that there's a massive advertising push for the new show, we don't need to do their marketing for them by also spreading comics.

We can enjoy her work like Lovecraft's when she's as dead as Lovecraft.

If you want to make that day come sooner, then support your local trans community! Together we can give JK Rowling a stroke!

Was Lovecraft really more problematic? I heard he was racist, but did he become the equivalent of a billionaire from his works, and use those proceeds to fuel more hate?

that's besides the point

I don't think it is. Giving money to Rowling, directly or indirectly, is to hurt our trans siblings. Buying The Call of Cthulhu won't do that.

H.P. Lovecraft never funded campaigns that made the state strip the rights of non-white people.

He is nowhere near more problematic, JK actively hurts people and is 100% responsible for trans deaths.

Lovecraft was possibly the only instance where it legitimately was fear driving his xenophobia and not hatred. The man was completely and irrationally terrified of everything from air conditioners to mathematics that wasnt on a 2d plane to black people and eventually learned later in life that what scared him previously wasn't actually scary.

He also wasn't a billionaire actively throwing his money and notoriety behind hate groups specifically swaying legislation and public opinion to bring harm to people.