IMAGE COMICS/Netflix – @ImageComics @TheMagicOrder @netflix
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
WRITER: Mark Millar – @mrmarkmillar
ARTIST: Olivier Coipel
COLORS: Dave Stewart
LETTERS: Peter Doherty
EDITOR: Rachel Fulton
COVER: Oliver Coipel with Dave Stewart
VARIANT COVER: Karl Kerschl
36pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (February 2019)
Rated M / Mature
The Magic Order is a six-issue comic book miniseries created by writer Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Chrononauts) and artist Olivier Coipel (Thor). It is also the first new and original comic book series created by Millar since he sold his organization, Millarworld, to Netflix in August of 2017. Colorist Dave Stewart and letterer Peter Doherty complete the creative team. The Magic Order recently ended (although there will be another miniseries in near future).
The Magic Order focuses on the sorcerers, magicians, and wizards that protect humanity from darkness and from monsters of impossible sizes. The Order's leader, Leonard Moonstone, and his children: Regan, Cordelia, and Gabriel must deal with a mob-like war and conspiracy that is killing off members of The Magic Order. Their adversary is Madame Albany and her cohorts who are stealing magical objects, with Albany focusing on the object she wants the most, the magical book, “the Orichalcum.”
The Magic Order #6 opens with the full conspiracy revealed. The wayward Cordelia stands alone on the side of The Magic Order, and the identity of Albany's assassin, “The Venetian,” is a shocker. As an ally of Albany prepares to snatch the Orichalcum, Cordelia has to fight or die, and she has to show that she is not exactly the wayward girl many think she is.
I think The Magic Order is my favorite Mark Millar written, creator-owned comic book. It is a thrilling introduction to a new world and new universe of magic, magical beings, and magical conspiracies. The Magic Order is really like a blend of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with a Martin Scorsese mob film – leaning more towards Fantastic Beasts, but with a strong sense of Casino. Millar has also shown that these characters are multi-layered and have much to show us beyond what we see in this first series. Peter Doherty's lettering brings a sharp edge to Millar's dialogue, which in turn makes the scenes featuring characters engaged in violence explode. So as this series ends, Millar gives us a little more, perhaps to set us up for a return to this Order.
After reading the first issue, I was not all that crazy about artist Olivier Coipel, but I was so wrong. So much about The Magic Order works because of Coipel's graphical storytelling. Coipel's art sells the idea that The Magic Order is a massive world of magic and history and that it is a world hidden in the shadows, just out of view of the eyes of humans. Dave Stewart's muted colors add a layer to Coipel's art, creating a sense of mystery and mysticism.
I am as excited by Millar's premise now as I was when I read the first issue of this comic book last summer (2018). Millar, Coipel, Stewart, and Doherty have created a special comic book, and The Magic Order #6 is the superb ending that a superb miniseries deserves.
9 out of 10
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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