The Magic Order 2 #1 is written by Mark Millar, illustrated by Stuart Immonen, colored by Sunny Gho, and lettered by Clem Robins. It is published by Image Comics under the Millarworld banner. After the events of The Magic Order, Cordelia Moonstone has taken over her late father’s leadership of the Magic Order-the group of magicians who work to protect humanity in the shadows. However, trouble is brewing in the form of the descendants of sorcerer Soren Kone, who seek to return the world back to a state where magic is dominant.
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Much like Jupiter’s Legacy: Reqiuem, this series is the continuation of one of Millar’s most popular comic books. And also like Jupiter’s Legacy, this series will soon have a television adaptation on Netflix due to Millar’s overall deal with the streamer. With all that being said: I can’t recommend reading this comic without reading the previous Magic Order series, as a lot of the characters and premise were established there. Had Millar added a sort of recap page to the issue, I feel that it would be more reader-friendly. As it is, we learn more about the villains of the piece than we do the heroes; there usually is a balance in handling both sides of the story that is missing here.
The sole exception to this is Cordelia herself, who is probably one of the more interesting characters Millar has co-created. A self-proclaimed “escapologist,” she lives the life any 20-something would, full of casual flings and grand performances. She also has to give a makeshift birthday gift to her niece, which comes in the form of the loose cash in her pocket. If I had to describe her in a single sentence, it would be “Zatanna meets Jessica Jones,” but that’s the major draw. How does someone who doesn’t have their life together handle saving the world?
Art-wise, Immonen is the major draw here. He previously worked on the Millar-penned series Empress and is best known for his work on titles including Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel and Superman: Secret Identity for DC. Here he manages to tap into the strange, wild world that Millar and previous Magic Order artist Olivier Coipel created. All manner of malevolent creatures hide in the shadows, including a boy’s imaginary friend who has turned homicidal. The imaginary friend has a gaping, cracked hole where its face should be, and it moves scary fast for something without eyes. Immonen draws the various wizards and witches as beings of pure power, who effortlessly flick their wands and conjure spells; these bolts of energy take on a vibrant, eye-catching form via Gho’s color art.
The Magic Order 2 #1 is a solid start to the sequel series, though it requires knowledge of the previous series to fully appreciate the story. If you are looking for a new urban fantasy story, I highly suggest checking out the first Magic Order miniseries and then reading this issue. I also feel like we’ll see more about the planned Netflix adaptation as more issues go on sale.
The Magic Order #2 #1 is available wherever comics are sold October 27th.
The Magic Order 2 #1
TL;DR
The Magic Order 2 #1 is a solid start to the sequel series, though it requires knowledge of the previous series to fully appreciate the story. If you are looking for a new urban fantasy story, I highly suggest checking out the first Magic Order miniseries and then reading this issue. I also feel like we’ll see more about the planned Netflix adaptation as more issues go on sale.
