The Magic Order

The Magic Order is a comic book series written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Olivier Coipel.[1] The first comic in the series was published on 13 June 2018. It is published by Image Comics and the property of Netflix which bought Millarworld in 2017. The first volume consist of six issues. The series is R-rated adult fantasy.[2] The comic is the first comic book series released by Millarworld since being acquired by Netflix.[3] The comic marks the start of phase 2 of Millarworld.[4] On January 2019 Millar confirmed that a second volume is in development.[5]

The comic is centred on the Magic Order, which is a secret group of five families of wizards entrusted to keep the world safe from supernatural and magical threats. The members of the Magic Order live seemingly normal lives, with their true nature unbeknownst to the rest of society. However, the Order is in danger as its members are being targeted and picked off one by one by an unknown assailant. The Magic Order must now find and stop this enemy before they get to them first.

Plot

The Magic Order is a group of five families of wizards. The members of the Order are allowed to live among the rest of society while secretly using their magic to protect the world from supernatural and magical threats. The story focuses on the Moonstones, one of the families of the Magic Order.

The assassination of one of their magicians, Eddie Lisowski, alerts the Order, whose members then deduce that an unknown enemy is intent on picking them off one by one. Leonard Moonstone and his son Regan, as well as other members of the Order, attend the Ceremony of the Broken Wand at Lisowski's funeral. Madame Albany and her allies of dark magicians appear and antagonize other funeral attendants. Regan accuses Albany of being the mastermind behind Lisowski's assassination as she proceeds to leave the ceremony. The unknown assassin attacks another member of the Order, Dong-Sun. Regan visits his brother Gabriel, a powerful magician who has left the magic world, to request assistance (although to no avail). The rest of the Order, including Leonard's reckless, alcoholic, escapologist daughter Cordelia, held a meeting at Moonstone Castle, a castle hidden in an oil painting exhibited in the Art Institute of Chicago guarded by Uncle Edgar.

The members suspect Madame Albany's intention to retrieve the Orichalcum, an indestructible magic tome containing the dark spells of Old Atlantis, so powerful it is 'said to cause two World Wars' and are able to slay a deity. The tome was left to Leonard by his uncle, Conrad, on the condition that it should never be opened.

The members are then alerted by a break-in at the Vault. Regan and Cordelia investigate the break-in to find the Horologium, a time-eater from the fourth dimension, and a Soul Camera stolen. Madame Albany and his her mysterious assassin, the Venetian, continue their attack by assassinating three members of the Order, Willie, Edith the Librarian, and Moe.

Regan and Cordelia continue to seek information regarding Madam Albany's assassin after interrogating a lowlife magician named Rufus. Meanwhile, Leonard visits Gabriel to seek help fighting the new threat. Gabriel refused, and it is then revealed that his daughter, Rosetta, was killed in an accident involving his magic wand, which traumatized him and his wife, prompting him to leave the magic world behind.

At her hideout in the Black Kingdom, Madame Albany continues to perfect her plan to destroy the Magic Order and proof them wrong. Albany is enraged after her father, the wizard Conrad, decided to inherit the Orichalcum to Leonard instead of her due to the fact that she is dangerously unstable. One night at the Coliseum Theater, where the Moonstones have worked as professional stage magicians for years, he is approached by the Venetian. After a brief struggle, the Venetian unleash a magical monster called Theonoba to finish Leonard.

Following their father's death, Regan and Cornelia were advised by Uncle Edgar to attempt negotiation with Madame Albany at Abington Hotel, a wizards only hotel existing outside time and space. Although the siblings offer peaceful resolutions, Albany aggressively threatens to destroy them and the entirety of the Magic Order. She proceeds to inform them that Gabriel is currently being targeted by the Venetian.

Gabriel realizes that the Horoglobin is attacking his neighbourhood. He uses his magic to save his wife, Louise, defeat the creature, and trap it as his siblings arrive. The three siblings deliver Louise to the Moonstone Castle for protection and decide to hunt for Madame Albany and her allies. They interrogate Angus, Madame Albany's gatekeeper, for the information regarding Madame Albany's whereabouts before trapping him within the magical version of the book "The Island of Doctor Moreau".

The siblings proceed to Madame Albany's hideout at the Charles Laughton Theater in Los Angeles, where they shared their most painful memories in order to enter the Black Kingdom. They eventually corner and presumably outnumber her. Gabriel, much to Cordelia's shock, killed Regan under Madame Albany's instruction. At the same time, Louise, who turns out to be Madame Albany's shapeshifting henchman Lord Cornwall tasked to infiltrate the castle and retrieve the Orichalcum, incapacitate Uncle Edgar while the real Louise waits for Gabriel, accompanied by Albany's allies.

Gabriel then states that the attack on him was a charade, revealing himself as the Venetian. Gabriel worked with Madame Albany, who promised to resurrect his daughter in exchange for his help to obtain the Orichalcum and destroy the Magic Order. Cordelia, seemingly outnumbered by Albany and her allies, revealed that she had memorized the entirety of the tome and use the spells to resurrect the dead members of the Order, including Regan and Leonard while sacrificing Albany's allies to do so. Back at the Moonstone Castle, Uncle Edgar confronts Lord Cornwall. He tried to strike again but is quickly obliterated by Uncle Edgar, who revealed himself to be a powerful deity trapping himself intentionally within the castle.

Leonard, after an intense battle, managed to kill Madame Albany. An enraged Gabriel overpowers the Magic Order members, demanding they surrender so he can have his daughter back until Cordelia offers Gabriel to sacrifice himself to resurrect his daughter. Gabriel accepts, and he dies as his daughter resurrects. Cordelia and Edith decide to trap Louise within the magical version of the book "Crime and Punishment", while Regan takes Rosetta under his care. After the Ceremony of the Broken Wand at Gabriel's funeral, Leonard decides to resign and entrust Cordelia to continue his role and leadership, thus restoring their relationship.

Characters

Leonard Moonstone

Current patron of the Moonstone family and leader of The Magic Order, he is a professional magician by day performing under the name "Moonstone the Magnificent".[6] He performs at the Coliseum Theatre, a tradition kept within the family since 1885. Leonard separated with his wife in the past, admitting himself to not being a good husband and father. Although initially doubtful, he wishes to correct things with his ex-wife and eventually pass on his role to his daughter Cordelia.

Cordelia Moonstone

Leonard's daughter who works by day as a children's entertainer, stage magician and professional escapologist. Her birth mother was one of Leonard's stage assistants who Leonard impregnated. When her mother attempted to have an abortion, Cordelia used her magic powers to transplant herself into the surgeon's womb. Leonard and his wife adopted her soon after birth. Albeit very brave, she is reckless and rebellious in her youth, using her magic spells at the public to seek attention and visited her ancestors through the Abington Hotel while being strictly prohibited from doing so, much to her father's dismay. An alcoholic, Cordelia desires to prove herself to her father, but often became the family's black sheep.[6] Although viewed as the troublemaker figure, she proved herself to be a formidable magician and continues her father's role as the leader of the Magic Order.

Regan Moonstone

Leonard's younger son. He is the owner of a Boston nightclub by day. Regan was Leonard's most dependable son, often accompanying him on his performances. Being a hot-headed person, he frequently resolves situations with an inpatient and aggressive approach. In the aftermath, Regan takes Gabriel's daughter Rosetta under his care.

Gabriel Moonstone

Leonard's older son. Despite being a gifted magician with extreme magic powers, he leads a mundane life with his wife and has left the magic world behind since his daughter died in an accident involving his magic wand. He was traumatized, blaming himself and magic for her death. He is later revealed to be the Venetian, the magic assassin working with Madame Albany (named after his attire of Venetian robes, which renders him magically untraceable). He grew ruthless, willing to brutally kill his kin to regain his daughter. In the end, he died an honourable death by sacrificing himself to resurrect his daughter.

Edgar Moonstone

Leonard's brother (often referred to as Uncle Edgar) and guardian of the Moonstone Castle. It is suggested that Uncle Edgar is a being with apocalyptic magical powers. He stated himself to be the reason 'why Egypt is a desert', 'why there are half the stars there used to be' and 'having killed millions the last time he unleashed his powers'. He deliberately traps himself in the grounds of Moonstone Castle to 'protect the world from himself'. He is always accompanied by his pet Pterodactyl, Isaac.

Madame Albany

Leonard's cousin, daughter of Conrad, and the main antagonist throughout the series. She is dangerously unstable, wicked, and ruthless, being the mastermind behind the assassinations of the Magic Order members. She wishes to destroy the Magic Order and overthrow their authority over the magic world, whilst also proving her father wrong for not inheriting the Orichalcum to her. She desires to obtain the tome, and in doing so, acquired Gabriel's assistance after promising to resurrect his deceased daughter. Eventually, she is killed in a battle against Leonard.

Edith the Librarian

A member of the Magic Order and the keeper of the magic library at Moonstone Castle. She was drowned with a magic spell by the Venetian and is later resurrected.

Dong-Sun

A member of the Magic Order and an acquaintance of Regan. He was killed by the Venetian's changing spell and is later resurrected.

Willie

A member of the Magic Order and a delivery man by day. He was captured using the Soul Camera, killed by the Venetian and Madame Albany, and is later resurrected.

Louise

Gabriel's wife, who agreed to work with Madame Albany in order to have her daughter resurrected. She is later trapped by Edith and Cordelia within the magical version of the book "Crime and Punishment".

Rosetta Moonstone

Gabriel's only daughter who died in an accident while playing with her father's magic wand. She is later resurrected and is taken under her uncle Regan's care.

Rufus

A lowlife magician living on the streets acting as Madame Albany's informant. He was interrogated and later killed by Cordelia and Regan, having been turned into a living candle.

Angus

Madame Albany's gatekeeper. He was interrogated by the three siblings regarding Madame Albany's whereabouts and was trapped inside the magical version of the book "Robinson Crusoe" before finally relenting and giving the information. He was later trapped within the magical version of the book "The Island of Doctor Moreau", and is presumed killed.

Release schedule

Issue release dates:[7]

  1. June 13, 2018
  2. July 18, 2018
  3. August 15, 2018
  4. September 12, 2018
  5. December 12, 2018
  6. February 6, 2019

Development

Mark Millar has described The Magic Order as "the Sopranos meets Harry Potter, a magical fantasy-crime thing." Millar has said that he rationalised the fact that there were no monsters around by believing that there are people out there that deal with them before we notice. The comics will look like the Sopranos in that their underworld lives live alongside the real ones.[8] Millar described the basic story structure of the comics as King Lear but with magic wands.[6]

Critical reception

Issue 1 holds a user rating of 8.6 and a critic rating of 8.3 from ComicBook Round Up[9]

Issue 2 holds a user rating of 9.1 and a critic rating of 9.0 from ComicBook Round Up.[9]

Issue 3 holds a user rating of 9.1 and a critic rating of 9.0 from ComicBook Round Up.[9]

Television adaptation

Deadline reported that Netflix has given The Magic Order a series order with James Wan and Lindsey Beer attached as executive producers, Beer will also serve as the series' showrunner and Wan will direct the pilot.[10] However, On October 9, 2020, it was reported that Netflix chose not to move forward with the series due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but "hopes to revisit The Magic Order as a TV series in the future."[11]

References
  1. "The Magic Order #1 (Of 6) | Releases". Image Comics. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  2. "Mark Millar teases 'The Magic Order,' his first comic for Netflix". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  3. "Netflix releases a trailer for 'The Magic Order' comic book". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-07-14.
  4. "INTERVIEW: Millar Promises Shakespeare, Shagging & Sorcery In Netflix's The Magic Order". Comic Book Resources. 2018-05-17. p. 3. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  5. "Mark Millar Confirms the Return of the Magic Order". Comic Book Resources. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  6. "INTERVIEW: Millar Promises Shakespeare, Shagging & Sorcery In Netflix's The Magic Order". Comic Book Resources. 2018-05-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  7. "THE MAGIC ORDER". Image Comics. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  8. "Mark Millar on his new Netflix comic 'The Magic Order' and the origins of the MCU". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  9. "The Magic Order Reviews". Comic Book Roundup. Retrieved 2018-07-20.
  10. Andreeva, Nellie (May 17, 2019). "Netflix Orders Mark Millar's 'The Magic Order' To Series With James Wan & Lindsey Beer Executive Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  11. Andreeva, Nellie (October 9, 2020). "'The Magic Order' Not Moving Forward; Netflix Series Was Based On Mark Millar Comic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
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