The Magic Order 2 #1

The Magic Order 2 #1

Image Comics 2021

Written by Mark Millar

Illustrated by Stuart Immonen

Coloured by Sunny Gho

Lettered by Clem Robins

A magical turf war like you’ve never seen before! The London chapter of the Magic Order has entered the scene, and these tough Guy Ritchie-style gangsters have a problem with the Eastern European Warlocks moving into their territory. Can new leader Cordelia Moonstone keep the peace?

Well if the opening here doesn’t grab your attention and pique your curiosity then I’m guessing very little actually will. We barely get to see Victor Korne and already he’s intriguing and interesting to me as instantly I think he’s a proud man stuck in a position he hates and cannot wait to get out from underneath. As the story moves forward and we learn more about him the more I like him and the more I want to learn about him. If there is one thing that always holds true is that there are two sides to every story and usually both sides think they are right so it comes down to trying to see the balance between the two, which isn’t always easy and when Mark is writing a story it becomes damn near impossible but then that’s half the fun of this isn’t it, the ruling class versus everyone else. Without order there is chaos that much is true but too much order without compromise causes the revolution. So what will we be seeing here?

I’m already loving the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a magnificent job in establishing their personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages introducing us to the characters and the story it leaves us desperate to know and see more.

I’m rather impressed with the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story emerge, grow and evolve. How we see the layers within the story open up new avenues to be explored as well as how different arcs are on a collision course add this great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is impeccably achieved.

I’m a huge fan of Stuart’s work on the interiors here. The linework is clean, crisp and strong and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail within the work we see throughout is exceptionally well rendered. I do wish we would see more backgrounds being utilised but with that being said the way we see the composition within the panels brings out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a stellar eye for how colour works and how to maximise their effects.

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I love that this issue expands the Magic Order universe and introduces us to one of the consequences to Cordelia’s spell. I look forward to other factions making themselves known throughout the run here as well because when it rains it pours and why shouldn’t Cordelia have to deal with what she’s sewn? Regardless, this is the beginning of a great new chapter in the Order and I cannot wait to see what happens to these warlocks as they try to return the old ways to the present day. With strong, intelligent writing and some wicked characterisation all wrapped up in these amazing interiors the new chapter of the Order has begun in earnest.