Comic Book Review - The Magic Order 2 #5

Rob reviews The Magic Order 2 #5...

We are on to the penultimate issue of this series as a comic heavyweight, Mark Millar ramps up The Magic Order 2 to blockbuster levels. It's a tempo that we've come to expect from Millar, and it's certainly no different here. 

Millar starts this issue off with more backstory as we see inside the illustrious Magic Order. This history lesson is soon interrupted by the suicide of Francis King. Since King's introduction, we've seen the troubled magician wrestle with his demons. Whether it was an actual demon or just Francis' imagination is still to be seen. But whatever it sadly drove King to take his own life by playing into his guilt of killing Harun. It's quite an emotional scene, and part of me had hoped that someone would come to his rescue. Alas, it's not the case - and if anything this death foreshadows what else is to come in this issue. 

I won't ruin what happens as the event is certainly worth coming into blind. What I will say is that there are more shocking deaths and an even greater threat on the horizon. Everything this issue sets up is leading to an epic final confrontation - and it's so far in Victor Korne's favour. 

Stuart Immonen brings plenty to the table in this issue. If he's not drawing gargantuan kaiju, he's giving us plenty of emotion within the characters. Each shocking death is expertly captured via the interactions with those in the scene. Body language and facial expressions go a long way in making the narrative believable and its Immonen captures well. This is all topped off by David Curiel who brings a lot of different colours to proceedings. 

Mark Millar's writing is just as sharp as its always been. One thing that I like about Millar's work is that he's not afraid to kill his core cast. We saw it during Marvel’s Civil War, and nowhere. Millar doesn't play it safe with his writing which is probably why a lot of his projects get TV adaptations. You're always guaranteed a shock death or a massive twist with far-reaching consequences, and it's this that makes each page turn that ever more palpable. While the whole of The Magic Order 2 has been a brilliant read - this issue has been the best. And considering that Netflix is adapting the story into a live-action series - they have some big shoes to fill. 

With one issue left to go, things don't look good for Cordellia Moonstone and what remains of The Magic Order. With the bulk of the cast either dead or out of action, things are swaying into the favour of a victory for Victor Korne. Yet knowing Mark Millar, no doubt a few more twists are coming our way. 

Rating: 10/10

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