“…well, well, well. For someone who was a little hesitant about murdering your fellow wizards, you certainly got there in the end…”
The next arc has begun! Keep reading for a review of The Magic Order 4, issue #1.
Warning, some spoilers below.
When we last saw the Magic Order, Regan had been excommunicated (supposedly), Salome murdered Leonard (apparently), and little Rosie revealed she’d been possessed by Madame Albany (ie “the most fucked-up character in all of Volume 1.”)
While I’ve said over and over that I knew something was up with Rosie, I have to admit I didn’t see the possession thing coming. I thought she’d just gone evil because of her parents being killed and/or imprisoned, and that coming back from the dead makes you a little weird. Nope, it looks like Rosie’s death wasn’t something that could be fixed, they just brought back her body with someone else at the steering wheel.
Obviously Albany wants to take over the Magic Order (she’s never needed any motivation other than “because I want to” but she’s extra pissed off now) so what follows in this issue is one magical death after another as her minions take out the Magic Order’s top wizards.
If it’s one thing this series has convinced me of, it’s that being part of this Order freaking sucks. You have all this power but you can’t use it to help yourself, ever. There are all these rules but people break them at the drop of a hat. The Order is there to help humanity but it seems like the greatest threat to humanity is the Order itself, because over and over again some member Gets An Idea and next thing you know everybody’s murdering each other.
Speaking of which, most of the deaths this issue were creative and interesting (though the guy who got taken out by the thing in the back of the van, was he not expecting it to be dangerous?) and the carnage was fun to watch. My biggest quibble was the final death, because it felt a little like someone giving a cartoon character a box with a note inside that says “Surprise!” and then dropping a bomb on them. I figured it would’ve taken something more elaborate to trick them.
Of course, I don’t believe the plan really worked, but then again, as creative as the other deaths were, it makes you wonder if the only reason why the “top wizards” aren’t killed off more often is because there’s a rule that says it’s not allowed. (See my earlier comment about people Getting An Idea and murdering everybody.)
I wish I could put my finger on what it is about this series that feels…off. I’m enjoying it, but there’s always this vaguely disjointed feeling to the story. I’d say it’s just that we haven’t got all the pieces yet, but that doesn’t feel right. Millar’s a successful writer so I’m going to guess (hope) that it’s intentional.
As for the art, I definitely enjoyed Dike Ruan’s work this issue. Paired with Giovanna Niro’s colors, it felt similar to Olivier Coipel’s work in volume 1, while still being very much its own thing. All the creative deaths were extremely well done, and that image of the ferris wheel strewn with bodies was wonderfully creepy.
