If you ever wanted an R rated version of the world outside Hogwarts, you'd be hard pressed to find a better story than this one. Every page contains details as juicy as a Kardashian rumor mill. The writing is ripe with tantalizing new ideas and concepts. The art is dark and wondrous. Read Full Review

Imagine a murder mystery in the world of Harry Potter, but with a mature setting. Read Full Review

The bad news? Magic Order is a six-issue limited series. But I'll just have to take what I can get. The Magic Order #1 completely shattered my expectations and is a book you absolutely can't miss this week. This was tremendously entertaining. Read Full Review

Full of intrigue, interesting characters, and a beautiful visual aesthetic from superstar artist Olivier Coipel, THE MAGIC ORDER #1 by Mark Millar is one of the best new releases from Image Comics in a long time. Read Full Review

A great first issue that will definitely leave you wanting more. The Magic Order is fantastic. Read Full Review

I have been a fan of Millar for a long time now, and with The Magic Order, he once again shows why. Coipels artwork looks so amazing here, crafting this moody, cool world of wizards and danger, and with Stewarts coloring talents, it makes the book just spring off the page. The Magic Order delivers, amazes, and sets the stage for the Netflix partnership. Now if we can see a TV series of this book, that would be magic. Read Full Review

This is a very strong first issue and Ireally hope Netflix make this one into a television series because it is definitelythe sort of thing that I'd watch. Read Full Review

Packed with magic and mystery, The Magic Order #1 offers readers everything that they need and want from a debut issue, and more; a stunning first step for Mark Millar, Olivier Coipel, and Netflix. Read Full Review

'The Magic Order' #1 launches the Millarworld/Netflix collaboration with excellent world-building, gorgeous art, and breakneck pacing. Read Full Review

There are few creators that do big and broad as well as Mark Millar, but The Magic Order already feels more substantial than some of his other made-for-multimedia comics offerings, like Nemesis or Empress before them. Read Full Review

The art is truly masterful throughout the issue, and the story is engaging and ingenious, even with Harry Potter comparisons to be had. Read Full Review

Although "The Magic Order" #1 serves largely as an introduction to the characters, and to a slightly lesser degree the world, it sets the reader up for an engrossing, fantastical whodunit. Read Full Review

With a blockbuster opening sequence, a couple interesting lead characters, and masterful visuals from Olivier Coipel and Dave Stewart, The Magic Order#1 is the start of a beautiful partnership between Mark Millar and Netflix and a nice sop to those who have grown a bit cynical towards adults whose only reading is the adventures of a boy wizard… Read Full Review

Wednesday warriors hoping to cash in off of this title should be aware that Pre-orders are already through-the-roof, with over 140,000 pre-orders. Keep in mind that even top-selling comic books these days from Marvel or DC only sell around 100,000 copies (on a good month). However, digital copies will also be available come release day through Image comics website. Read Full Review

Overall, the book sets up the story and the world very well, providing us with a down to earth style from Millar, which I will admit, caught me off guard. Read Full Review

It's unfortunate that this book has so many flaws because the pieces that click well really go together. Still, fans of Millar or magic will find a lot to like about this issue, just be prepared to be disappointed by some of the execution. Read Full Review

For a writer who learned at the hip of Grant Morrison, you'd think by now Mark Millar would know better than to half-ass out a plot and try passing it off as a fully developed story. Read Full Review

This comic confuses maturity with the items that require a mature readers label. Read Full Review

The Magic Order #1 is a conventional, boring, and at times irritating read. There's nothing interesting or fresh in the story. Coipel and Stewart make the comic beautiful, but it just makes the underwhelming story that much more frustrating. This one doesn't get a recommendation. Give it a pass. Read Full Review

Harry Potter meets Game of Thrones kinda vibe, i love the entire premise starting with a murder... how it all goes from there. hopefully Millar can keep my mind glued in picking this issue, as its dark tone is such an impressive concept to use.

P.S. more alluring VR thingy pls. makes me enjoy this every time, it adds a little extra...magic and surprise

Practically a perfect issue that blends a crime thriller with a magical fantasy, get this book! The World set up by Millar feels rich with history and I can't wait to learn more. With intrigue, horror, and mystery, The Magic Order creates an amazing narrative that I can't wait to read more about!

Great start. Art could be better

Yesss. Gimme more. This issue is fantastic. Love the concept, love the story, love the art. So profane, so perverse. I'll definitely watch this on Netflix... that's happening, right? Pull this!

Strong start, gave me enough to keep me interested, but left enough out to keep me guessing.

Welcome to the Oblivion Bar where the first round is on me and the pretzels are free! Be warned: like the pickled eggs at the bar, this issue is going to get SPOILED rotten.

Instantly, I know what everyone wants to say: it’s Adult Harry Potter. Well, other than the fact that we see magic, wizards, and wands, I don’t see that connection at all. But I suppose every movie, tv show, pop culture reference, or comic will always be connected to Harry Potter as long as it has magic in it. Before I dive in, let me start by telling all readers that this is graphic, shows blood and gore, and “copulation” as it was referenced in the issue. If your cool with a more graphic comic, then let’s Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho our way through this issue shall we?

The issue opens with two “magicians” standing outside an apartment of one would be magician and his family. There goal is to kill them. So, they possess their child from floating outside the families building and have the child slice his fathers throat killing him instantly. The mother awakens to find her son with the knife in her bed covered in blood.

We then jump to a character named Cordelia Moonstone who’s in the back of a cop car being taken away for disruption at a child’s birthday party. She came as the birthday magician intoxicated, had sex with the birthday boys dad, and fought with his wife. We find out in this scene that she’s an exceptional escape artist as she sneaks out of a moving cop car without them knowing until it’s too late.

Next, we see Leonard Moonstone. who appears to be a regular stage magician doing the “catching a bullet in your mouth” act. We see an old woman fire the gun and Leonard catching it in his teeth later to find out that she actually shot him in the chest but he was wearing a Kevlar vest underneath his clothes just to be safe. On there way backstage, they get wind that Edward Lisowski was the one who was killed earlier in the story.

Turns out, they have what is called a Ceremony of the Broken Wand. This is basically just a funeral for the magician with the mystic community. As his friends are paying their respects, Madame Albany and her gang of misfit toys (magicians) appear to pay their respects too. The reader gets the vibe that she is the leader of a dark clan of magicians while some think she may have even been the one to kill Edward. Honestly, I don’t think that’s the case. It would be too easy. But who knows?

She actually came to pay her respects because she worked with Ed in the order of magicians. There job was to protect the human race from things they didn’t even know existed. We later see that Madame Albany has a shape shifter in her clan, which I think will play a big role as the story moves on. Otherwise, showing us this scene was pointless.

As everyone leaves the funeral, Cordelia finally shows up late and her brother and father are pissed. It seems like this is something she always does. She comes off as the black sheep of the family.

The story then shifts to Gabriel Moonstone who lives a normal life without magic out of choice. His brother is talking to him “magically” in secret at the grocery store. Why? Because he gave up that life. Not only does it look like something drastic happened magically against some crazy looking monster, something also happened to his daughter and my guess is that she died.

His brother asks Gabriel if he ever misses being in the order, being a magician, using his powers and all the wonder that goes with it. Gabriel, still looking devastated about his daughters death, says no. But while he’s talking to his brother, he keeps having flashbacks of this giant squid like monster that his dad brought him to see with the order followed by flashbacks of his daughter pretending to be a magician and then her casket. This part was to show us how deeply connected the magician underground is, its roots, it’s foundation in society, and the price that goes along with being in the order.

The story ends with another magician trying to mend an elderly woman with some type of green stew. This part confused me because I didn’t know who this magician was. Should we know him?

Suddenly, he realizes that the room he’s in is in a changing spell. And in less than a minute the entire room he’s in will change killing those in it, including the magician, and replace them with new people who were unaware of the change ever happening. The magician and the family he was helping get sucked into the changing spell and are lost while a new couple replaces them none the wiser. Behind the couple, we see the person in the beginning of the story that killed Ed who looks like a mix between Jigsaw, V for Vendetta, and someone from the revolutionary war. So, it looks like someone is murdering magicians. But who? I bet you it ain’t Voldemort!

This was a really great start to a story that has no supporting characters I know anything about. The hardest part of any comic that doesn’t involve any established heroes or well known heroes is to hook you from jump street. It needs to be creative, intriguing, and draw you in with some time of mystery or conspiracy. This issue does it all AND has pretty good art. I’m in for the magic carpet ride. As it stands today, sign me up for the 6 issue arc and some Steppenwolf too. Hop in now while you still can. You don’t need any prior knowledge to enjoy this series and I have a feeling you’ll enjoy it.

If you like what you heard, love talking all types of comics, and are interested in joining a comic chat group, hit me up at dispatchdcu@gmail.com or @dispatchdcu on twitter. Catch you all later! Peace more

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• Br'er Lapin AKA 20-Ish Ceiln

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DDJamesB - Aug 10, 2018

Hey man, why the stop on the reviews, I always looked forward to the oblivion bar on here. Notice this was the last review you did in a month. Keep spoiling the books rotten!

Dispatchdcu - Aug 10, 2018

I got a gig at MonkeysFightingRobots.com reviewing books. So I'm still spoiling books rotten

Dispatchdcu - Aug 10, 2018

Come on over! Follow me on Twitter @dispatchdcu and see all my reviews there! I appreciate the message

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Awesome! I'll definitely read the next issue.

This comic is sucking me in. I love the artwork.

I'm not a magic guy, I've never read a Harry Potter book or watched a Harry Potter movie, but this enticed me due to the creative team. And it was pretty cool! The opening is devastating and awesome. Magic is employed in an interesting way. And the Olivier Coipel art looked great. I'll keep reading this.

Mark knows how to pick some of the best artist in the industry To work with. Netflix’s advertisement on the back really makes me wonder.,