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image comics reviews 1-25-23
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Image Comics reviews 1/25/23 – The Magic Order Vol. 4 #1, Junkyard Joe #4

Jeffrey Lyles , , , , , ,
The Magic Order Vol. 4 #1

Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get worse for The Magic Order after the shocking conclusion of Vol. 3, Mark Millar puts them through a Godfather ending style disappearing act.

Kudos to Millar for not making Magic Order fans wait multiple months for a payoff to that wild cliffhanger from Vol. 3.

Madame Albany is leading a coup to enact revenge on Cordelia Moonstone and the rest of the Order loyal to the traditional ways. And with the advantage of surprise, the Magic Order loyalists get taken off the board through some fiendishly brutal methods.

Albany is giving some members like Sammy Liu a chance to decide their fate — join up with her or die. It’s not that tough of a choice, but Millar mines these moments for maximum dramatic effect.

For an issue where the good guys are systematically wiped out on every other page, Millar has to revel in even the most fleeting of dramatic moments.

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Joining Millar for this volume as the featured artist is Dike Ruan.

Ruan’s style is more reminiscent to previous volume artists Olivier Coipel and Stuart Immonen than volume 3 artist Gigi Cavenago. As the series shifts to a darker tone, Ruan seems to be a strong fit based on this initial issue.

Ruan packs a commendable amount of detail in the panels while being able to pivot and go wide for bigger moments.

Colorist Giovanna Niro crafts stark contrasts of the bright, daytime settings with the seedy, depressing nighttime scenes where most of the assassinations occur.

As gloomy as Vol. 3 ended, Vol. 4 doubles down on the bleak outlook for the Order. Cordelia’s had some tricks up her sleeve previously, but with so many of her allies now dead it seems like it’s going to take a miracle to turn the tide.

The Magic Order has lost none of its charm as Millar keeps finding new ways to keep the title fresh. Ruan seems like another fantastic artist raising his game to another level in this series. I don’t have any clue how this is going to play out, but I’m content to sit spellbound with this latest volume of The Magic Order.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Photo Credit: Image Comics

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