And here we are with the third of writer Mark Millar and artist Oliver Coipel’s third Netflix-produced comic-book series, which I am enjoying a heckuva lot more than I expected to.

This issue opens with Regan and Cordelia confronting another wizard named Rufus, who drains “sexual energy” from homeless people having sex, whom they believe is on Madam Albany’s side. With some creative uses of magic, including turning Rufus into a human candle, they get some info about Albany’s plans, including where she found The Venetian, the magical assassin she’s been using to murder the other wizards. However, when the story switches to Madam Albany’s HQ, we learn from her that her motives are not exactly what the others expect. It’s an interesting twist, which gives her some depth beyond just being a typical villain who is evil just for the sake of being evil. That’s very smart on Millar’s part, and I’m curious to see how that develops in future issues.

We see the estranged Moonstone child, Gabriel again, as Leonard tries to convince him to rejoin The Magic Order. But despite his father’s warnings of possible danger, and his claims that Gabriel has the potential to be the greatest wizard in their family, Gabriel steadfastly refuses. Some more flashbacks to the death of Gabriel’s daughter, Rosetta, help give this sequence some emotional weight.

I have to say that I am particularly interested in seeing how Millar follows up on this development. Because it already seems like this would follow the obvious storyarc of Gabriel continuing to refuse to get involved until the last minute, when he feels he has no choice, and that he ends up saving the day and embracing his destiny as his father’s heir. I’m not saying that would be bad, but it would be somewhat predictable. So does Millar have some other plan for Gabriel, or will he play it “safe?” I guess time will tell.

The rest of the issue a battle between The Venitian and Leonard Moonstone. And, no spoilers, but it is once exciting battle, with and ending that is sure to change the rest of this miniseries. I will give Millar credit for inventing creative ways to use magic in a fight. And he could have no better creative partner on this series than Mr. Coipel. This story is perfectly suited for his art-style.

The Magic Order is one of the most surprising hits of the year. Chacebook rating: 5 STARS

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