Advance Review: ‘The Magic Order’ Vol.4 #6 Conjures Up A Magical Spectacle Of An Ending

It’s a well known fact that in the Shakespearian play, King Lear, from which Mark Millar derives many of The Magic Order’s characters’ names, Edmund is the bastard. But here, in the final issue of the most recent epic volume it’s Edgar who’s the real bastard. A man who has bided his time and now faces down the remaining Magic Order members, thanks to Albany’s machinations to free him. And, he does it rather successfully. Well, to a point. But, how Cordelia and her rag-tag crew of leftovers tackle him is something I won’t spoil. Needless to say, this issue delivers on bold, bloody drama and astonishing artwork that really takes in the huge scale of the action infolding on each page, as well as conjuring up a magical ending, literally and figuratively.

Cordelia has overthrown her savage brother and now controls the armies of Kolthur. But, rather than make this the springboard from which Millar delivers the fatal blow to Edgar Seemus, they are quickly done away with. That would be far too easy, and too clichéd an ending, and Millar doesn’t do cliché. Or rather, he remixes a good deal of tropes readers have become all too familiar with and looks for more inventive ways to take down the bad guys. Just as he does here.

Artist Dike Ruan and colourist Giovanna Niro are a spectacular tag-team in delivering the blockbuster action as well as the more nuanced scenes of this climactic issue. Each page demands your full attention with its sumptuous art and masterful layouts. The use of double page spreads effortlessly capture the frenetic, energetic all-out action, with a fiery colour scheme to match, while Ruan’s use of negative spaces are used effectively to help balance the page as well as draw the eye in further. The water colour like art created by Ruan and Niro dominated this issue and elevates the whole affair to something more akin to a graphic novel or European bande dessinée. His artwork is highly creative and highly expressive. Beautifully brutal when needs be, but stunningly sensual too. If you haven’t picked this up as single issues, I highly recommend you do when it’s inevitably collected as a trade paperback. 

The Magic Order Vol.4 #6 is out Wednesday 16th August from Image Comics