Comics Review: "THE MAGIC ORDER 3 #4" is Beastin' on Other Comic Books

THE MAGIC ORDER 3 #4 (OF 6)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Gigi Cavenago
COLORS: Valentina Napolitano
LETTERS: Clem Robins
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
COVER: Gigi Cavenago
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Gigi Cavenago; Greg Tocchini
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Rated M / Mature

The Magic Order created by Mark Millar at Netflix

The Magic Order was a six-issue comic book miniseries written by Mark Millar and drawn by Olivier Coipel.  Published in 2018-19, The Magic Order focuses on the sorcerers, magicians, and wizards – in particularly the Moonstone family – who live ordinary lives by day, but protect humanity from darkness and monsters of impossible sizes by night.  A second six-issue miniseries, The Magic Order 2 (2021-22), was recently published.

The Magic Order 3 introduces the Asian chapter of the The Magic Order.  A six-issue miniseries, this third installment is written by Millar; drawn by Gigi Cavenago; colored by Valentina Napolitano; and lettered by Clem Robins.  The series finds Cordelia Moonstone focusing her attention on the Asian chapter's Sammy Liu and his impossible wealth, as the ghosts of an old conflict stir.

The Magic Order 3 #4 opens in Moonstone Castle, the place where a story 500 years in the making is about to be … made.  Meanwhile, Sasha Sanchez (“the Babysitter”) and Rosetta “Rosie” Moonstone begin their adventures in learning magic via a comic book.  Sasha may be one of the most experienced wizards in The Magic Order, but are his misgivings about Rosie correct?  And will he act on them based on nothing more than his hunch?

Plus, who is “the Wizard King of Kolthur?” And why is that a thing?

THE LOWDOWN:  My favorite Mark Millar Netflix creation is The Magic Order.  It always surprises me, but I wonder if that can always be true.  Well...

I could tell you how fabulous The Magic Order 3 #4 is, which it indeed is.  I'd rather tell you about the comic within the comic book.  It is the surprise of surprises in this series... thus far.

In order to depict the adventures of Sasha and Rosie, Mark and Gigi create their own homage to the horror comics of the late cartoonist and comic book writer-artist, Alex Toth (1982-2006).  Toth produced notable genre short stories for Warren Publications (especially in the magazine, Creepy) and DC Comics, from the mid-1960 throughout the 1970s.  Gigi is pitch-perfect with art that could pass for Toth's work, which isn't easy.  Only Toth's most skilled admirers and acolytes can mimic his style, fewer still his unique brand of storytelling.

Millar and Cavenago have done it again.  We don't deserve such consistent excellence, but they give it to us – real, real good – with every issue.  I'm waiting for The Magic Order 3 to fall off that pedestal, but apparently that spell is not in any book.  I super-freakin' highly recommend The Magic Order 3, dear readers.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of The Magic Order will want to read The Magic Order 3.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://twitter.com/themagicorder
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------

Comics Review: "AMERICAN JESUS: Revelations #1" Rocks the Heavens

AMERICAN JESUS: REVELATION  #1 (OF 3)
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Peter Gross with Tomm Coker
COLORS: Jeanne McGee with Daniel Freedman
LETTERS: Cory Petit
COVER: Jodie Muir
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTIST: Tomm Coker
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2022)

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as three comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004, and continued in American Jesus: The New Messiah, a three-issue series published by Image Comics in 2019-20.

The series concludes in American Jesus: Revelation, a three-issue series written by Millar; drawn by Gross with Tomm Coker; colored by Jeanne McGee with Daniel Freedman; and lettered by Corey Petit.  The series offers the epic conclusion to the greatest story ever told.

American Jesus: Revelation #1 opens before time, with a depiction of the greatest and most infamous coup attempt ever known to the Western world and like-minded parts of it.  In modern times, Jodie Christianson, the Chosen, is now President of the United States.  He is a doting father, telling his two spawn … err … children bedtime tales, a bit of family time before he initiates that terrible attack that soured the hope and promise of the twenty-first century.

Now, the world is falling apart around President Jodie, and he could give a f**k.  Europe is in flames in a war with Russia.  Plagues and lock downs cover the globe.  The financial system is on the brink of collapse.  Jodie's solution is a one world government under the rule of the Antichrist (which is he) and with the digital enslavement of all mankind.

Can even the true savior – the returned Christ – stop Jodie now?  What are her true intentions, anyway?

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me PDF review copies of American Jesus, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.  I had not read them until recently, and I needed to do so in preparation for American Jesus: Revelation.  But nothing could prepare me.

Mark Millar is like an incorrigible kid, running through the museum of American exceptionalism and breaking all the bric-à-brac that passes for high art and culture.  A blue-eyed, middle American, small town boy as the Anti-Christ – done.  An Afro-Latina woman as the Savior – done.  Thick bodied, dark-skinned humans as Adam and Eve – he did it.  And Millar gleefully slays the pseudo-sacred cow of 9/11.  Yes, the Scotsman went nine-eleven on 9/11.  And he blends centuries of conspiracy theories – from books, oral history, and the digital age – into a delicious comic book pop confection that I want to devour until I have diabetes.

Yes, Peter Gross, Tomm Coker, Jeanne McGee, Daniel Freedman, and Corey Petit all do stellar work.  But for this first issue, I must testify to the comic book gospel of (Saint) Mark Millar.  All joking aside, Mark and Peter and company must really respect their audience to give us such a fantastic first issue.

Dear readers, you know that not all “superstar” comic book creators go out like Mark and Peter have these past two decades.  But I won't name them; instead, I'll focus on the most excellent American Jesus: Revelation #1.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books and of the American Jesus series will want to read American Jesus: Revelation.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "AMERICAN JESUS Vol. 2: The New Messiah" - Alabarla!

AMERICAN JESUS, VOL. 2
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Peter Gross
COLORS: Jeanne McGee
LETTERS: Cory Petit
EDITOR: Rachel Fulton
ISBN: 978-1-5343-0871-8; paperback (May 26, 2020)
96pp, Color, $9.99 U.S.

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as three comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries by Millar and Gross, that was published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004.

Image Comics published the second series, American Jesus: The New Messiah #1-3 (cover dated:  December 2019 to February 2020).  Image later collected the second series in trade paperback form as American Jesus, Vol. 2: The New Messiah.

The New Messiah opens in 1970s New York City.  It introduces 14-year-old Luciana Cortez, who has just discovered that she is pregnant – a pregnant teen virgin!  According to the man that appears in her dreams, her child is the Messiah.  Now, Luciana and her 16-year-old boyfriend, Eddie Jones, must flee for their lives as the forces of Satan close in to destroy them.

Eighteen years later, their daughter, rebellious Catalina, is a non-believer, and she thinks that her parents have been brainwashed by the cultists who guard her and her parents in a compound … in Waco, Texas.  Yet there is bloodshed a plenty ahead for young Catalina, and she will be forced to stop refusing to accept her destiny as the savior of mankind.

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me a PDF review copy of American Jesus, Vol. 2, and this is the first time I have read the story.  I didn't read The New Messiah upon its initial release because at the time I had not read American Jesus, Vol. 1.

Sixteen years after they introduced Chosen and its star, Jodie Christianson, Mark Millar and Peter Gross returned with The New Messiah.  Whereas the first volume of American Jesus was something of a horror comedy – droll, witty, and satirical on top of the inherent creepiness, the second volume of American Jesus is a horror-fantasy infused with dramatic aspects.  Darker in tone and more thoughtful, it is a different book for a different “chosen.”

The story of Luciana Cortez and Eddie Jones is essentially a teen romantic drama, although their situation gives it elements of a supernatural teen drama.  Before long, after Catalina is born and approaches adult hood, teen drama is in service of the supernatural situation.  The New Messiah might end as a suspense thriller filled with sequences of edgy action and violence, but on the way, the narrative dances around  from one genre to the next.  Like the first series, The New Messiah challenges our expectations and often trashes them.

It is a talent of Mark Millar to blend genres and sub-genres like the Dust Brothers on the Beastie Boys' album, Paul's Boutique (1989).  Peter Gross conveys the action, drama, and nuances with a deft touch that only the best of veteran comic book artists have.  Gross draws the readers deep into this tale, and Jeanne McGee's colors warm the storytelling space with rich moods and atmosphere.  Letterer Cory Petit keeps the story even as it flies through its surprises and shocking reveals.

Millar and Gross display an even more confident hand at storytelling in American Jesus Vol. 2 than they did in American Jesus Vol. 1, which was a self-assured work.  We don't know how they'll top what they have done so far, but we can be confident that they will.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books will want to read American Jesus.

[This volume includes “The Second Coming of Millar and Gross: Sixteen Years Later,” a conversation between Millar and Gross.]

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "AMERICAN JESUS Vol. 1: Chosen" - Holy Moley!

AMERICAN JESUS, VOL. 1
IMAGE COMICS

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Peter Gross
COLORS: Jeanne McGee
LETTERS: Cory Petit
EDITOR: Rachel Fulton
ISBN: 978-1-5343-0871-8; paperback (May 26, 2020)
96pp, Color, $9.99 U.S.

Rated M / Mature

American Jesus created by Mark Millar and Peter Gross

American Jesus is a comic book series created by writer Mark Millar and Peter Gross that is being published as a series of comic book miniseries.  American Jesus began life as Chosen, a three-issue miniseries by Millar and Gross and published by Dark Horse Comics in 2004.  In 2009, Image Comics collected Chosen in the trade paperback, American Jesus, Vol. 1: Chosen.

Chosen introduces an ordinary twelve-year-old boy.  Well, Jodie Christianson isn't really normal.  He is the Son of God.  After surviving the freak accident of having an 18-wheel vehicle fall on him, Jodie awakens to discover that he is Jesus Christ.  Well, that explains his parents, Martha and Jonah Christianson's weird and apparently sexless marriage.

Like the original Jesus, Jodie can turn water into wine, cure the blind (or near-sighted), and resurrect pets.  Well, he is not quite like the original.  How much is Jodie different from Christ?  Well, that's the rub, but the newly faithful of Peoria, Illinois are learning to love their boy Christ.  So how will Jodie deal with his destiny, which has been thousands of years in the making?...

THE LOWDOWN:  Netflix/Millarworld sent me a PDF review copy of American Jesus, Vol. 1, and this is the first time I have read the story.  I vaguely remember when the original Chosen miniseries was released, but I seem to remember having a difficult time finding any copies.

Chosen is a quiet comic book, as artist Peter Gross depicts even the most shocking moments in a measured way.  Nothing blows up in your face, but Gross has a way of blowing your mind with disquiet.  With this sense of unease, Gross draws you inside this troubling story.  Gross may be one of the only (if not only) comic book artists to convey via his illustrations and graphical storytelling that a Christ figure is not only supernatural, but also unnatural.  Jeanne McGee's coloring haunts every frame of this story, turning up the sense that something here is wrong.

Mark Millar, being both relentlessly prolific and unrelentingly inventive, is the twenty-first century version of those comic book creators of yesteryear who unwittingly created what would be million-dollar and billion dollar franchises – one after another.  Millar, however, is doing this for himself and his collaborators, and in Chosen, he gets one thing perfectly right.  Saviors and messiahs don't build a following on faith, but on what they can do for their followers.  Nowhere would that be more true than in America.  Every time, Jodie Christianson does something miraculous, the size of his flock multiplies.  Millar's script is almost matter of fact in this, and letterer Cory Petit paces out the wrongness of this scenario, helping to build the sense of trouble.

Thoughtfully conceived and confidently executed, American Jesus Vol. 1 is another example of how determined Mark Millar is to entertain, enthrall, and thrill his readers.  In Peter Gross, he has an equally skilled and determined storyteller.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar's comic books will want to read American Jesus.

[This volume includes an introduction by actor and filmmaker Simon Pegg; an “Afterword” by Brother Richard Hendrick; “The Gospel According to Millar and Gross: Occult Symbols and Hidden Meanings,” a conversation between Millar and Gross; and “From Script to Art with Peter Gross.”]

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/ImageComics
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://twitter.com/netflix
https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
www.imagecomics.com


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------------------

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