The Magic Order, Vol. 5

The Magic Order

by Mark Millar (Writer), Matteo Buffagni (Illustrator), Giovanna Niro (Colorist)

Soon to be a major Netflix live action series, the fifth volume of The Magic Order concludes the smash hit adult fantasy graphic novel about a family of wizards who look after the world and protect us from the creatures lurking in the dark.

A lifetime of bad decisions finally catches up with the woman who protects the entire world from the forces of darkness.

They’ve protected mankind for a thousand years, but one by one they’ve been picked off by their enemies since Cordelia Moonstone used black magic and now she’s the last wizard standing as they make their final push. This has been an astonishing series, this final volume is the best one yet.

Collects The Magic Order 5 #1–#6.

For mature audiences.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2025

About the author

Mark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.

His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.

Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.

Reviews

[Jayson]

(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: A muddy plot (no melting pot), low-effort, feels diminished: a ruleless game, the villain's lame, a real whatever finish.

*Progress updates: Preamble ◦ Issues #1-3 ◦ Issues #4-6

[Alexander Peterhans]

A decent enough ending to the series or is it!? (Is it actually an ending, I mean) The new baddies aren't as interesting as previous baddies, and they don't have a real connection to the Order like previous antagonists had. Eventhough it's a bad of a cliche, I liked the the-world-of-magic-was-a-psychotic-illusion turn things took at the start of the book, and kind of would've liked that to be the book's whole arc, but Millar always moves at breakspeed so that gets solved much too quickly.

Great art, as usual in this series.

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Anna Quilter]

Conclusion to the series.
It was always an interesting story...who can go wrong with an ancient Magic Organisation that counters World threats.

[Odo]

9.25/10

[Craig]

This wasn't great. Too much going on--two different giant threats hitting Cordelia Moonstone at the same time, and not enough explanation. The daughter of the moon wants to kill her. Why? Reasons. At least the Fellowship of the Bell has a bit more motivation, to bring about the end of the world at the hands (tentacles) of the Elder Gods! The art is mostly good, though often hard to parse in some of the action scenes. This just wasn't up there with other volumes in this series--the story wasn't as well-told or carefully plotted. There weren't surprise reveals and twists that turn everything on its head. Kind of disappointing, to be honest. Still, I think this is easily the best of Millar's various series and if it ever gets a live action version, I'll be there...

[Nerdmaling]

The Magic Order fortsätter att tuffa på. Jag är egentligen lite förvirrand kring att detta ska vara någon sorts avslutning? Det känns mer som säsong 2 avsnitt 1 där nya karaktärer presenteras.

Jag blev verkligen förälskad i teckningarna och det är lite av seriens höjdpunkt. Storymässigt så är den ok, jag är inte direkt helfrälst i konceptet men när jag väl börjar läsa så tycker jag faktiskt att det är bra.

Om jag ska vara ärlig så gillar jag tempot, den underliggande humorn och karaktärerna men ogillar att det är obegränsad fantasy där i princip allt kan lösas med att man antingen åker tillbaka i tiden eller bara en ännu större trollformel så... vi får se hur engagerad jag blir ifall serien får en fortsättning.

[Estibaliz]

Kind of fun, but completely unnecessary.

This graphic novel is labeled as volume 5 in the 'Magic Order' series, but it really is a completely independent new adventure, with Cordelia Moonstone as a protagonist; and, of course, some big baddies trying to end the world.

This whole Millar's creation has been getting older and more tired with each passing volume, especially when it comes to the last instalments. And though this one was quite fun, it is also quite stereotypical, once again, and has a couple of save-all twists that feel a bit ridiculous. Like, if it wasn't a big deal, why hasn't be done before?

I don't know, I guess I just think this is pretty average, and also hoping this is the end of it.

[Alan]

I enjoyed this, but I wasn't as wowed as I expected. I mean UI still like most of the Moonstone family, so it is not the characters.

My best analysis is that I was expecting a bigger boom for a series finale. I was little underwhelmed (much like the ending to The Expanse). Maybe borrowing a page from Kaiju No. 8's finale which summarized where practically everyone in the large cast ended up is more to my style.

[Eric]

Glad I didn't realize this was the last volume until the last page, otherwise I would have been thinking of how little I cared about all that. But as entertainment, this is one of the few Modern Millar comics that has worked. I mean, again, I didn't care but I wasn't bored.

Also, I'm really hoping that whole "good magic" reveal was supposed to be obvious otherwise I'm even more worried for Millar than I was before.

[Cale]

I've been hot and cold with this series, especially its later volumes, but this volume does a good job tying the plots together. Cordelia still comes across as having very little personality, but that allows her allies to take a little more attention. The ending is pretty epic, even if it feels a bit like a deus ex machina that is required to write the characters out of the corner they were painted into.

[Edward Correa]

3.5
Quizás esta serie tuvo que terminar en el volumen 4 en lugar de publicar un 5to, pero tampoco es que llega a echar a perder la historia general. Está bien, se deja leer. Más allá de que se trate de un relato más sencillo a los de antes y que el villano de turno sea solo eso la verdad es que los personajes son lo suficientemente atractivos como para que valga la pena.

[Jonathan Crabb]

The art continued to be excellent in this graphic novel, but it was the last volume in the series. I don't feel it really ended in any substantive way more so than other volumes which was annoying. Glad I read the series, but disappointing end.

[Alican Kunta]

another great run. but I'm waiting for my tv adaptation where the hell is it damn it

[Shawn Ingle]

Not bad necessarily but certainly a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise great series.

[iamjacsmusings]

The final(?) arc read like a middling episode of Buffy watched. Make of that what you will...

[Drew]

A clever end to a pretty great series from Millar. This might be the best stuff he's ever done. Buffagni's art is no slouch and is able to deliver on everything supernatural and mundane.

[Jas Singh]

the first two volumes were so good that i felt the need to finish the entire series

[Dario_17]

Una chiusura di ciclo ben affilata, più pirotecnica ma meno elegante dei capitoli precedenti.
Gestire un sistema magico in cui puoi fare tutto e il contrario di tutto ha portato a qualche facinoleria per risolvere il climax ma ci può stare.
Matteo Buffagni grande matita!