Netflix Releasing First Comic Book in Partnership With Mark Millar
Netflix isn't just a streaming service anymore; it's also a comic book publisher.
In August, Netflix bought MillarWorld, the company created by comics writer Mark Millar ("Kick-Ass," the "Kingsman" series). The deal put Netflix into a position to better compete with Disney and Warner Bros., who own the two big comics publishers Marvel and DC Comics, respectively.
Netflix got exclusive rights to produce movies, TV shows, and children's programming based on MillarWorld's past, current, and future properties. And now we know what one of those future properties is.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Millar revealed the first new comics title under the deal: "The Magic Order." The project teams the writer with artist Olivier Coipel, the illustrator behind Marvel's "House of M" and "Siege."
"The Magic Order" revolves around five families of magicians who have been living disguised as normal people, all while protecting humankind. But a new enemy emerges to kill the wizards one by one, and the families are forced to take new measures. Millar describes it as "more like 'The Sopranos' than 'Lord of the Rings.'"
The comic will run for six issues starting this spring. Presumably, if it is received well, Netflix will have an eye to adapting it for the screen.