I don’t know exactly why Matt Fraction just abruptly ended his well written group of young superheroes, “THE ORDER” VOL. 2, but he did, at 10 issues.
I thought it was cool!
They were going to use “THE CHAMPIONS” but HEROIC PUBLISHING already owned the trademark for the name so they had to change it to “THE ORDER”.
“Craig Lines” at “Den of Geek” had this to say about the series when it was about half the way through its run:
“Well, the unimaginative name is the only negative thing you'll hear me say about this title. Everything else is, literally, perfect. The Order is Fraction's own creation, a superhero team put together by Tony Stark as part of his "50 State Initiative". They represent the California state team and each member is a 'normal' person given specific super-powers by Stark Industries. These powers can be revoked at any time (as we find out in #1 when most of the original team is fired and replaced for public drinking and excess in the wake of a successful firefight) and a new person will inherit them. The abilities, codenames and structure of the team are all based on those of the Greek Gods but, although this is a nice touch, it all pales by comparison to the fascinating characters that Fraction has created.
Their leader and mentor, Henry Hellrung, is a recovered alcoholic and retired actor whose claim to fame was playing Tony Stark in a popular Iron Man TV series. Rebecca Ryan is an ex-child beauty queen turned super-powered, shape-shifting socialite. She's a bit like a Southern belle Paris Hilton; sex tapes, daddy issues and all. Mulholland Black is the enigmatic punky girl whose superpowers connect her telekinetically to the nervous system of Los Angeles itself; her murky past makes her the archetypal emo chick gone bad. Milo Fields is the crippled young marine, disenchanted with the government's war but still wanting to fight the good fight. These are just a handful of the rich, varied and original characters that make up the team.
In giving us a pack of young newbies, Fraction has created a group of sympathetic, eager hopefuls who battle against the odds to do good in a world gone very bad indeed. The Order gives us a team of heroes whom we can root for; ones we genuinely want to see win, to succeed, to overcome their problems and beat those bad guys. More crucially, ones for whom we would shed a tear if they died – and with all of these characters being so undisciplined – it always feels like a constant, terrifying risk (we already know that Fraction's not scared of death or surprises in his writing).
Although it's only been going half a year, I can honestly say this is the best team title on the shelves right now (if not the best Universe title altogether). There's not a single panel so far that I'd change. Barry Kitson's art is beautiful and Matt Fraction's writing goes from strength to strength (in fact, I'd say The Order is his best work to date and that's no small compliment!). It's the story that Rick Veitch's Bratpack could've been, had it not been so bitter and dark; a modern-day love letter to the teen superhero genre packed with vibrant characters and explosive storylines. The Order is exciting, original, moving and frequently very funny to boot. Please don't let the name put you off. This is pure comic book gold.”
The team’s liason from Tony Stark was none other than Pepper Potts and she gave them remote support, Henry Hellrung (ANTHEM) was their field leader.
So here is my fancast for “THE ORDER”.
HERA (PEPPER POTTS) - GWYNETH PALTROW
ANTHEM/APOLLO (HENRY HELLRUNG) - DERMOT MULRONEY
ARALUNE (REBECCA "BECKY" RYAN) - ASHLEY TISDALE
CALAMITY/HERMES (JAMES WA) - LEONARDO NAM
MULHOLLAND BLACK (NO CODE NAME) - JORDAN HINSON
She's very young in the 2nd pics below, 18 here.
As can be seen here, she fits the emo-girl look.
SUPERNAUT (MILO FIELDS) - JON HUERTAS
Milo Fields pic.
VEGA (MAGDALENA MARIE NEUNTAUBEN) - JEANNA RUSSO
Vega and her GOLEM "babies".
HEAVY/POSEIDON (DENNIS MURRAY) - WES CHATHAM
(DISMISSED FOR DRINKING ALCOHOL)
AVONA/ATHENA (AVERY ALLEN) - JESSICA LOUNDES
MAUL/HEPHAESTUS (JAMAL PEOPLES) - MEHCAD BROOKS
PIERCE/ARTEMIS (PAMELA "PAM" PIERCE) - MAGGIE GRACE
CORONA/HELIOS (CARLOS ARAUJO CARVALHO) - JAY HERNADEZ