D’Orc #2 is written by Brett Bean and published by Image Comics. Artwork is by Brett Bean, colours by Jean-François Beaulieu and letters by Nate Piekos. Main cover art (left) is by Brett Bean.
D’Orc #2 is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
D’Orc is avoiding every wizard and warrior because some DOOMSDAY prophecy says he will destroy the world. Can he change their minds? Probably not. D’Orc, his magic shield, and Ghost-chicken-with-its-head-cutoff are too busy facing a bigger challenge: KIDS!?! They’re time thieves. Oh, and there’s a Time Lord. That guy sucks
Review
D’Orc #2 gives us another frenetic burst of entertainment delivered with heart. The creative team seems to have a lot to say about prejudice, with our protagonist attempting to defy the assumptions and stereotypes that others are more than happy to use as an excuse to tear him limb from limb.
This issue sees the D’Orc facing down a group of time thieves – orphaned children who’s lives have been completely upended by the ongoing war between Light and Dark, and are now being manipulated by a higher authority.
This fight is a multifaceted one, presenting our hero with a physical threat, while simultaneously mirroring some of his own experiences and offering a serious moral conflict. After all, D’Orc knows all too well what it’s like to be an orphan at the mercy of a cruel world.
The art is as dynamic as it was in the first issue, with popping colours and jagged linework that gives every image a personality of its own. But more than the pencilling technique, much is owed simply to the art direction – the quirky visual ideas that conjure a smile just from a quick glance.
A wooden shield with an eyeball bulging from the centre; the ghost of a chicken head guiding it’s physical body around (with limited success); a dwarven assassin with a tally of kills etched into the head of his warhammer.
Design really is everything in D’Orc, and Bean and Beaulieu have given us a prime example of how to use it to capture the imagination before even a single word is written.
And, incidentally, the words are pretty good too. D’Orc, the magic shield and Ghost Chicken(?) all share a lively back-and-forth. The shield continues to act as a constant moral dilemma for D’Orc, urging bloodshed at every possible opportunity.
As established in the first issue, our protagonist can sometimes lose himself to righteous fury – which is only spurred on by his enchanted, iron-fastened companion. Additionally, the D’Orc has another obstacle to contend with, taking the form of a hovering, ghostly chicken head.
As D’Orc was personally responsible for separating this head from its body, he feels obligated to bring him on his adventure, and must tolerate his constant questions and general uselessness.
These conflicts end up providing more than just funny banter, with the shield’s constant lobbying for brutality setting up the decision D’Orc will ultimately make to resolve the crisis – which, as a result, feels meaningful and emotionally resonant.
So far, the highest praise I can give this budding series is how efficiently told the story is, and how much bang for your buck you get. Is this just one part of an ongoing story? Absolutely. But it’s a self-contained, satisfying tale in its own right.
In roughly 21 pages we witness an adventure begin, escalate and come to an end – and along the way we get some beautifully drawn beat-em-ups, a welcome commentary on war (and the orphans left in its wake), and more emotional development for its protagonist than a comic with a talking shield has any obligation to deliver.
Hell, even the chicken gets a character arc. That’s right. An intangible, floating chicken head actually undergoes personal growth over the course of this story. It’s beautiful. We love to see it.
Verdict
This creative team know exactly what kind of story they want to tell with D’Orc, and their confidence in telling it shows on every page. While so many series take liberties with the patience of their audience, Bean and Beaulieu manage to fit humour, action, and meaningful character growth into just one issue.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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