Going Indie: A Triple Threat from Challenger Comics-PART TWO
Part 2: Paul Allor’s Orc Girl (a one-shot)
In Part 1 of “Going Indie: A Triple Threat from Challenger Comics,” I provided a brief review of Ryan K. Lindsay’s Fatherhood #1. Today, we turn our attention to a second comic from Challenger Comics: the critically acclaimed Orc Girl by Paul Allor. Although Orc Girl contains five individual stories, this review will focus primarily on providing just two brief stories from the mini collection—both written by Allor with art by Thomas Boatwright.
“Orc Girl” (a one-shot)
Story and Lettering by Paul Allor
Art by Thomas Boatwright
Edited by Rob Anderson
Published by Challenger Comics
Orc Girl is a one-shot comic that include a number of short stories from a somewhat grounded fantasy story featuring the comics’ namesake to a handful of science fiction stories to a World War I supernatural drama. It is the bittersweet lead story about the orc girl, Fern, and her brother, Bogar, alone that makes this comic a “must read.”
Although most stories involving orcs tend to find themselves solidly lodged in the high fantasy genre, Allor makes the interesting choice to place the setting of this story in a sort of late 19th to early-20th Century period. Orcs are presented as working class beings content with living what appear to be simple, rural lives apart from the rest of the world. Humans, as we later find out, are the social opposites: they generally appear more finely dressed and reside in city landscapes. There is a tension between these two worlds, and yet, I’m not entirely sure Allor pushes the reader to draw a specific conclusion about one being somehow “better” than the other is. In some regards, the reader finds its protagonist to be a sweet and likeable character, and yet, there is a certain aspect of who she is that allows readers to empathize with her brother and the choices he makes as well. Even Fern is unsure of what to make of her story at the end.
Boatwright’s artwork takes a roughly hewn approach to the story, and considering this is the life of an orc—creatures often associated with roughness—it’s a fairly appropriate choice even if we are given a much softer perspective on these orcish people. And yet, Boatwright is able to skillfully convey a great deal of emotion through subtle shifts in lighting and the facial expressions of his characters alleviating Allor from having to tell readers how Fern and the other characters are feeling—hallmarks of smart graphic storytelling.
The science fiction stories are enjoyable and the art shifts as Allor brings new creators in to help tell these tales; however, the final story, “Dead Man,” centered on a boy who loses his father in World War I is perhaps the next most compelling story—not surprisingly, drawn and inked by Thomas Boatwright. The dead begin returning from the war, and it begins to cause a stir amongst the townsfolk. Yet, Allor is clearly not interested in providing a typical ghost story where the focus is on the supernatural elements. Instead, the focus is on the human aspect of loss and the desire for the dead. The story closes with the young narrator saying, “In school, the stories they teach us always have a point. A lesson at the end. But I guess this one doesn’t.” Perhaps there isn’t an explicit theme or lesson readers should walk away from this story with per se… and yet, it seems this short story does provide readers with a keen insight into the feelings of loss. Once again, Boatwright’s ability to capture and convey emotion and set the mood with his art pairs well with Allor’s evocative story.
Check back in tomorrow for the FINAL Part of “Going Indie: A Triple Threat from Challenger Comics” featuring a review of Ryan Ferrier’s Brother James!
July 22, 2013
I could truthfully read about this all day!
! I really hope you have an RSS feed I can check out.
We’ve been really searching all through the site just for stories focused on blu ecigs reviews.
my page … nicorette anti smoking reviews