Short stories can be tricky little creatures – especially in comics, where reading time per page can be exceptionally short. Every caption becomes a keystone, every detail in the artwork essential to the whole. Which is why it’s particularly wonderful to come across a collection of stories as well orchestrated and deftly laid out as the five tales collected in “Orc Girl”. Working within a variety of genres and exhibiting many different art styles, all of these stories (while not necessarily perfect) have a great sense of craft and care to them, particular in regards to the development of the main characters, and leave you with at least one strong image to mull over for the rest of the day.
Written by Paul Allor
Illustrated by Thomas Boatwright, Ben Dewey, Jesse Hamm, Koong KoongOrc Girl is a fantasy coming-of-age story… with orcs. This 48-page one-shot includes a 22-page story from writer Paul Allor and artist Thomas Boatwright, as well as four back-up stories with art from Boatwright, Ben Dewey, Jesse Hamm and Koong Koong.
As you can see above, Paul Allor is the sole writer on this collection, and his particular style and selection of themes gives this collection coherence and stability. Allor tends to focus on one particular character, using captions to explore their situation in an elliptical, allusive way, and the advantage of this approach is that there’s plenty of room for the art to expand upon the narrative. In this way there’s almost always an interesting dichotomy between writing and art, which keeps the flow of each story dynamic and interesting. And so, while the first story, ‘Orc Girl’, is undoubtedly the star of this collection, there’s plenty to enjoy in each of these tales — and if you weren’t doing so already, the complexity of the stories in this collection highlights Allor as a writer to watch.
‘Orc Girl’
Centring on an adventurous young orc lass by the name of Fern, and how she comes to terms with the limitations of her world, this is an understated but emotional story. Allor is careful not to overstate the world-building aspect of this tale, instead letting Fern’s individual character development shed light on the particularities of the setting, and it all builds up to a delicate and heartbreaking conclusion.
Thomas Boatwright draws the most endearing and expressive orcs you’re likely to encounter, all without coming across as cloying. And while his sketchy style can make the background details in some panels a little difficult to figure out, the strength of the character work makes this the most visually compelling story in the collection and a gorgeous little tale to return to again and again.
‘Another Life’
This is an intriguing sci-fi fable that lacks the emotional punch of ‘Orc Girl’ but still impresses with its rather bleak moral. Ben Dewey’s art does the brunt of the world-building here, cramming all kinds of great futuristic details into each panel and setting out particularly cool-looking aliens. It’s all laid out by means of an unusual narrative device that’s probably the story’s main strength, and drives home the tragedy of the situation.
‘Cage Around my Heart’
Allor takes a conventional futuristic premise about a robot with heart and gives it a twist by having a character who normally doesn’t narrate/focalize this kind of story step up and deliver the goods. While the ending still isn’t terribly unexpected, the point of the story is made quickly and simply, and in a way that sticks in your head.
Jesse Hamm’s art is beautifully clean and sharp, and the robot in particular looks wonderfully minimalistic while still managing to convey shades of emotion. Altogether there’s a lot of pathos packed into this little story.
‘The Last Flight of Zeppelin 223’
In what is likely the weakest tale in the collection, a marshal on duty during a routine zeppelin flight must confront some oddly familiar dangers in the cargo bay. It’s more of a vignette centring on a cyclical situation than a story proper, but as such it holds together well enough. Koong Koong’s manga-style artwork is remarkable for the extremely fine linework, as well as the lively and kinetic layouts (including an interesting use of bleeds). There’s also a particularly memorable and energetic concluding splash page.
Continued below‘Dead Man’
A soldier thought to be missing in action comes home to his family in this rather baffling World War II-era story. Thomas Boatwright again steps up to plate for the art, making use of finer, sharper lines here than the ones in ‘Orc Girl’, and setting down an eerie suburban landscape. But the story is left deliberately hanging, and it’s difficult to know what to think when you reach the last page.
Generally speaking, of there’s one overaching flaw to Paul Allor’s writing in this collection, it’s this tendency toward ending stories a page too soon — or crafting tales that feel a touch bigger than their 5-page limit — and either way, a few more threads are left dangling than can readily be tied up in the reader’s mind. But overall, and as you’ve probably figured out by now, “Orc Girl” is a really fun collection that will leave you with lots to think about – not least because Paul Allor writes such strong and sympathetic main characters, and has collaborated with such a varied and talented group of artists.
You can get ahold of “Orc Girl” in print or digitally directly from Challenger Comics.
Final Verdict: 8.8 – Buy
