D’Orc #1: Half-Dwarf, Half-Orc, Full Awesome

D’Orc #1 presents a fresh idea. The world is divided between the Light and the Dark factions, who war over a battlefield called the Scar. Inside that Scar lives a walking, talking paradox. D’Orc may not be his name, but it’s all you need to know about this little half-light dwarf, half-dark orc with a heart of gold.

The narrative here is simple. Because the D’Orc is both light and dark, he’s an outsider among both sides of the war. That makes him a threat to the way of life for either side, light or dark. Unsurprisingly, this also makes it so that anyone he encounters regards him with contempt and fear. Brett Bean does an excellent job of showing the idiocy, and both sides, the Light and Dark, are just aesthetics rather than moral differences. This is shown to the reader through the way both sides treat the lovable D’Orc.

Brett Bean, being both the writer and the artist, does an incredible job of making both the story and the world feel very cohesive with one another. A strong example would be one of the main characters, a talking shield. The shield exudes a quirky attitude with its constant yearning for bloodshed while also being protective of the naive D’Orc. The art is a simple circular shape for the shield, but its eye in the center makes its personality pop out. It looks focused and narrow when delighting in action but dilated and concerned when talking to D’Orc.

There is always a vibe to artwork in comic books or even in animation, and that vibe has to support the story and the tone of the characters. D’Orc’s writing has a very strong voice, and the artwork is good at helping land the goofy attitude of the characters and the dark bits of action we get in this issue’s 32 pages. Jean-François Beaulieu’s colors are also a high note; glowing bits of magic shine in gritty action sequences, and warm shading completes the cozy atmosphere of a small medieval tavern.