D'Orc, by Brett Bean

(You can also read this review in Spanish/También puedes leer esta reseña en español)

D'Orc, written and illustrated by Brett Bean and colored by Jean-François Beaulieu, is one of this year's surprises in the comic book world. Issue #1 of this new Image series sold like hotcakes and began commanding very high prices on the secondary market. I admit it piqued my curiosity, but since the premise didn't really appeal to me, I didn't pay it much attention. However, the title kept making noise and receiving good reviews, so I finally decided to give it a try, something I'm quite glad about, because I liked it a lot. 

The protagonist of the story, also named D'Orc, is half-dwarf and half-orc (hence the name) and finds himself caught in the middle of a deeply entrenched war between the sides of light and darkness. Hated by both factions, D'Orc only wants to be left alone, figure out his origins, and uncover how much truth there is to the prophecy claiming he is destined to destroy the world. 

The tone of D'Orc is distinctly humorous. It reminds me quite a bit of I Hate Fairyland by Skottie Young and Beaulieu himself, but it is even funnier than that (or, at least, it made me laugh more). The pacing gives the reader no respite, and these first five issues collected in the volume I read are over in a flash. Despite this, the plot builds up little by little and leaves us in a rather interesting spot (and wanting to read more) at the end of this trade. 

Without a doubt, what I liked the most are the two characters that accompany the protagonist: the evil shield and the ghost chicken (I don't want to give away too much, because discovering them is part of the fun of reading it, but I assume those names alone have already caught your attention). The dynamic between the three characters is extremely fun, and some of the dialogues are truly hilarious. 

For its part, the artwork more than fulfills its purpose, and in a series with such a lighthearted tone as this one, the cartoonish style is a perfect fit. As I mentioned above, if you've read I Hate Fairyland, I'm sure you know exactly what I mean. 

While it isn't a series destined to change the comic book world, D'Orc is a highly recommended read, especially if you're looking to have a good time and a few laughs. I started it without high expectations and was very pleasantly surprised, so I'll try to get my hands on the next volumes to continue following the adventures of these three crazy characters.