In the fantasy world, orcs are usually shown as the main enemies of the heroes who try to deal with them. And what do such stories look like from the perspective of these antagonists? You can check it in the comic book Saga Orcs .
Between us orcs
The Orcs Saga is a comic by Michael Peinkofer, Peter Snejbjerg and Jan Bratenstein, published in Poland by Elemental in 2018. At the moment, the series consists of two volumes – Two Brothers and Shakara. The first one introduces the reader to the world of humans, dwarves, elves, goblins and orcs. Here we meet green-skinned brothers – Balbok and Rammar, who miraculously escape from a battle with goblins alive. Their unit, however, is broken and as defeated they return to their leader. He is not satisfied with such a turn of events and sends them on another, almost suicidal mission. To do so, they must make a pact with the sorcerer Rurak. This mage sends them to the land of the elves. This is where the action of the second volume of the comic takes place. Our heroes, more fortunate than smart, first capture a pirate ship, then kidnap the elven high priestess and get into further trouble with her.
A comic duo
When we pick up the Orc Saga , the first thing that catches our eyes is the colorful, elaborate pictures. I must admit that the layout of the notebooks is really great. The illustrator took care of vivid colors and attention to detail. He was also great at capturing the emotions on the characters’ faces and properly balancing the colors, wanting to give the right atmosphere to individual scenes.
Although the drawings are frontal, they are not the biggest plus of the series. It is undoubtedly a duo of the main characters. Balbok and Rammar are really hilarious. The first of them is a real master in using both melee and ranged weapons. Besides, he is painfully honest and grinds too much with his tongue. It’s his honesty that often gets the duo in trouble. The other brother is more cowardly, but also smarter. Instead of using weapons, he prefers to fight with words. He can sweeten the interlocutor or distort the truth in such a way that he is on top. Their constant quarrels, banter, but also the bad luck that accompanies them, amuse them to tears. When the yet exalted elven high priestess joins the duo in Part Two, the fun is even better. Her malicious remarks, much more serious and intelligent than those of the orcs,
But it was already …
It’s time to move on to the weaker side of comics. The first thing that catches your eye is the lack of an innovative idea. Already on the first page, where we learn about the races living in this world created by the authors, we get the impression that we have just visited Middle-earth. Elves leaving these lands, bearded dwarves digging underground tunnels, a sorcerer controlling an army of goblins and wanting power – everything is reminiscent of the world created by Tolkien. And even the fact that the orcs play the main roles here does not change much in this regard. In addition, our heroes get a mission to go to a given place and bring an item. Such a scenario would be a perfect fit for a computer game or RPG session. However, it does not contribute much to the adventure itself, it is quite hackneyed and if it were not for our duo, it would be simply boring.
A much bigger problem, in my opinion, is the inconsistency with the plot. In one moment, the creators give us a slaughter in which blood is pouring thickly, letting us know that the comic is aimed at older audiences. In a moment, however, we get jokes about farting or peeing statues, which completely destroy the previously built atmosphere. The same goes for the language used in the notebook. The scriptwriter made sure to weave the language of orcs, elves or dwarves into the story, which adds a fantasy-like atmosphere to the Orc Saga , to destroy everything in a moment by inserting colloquial language and words such as “cool” or “ok”. It would be much better if the authors went in one direction.
Average with prospects
Although the script may not be too original, it must be admitted that the Orc Saga has something about it that makes you want to read it. Thanks to interestingly created heroes, the reader wants to follow their further fate and find out how the journey of the two brothers will end. The eyes are also attracted by beautifully made drawings that create the right atmosphere. It is a pity that the dialogues themselves are not very consistent. It also seems to me that it would be better to include both volumes in one edition. Forty-eight pages of comic book reads very quickly. The cost of one volume is about 45 zlotys. So not everyone will be tempted to reach for a thin notebook for the pictures themselves and the relationship between Rammar and Balbok.
