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Orc Stain, Vol. 1
For a million millennia the world has cracked and convulsed under the indomitable mob of the orc. Savage, bloodthirsty creatures, they are without number, staining nearly every corner of the globe. The mighty Orc Tzar, newest leader of the mob, marches ever north to find the lost organ of a forgotten god. Only a lone, one-eyed orc with a mysterious gift can find the key to breaking the cycle forever.
168 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2010
About the author
James Stokoe
127 books73 followersJames Stokoe (born September 4, 1985) is a Canadian comic book artist who is known for his work on such titles as Wonton Soup, Orc Stain and Godzilla: The Half-Century War.
Along with Corey Lewis, Brandon Graham and Marley Zarcone, he's a part of a studio/collective called "Yosh Comics".
Along with Corey Lewis, Brandon Graham and Marley Zarcone, he's a part of a studio/collective called "Yosh Comics".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
January 8, 2016
[NOTE: Spoilers below...]
Opening the cover and flipping through the pages of James Stokoe's 'Orc Stain: Volume 1' was one of those rare instances that the artist's style triggered a cerulean blue thunderbolt of aesthetic revelation, arcing from printed page to optical cortex. In the last several years, there's only been a handful: Michael Deforge's 'Lose'; Jesse Jacob's 'Even the Giants'; Theo Ellsworth's 'Capacity'; and Rafael Grampa's 'Mesmo Delivery'. Other artists -- some of whom I like just as much or better -- usually start strong, but gradually convince me of their genius as the story progresses... no cerulean blue thunderbolts; they just didn't have the bombastic style or apparent originality of an artist like Rafael Grampa -- for example.
The dangerous levels of awesomeness emitted by Rafael Grampa:
The fourth name on that list is James Stokoe. His early work in Won Ton Soup bears a strong resemblance to the style of his friend Brandon Graham; but my first exposure was the spot he landed after making a huge evolutionary leap: the toxic colors and bold, intricate line-work of 'Orc Stain: Volume 1'. There was still a Graham influence, but it was just one ingredient in a concoction that includes Paul Pope, Nathan Fox, Geof Darrow, Moebius, Taiyo Matsumoto, Dave Cooper, and Farel Dalrymple. With that many ingredients, the stylistic influences coalesce and disappear, becoming something new.
Equally dangerous awesomeness from James Stokoe:
Honestly, 'Orc Stain' could've sucked as a story -- I think I expected it to suck -- so I was surprised to find myself loving Stokoe's nasty little fantasy about a world ruled by Orcs. This goes way beyond the 'grimdark' genre in many ways, but it's got an easy, lightly satirical humor that keeps it far from bleak. Everything in this world looks diseased or poisonous, but it's fun to look at and richly detailed. The mountains are dotted with huge, stone Orc-heads -- grave-markers for those who have earned a number in death -- and fat, bear-like monsters called 'Gurpa', who act as living vaults, waking only when someone tries to break in. Sexy, krab-smoking Love Nymphs are everywhere, but female orcs are mysteriously absent.
When we first meet One-Eye, a thief and vault-buster with the ability to see the fault-lines and pressure points of any structure, orc-made or natural, he's doing a job for the Norman, a local Skrubtown gangster who's partnered him up with a nasty orc called Pointy-Face. When the Gurpa they break into is empty, Pointy-Face rips off One-Eye to clear his debt, leaving him to face the prospect of losing his gronch -- his dick -- as recompense. One-Eye escapes just as sinister agents of the OrcTzar come north looking for him, but is wounded in the melee by these deadly 'Shakatuu' henchmen. When the poisoned dart leaves him unconscious in a bog, One-Eye is nursed back to health by a Swamp Ramba, a clever and conniving mistress of poison with her own agenda. The Shakatuu aren't far behind, finding her hut in the swamp quite easily (witches always have a swamp-hut); they make a dangerous enemy of her, stealing One-Eye and destroying her home. The story then heads into one of those excavated troglodyte temples orcs have been pioneering since Tolkien-times, where One-Eye is being held by Sersa, the Orc-Tzar's right hand, as the possible key to a massive gronch-related prophecy. Crazy-but-still-sort-of-familiar-violence-and-mayhem ensue.
In case you ever wondered what an Orc civilization might use as its economic standard, well...:
Orc Stain is fun stuff that looks fucking incredible. The story has a little of 'Dungeon's ability to blend satire and earnest adventure, subverting some tropes and using others, even as it pokes gentle fun. Attention is given to every slimy corner of this world, from the slap-dash ghetto architecture, deliberately over-wrought Darrow-like mechanisms, and inventive puppet-telegraphy that has a distinct 'King City' feel. It even includes an informative appendix with more details on gronch-based chits, and an afterword in which Stokoe acknowledges his debt to 2000 AD, which in retrospect... sure. But artists never mention their deepest influences, either because they're unaware of the debt or they take it for granted. Yep. I hope Stokoe gets back to Orc Stain, but he's busy with Godzilla lately, a gig that probably pays better than this creator-owned project from Image. Even though I'd probably 5-star this motherfucker for the art alone, Orc Stain also works as an really entertaining read.
Stokoe's Godzilla art, and his version of Galactus and The Silver Surfer... he's obviously getting a reputation for his ability to do epic scale and cataclysm:
More Art-book Reviews
More Comic-book Reviews
More Novel Reviews
Opening the cover and flipping through the pages of James Stokoe's 'Orc Stain: Volume 1' was one of those rare instances that the artist's style triggered a cerulean blue thunderbolt of aesthetic revelation, arcing from printed page to optical cortex. In the last several years, there's only been a handful: Michael Deforge's 'Lose'; Jesse Jacob's 'Even the Giants'; Theo Ellsworth's 'Capacity'; and Rafael Grampa's 'Mesmo Delivery'. Other artists -- some of whom I like just as much or better -- usually start strong, but gradually convince me of their genius as the story progresses... no cerulean blue thunderbolts; they just didn't have the bombastic style or apparent originality of an artist like Rafael Grampa -- for example.
The dangerous levels of awesomeness emitted by Rafael Grampa:
The fourth name on that list is James Stokoe. His early work in Won Ton Soup bears a strong resemblance to the style of his friend Brandon Graham; but my first exposure was the spot he landed after making a huge evolutionary leap: the toxic colors and bold, intricate line-work of 'Orc Stain: Volume 1'. There was still a Graham influence, but it was just one ingredient in a concoction that includes Paul Pope, Nathan Fox, Geof Darrow, Moebius, Taiyo Matsumoto, Dave Cooper, and Farel Dalrymple. With that many ingredients, the stylistic influences coalesce and disappear, becoming something new.
Equally dangerous awesomeness from James Stokoe:
Honestly, 'Orc Stain' could've sucked as a story -- I think I expected it to suck -- so I was surprised to find myself loving Stokoe's nasty little fantasy about a world ruled by Orcs. This goes way beyond the 'grimdark' genre in many ways, but it's got an easy, lightly satirical humor that keeps it far from bleak. Everything in this world looks diseased or poisonous, but it's fun to look at and richly detailed. The mountains are dotted with huge, stone Orc-heads -- grave-markers for those who have earned a number in death -- and fat, bear-like monsters called 'Gurpa', who act as living vaults, waking only when someone tries to break in. Sexy, krab-smoking Love Nymphs are everywhere, but female orcs are mysteriously absent.
When we first meet One-Eye, a thief and vault-buster with the ability to see the fault-lines and pressure points of any structure, orc-made or natural, he's doing a job for the Norman, a local Skrubtown gangster who's partnered him up with a nasty orc called Pointy-Face. When the Gurpa they break into is empty, Pointy-Face rips off One-Eye to clear his debt, leaving him to face the prospect of losing his gronch -- his dick -- as recompense. One-Eye escapes just as sinister agents of the OrcTzar come north looking for him, but is wounded in the melee by these deadly 'Shakatuu' henchmen. When the poisoned dart leaves him unconscious in a bog, One-Eye is nursed back to health by a Swamp Ramba, a clever and conniving mistress of poison with her own agenda. The Shakatuu aren't far behind, finding her hut in the swamp quite easily (witches always have a swamp-hut); they make a dangerous enemy of her, stealing One-Eye and destroying her home. The story then heads into one of those excavated troglodyte temples orcs have been pioneering since Tolkien-times, where One-Eye is being held by Sersa, the Orc-Tzar's right hand, as the possible key to a massive gronch-related prophecy. Crazy-but-still-sort-of-familiar-violence-and-mayhem ensue.
In case you ever wondered what an Orc civilization might use as its economic standard, well...:
Orc Stain is fun stuff that looks fucking incredible. The story has a little of 'Dungeon's ability to blend satire and earnest adventure, subverting some tropes and using others, even as it pokes gentle fun. Attention is given to every slimy corner of this world, from the slap-dash ghetto architecture, deliberately over-wrought Darrow-like mechanisms, and inventive puppet-telegraphy that has a distinct 'King City' feel. It even includes an informative appendix with more details on gronch-based chits, and an afterword in which Stokoe acknowledges his debt to 2000 AD, which in retrospect... sure. But artists never mention their deepest influences, either because they're unaware of the debt or they take it for granted. Yep. I hope Stokoe gets back to Orc Stain, but he's busy with Godzilla lately, a gig that probably pays better than this creator-owned project from Image. Even though I'd probably 5-star this motherfucker for the art alone, Orc Stain also works as an really entertaining read.
Stokoe's Godzilla art, and his version of Galactus and The Silver Surfer... he's obviously getting a reputation for his ability to do epic scale and cataclysm:
More Art-book Reviews
More Comic-book Reviews
More Novel Reviews
January 1, 2016
Orc Stain is set in a world run by Orcs where they’re as savage and stupid and conflict-driven as they’re portrayed in other media. Broadly the story is this one orc chieftain, the Orctzar, has risen to power and is uniting the other clans by taking them over but he’s especially concerned with finding a one-eyed orc who happens to be our protagonist, One-Eye.
Broadly. Because when you’re told the reasoning at the start of the book, the whole thing doesn’t really make any sense. A seer or someone tells the Orctzar that this one-eyed orc will “unlock his god-organ”. Wha?! The reader has no idea what that is or why it’s important. James Stokoe proves to be one of those creators who’s a great artist but a rubbish writer.
Because the art in this book is wonderful, really. I love the imaginative designs of the various orcish societies - and the architecture varies between clans too, an inspired touch - as well as the vibrancy of the world where everything’s alive. We’re introduced to One-Eye as he tries breaking into a safe which is a giant bear or something and its alarm is a bird - it’s like the Flintstones!
The brutal and primitive aspects to this world made me think of Mad Max - definitely a plus - and the way the Orcs communicate over long distances through blinded marionettes was genius, kinda like a precursor to that guy in Fury Road with the flamethrower guitar! Even the prison is a giant beast which, from what we’ve seen of them at this point, feels like something the orcs would do - rather than build an elaborate structure, just toss their prisoners into something massive, ready-made and horrible!
But oy, the story, the writing? It’s not there. One-Eye remains as one-dimensional as when we first meet him. He’s disaffected to start with and then he’s on the run by the end - he just reacts to things, we don’t know what he’s after or what he wants. The Orctzar’s storyline, as I mentioned above, is unfathomable. And, aside from an unfunny castration storyline, that’s really the whole book! Hordes of orcs shallowly smashing other hordes of orcs - who cares?
Orc Stain showcases James Stokoe’s considerable artistic talents and imagination while also highlighting his limitations as a writer. Check it out if you’re an art aficionado otherwise I wouldn’t bother.
Broadly. Because when you’re told the reasoning at the start of the book, the whole thing doesn’t really make any sense. A seer or someone tells the Orctzar that this one-eyed orc will “unlock his god-organ”. Wha?! The reader has no idea what that is or why it’s important. James Stokoe proves to be one of those creators who’s a great artist but a rubbish writer.
Because the art in this book is wonderful, really. I love the imaginative designs of the various orcish societies - and the architecture varies between clans too, an inspired touch - as well as the vibrancy of the world where everything’s alive. We’re introduced to One-Eye as he tries breaking into a safe which is a giant bear or something and its alarm is a bird - it’s like the Flintstones!
The brutal and primitive aspects to this world made me think of Mad Max - definitely a plus - and the way the Orcs communicate over long distances through blinded marionettes was genius, kinda like a precursor to that guy in Fury Road with the flamethrower guitar! Even the prison is a giant beast which, from what we’ve seen of them at this point, feels like something the orcs would do - rather than build an elaborate structure, just toss their prisoners into something massive, ready-made and horrible!
But oy, the story, the writing? It’s not there. One-Eye remains as one-dimensional as when we first meet him. He’s disaffected to start with and then he’s on the run by the end - he just reacts to things, we don’t know what he’s after or what he wants. The Orctzar’s storyline, as I mentioned above, is unfathomable. And, aside from an unfunny castration storyline, that’s really the whole book! Hordes of orcs shallowly smashing other hordes of orcs - who cares?
Orc Stain showcases James Stokoe’s considerable artistic talents and imagination while also highlighting his limitations as a writer. Check it out if you’re an art aficionado otherwise I wouldn’t bother.
December 29, 2015
Underground-inspired, detailed and colorful but ultimately rather pointless fantasy parody or homage or something.
April 11, 2022
This trade paperback collects the first five issues of James Stokoe's Orc Stain series, of which he made seven issues before putting it on indefinite hiatus. In other words, it's the beginning of an unfinished story. Knowing this before reading, I'd nonetheless hoped that the book would contain a complete initial story arc of some kind, but it turns out that's not the case at all: the fifth issue ends in the middle of the action, with no sense of resolution or closure.
Unless Stokoe resumes the series, there's no point reading this for the overarching plot, which in any case hasn't really gripped me so far, but there's still plenty to enjoy here. Stokoe builds a brilliantly imaginative world. His take on orcs is hilarious and irreverent, depicting them as a culture epitomizing toxic masculinity to the extent that they use severed penises as currency. Though generally goofy, the setting feels rich and diverse. I especially love the various weird creatures and pieces of fantastical technology that appear throughout – the whole comic's just bursting with great ideas, from telephony that relies on living marionettes doing interpretive dance to living drink cans that howl in agony when opened. Vitally, this world is beautifully rendered in Stokoe's incredible, hyper-detailed, energetic, manga-influenced art style. Every single panel looks awesome, from tightly choreographed action sequences to generous whole-page spreads of scenery and cityscapes.
The characters feel a bit flat, the dialogue isn't great, and not all of the jokes land, but the art and worldbuilding make this an enjoyable read overall.
Unless Stokoe resumes the series, there's no point reading this for the overarching plot, which in any case hasn't really gripped me so far, but there's still plenty to enjoy here. Stokoe builds a brilliantly imaginative world. His take on orcs is hilarious and irreverent, depicting them as a culture epitomizing toxic masculinity to the extent that they use severed penises as currency. Though generally goofy, the setting feels rich and diverse. I especially love the various weird creatures and pieces of fantastical technology that appear throughout – the whole comic's just bursting with great ideas, from telephony that relies on living marionettes doing interpretive dance to living drink cans that howl in agony when opened. Vitally, this world is beautifully rendered in Stokoe's incredible, hyper-detailed, energetic, manga-influenced art style. Every single panel looks awesome, from tightly choreographed action sequences to generous whole-page spreads of scenery and cityscapes.
The characters feel a bit flat, the dialogue isn't great, and not all of the jokes land, but the art and worldbuilding make this an enjoyable read overall.
April 4, 2011
So many penises.
December 12, 2017
This my first time reading anything from James Stokoe. Orc Stain is pure fantasy, created on the drive of Stokoe wanting to give a fitting background to every Orc we ever encountered on the popular fantasy franchises (especially Lord of the Rings, being the reason of Stokoe wanting to create Orc Stain in the first place). He thinks Orcs are more than purely evil and unethical beings, so he creates a fantasy series dedicated to them only.
It's fun, it's exceptionally designed and colored, I mean the level of detail is an optical orgasm. You can read a page a bunch of times and still miss things and gimmicks. I strongly suggest this title to anyone that remotely enjoys the epic fantasy genre, and I hope that Stokoe finds the passion and time to continue the series (it's stuck on issue #7 the last 5 years.
It's fun, it's exceptionally designed and colored, I mean the level of detail is an optical orgasm. You can read a page a bunch of times and still miss things and gimmicks. I strongly suggest this title to anyone that remotely enjoys the epic fantasy genre, and I hope that Stokoe finds the passion and time to continue the series (it's stuck on issue #7 the last 5 years.
March 22, 2015
It is rare for me to finish a book or graphic novel so quickly these days. I finished this in two sittings and want more. This book is the right kind of crazy. Beautifully drawn and colored with a story that is just amazingly over the top. Forget the usual fantasy tropes... this book tosses them all out the window or reshapes them in unusual and inventive ways. I absolutely loved this!
December 7, 2015
If you're looking for an incredibly drawn, thoughtfully presented, humorous fantasy story, Orc Stain is it. Within its genre, I give Orc Stain four stars. Still rather revolting, though, but I guess that's part of its point.
September 20, 2011
Creator owned comics, especially those written, coloured, and illustrated by the creator, are the best out there. Orc Stain is no exception, except that it is the cream of the crop. The art is a labor of love, incredibly detailed and the color that sings between the ink is a welcome change from Stokoe's usual black and white fare.
The Orc Tzar, a Genghis Khanesque Qin wannabe, is marshaling his not inconsiderable forces to unify the orc nation. Fickle and moronic, the orcs cannot remain cohesive for long, and often splinter into smaller tribes and colonies. The Tzar consults an oracle and discovers that an one-eyed orc is destined to be his downfall. In a classic act of self-fulfilling prophecy, he orders all one-eyed orcs be taken captive.
In the land of the blind, the One-Eyed orc is king. Possessing an intelligence and morality in an entire culture of cultures that revels in inane, moronic violence, One-Eye is spectacularly and utterly alone in his unique nature. He also has a knack for discovering the weak spot in objects which saves his ass on more that a million occasions.
What Stokoe has written is a perverse, epic masterpiece to rival fantasy tropes the likes of Tolkien and Jordan. In the first few books, he has established an interesting culture based on an even more interesting currency. The gronch is a lopped-off orc penis. The gronch is peeled and chopped into chits to be dehydrated over a fire. So on that basis, orcs are continually betraying and engaging each other in combat for the payoff of a warm, severed gronch.
And there's the poison throwers, solitary female shamans that occupy the swamplands. So far, the limited roles females play in the Orc Stain is that of a low-caste prostitute or the much feared swamp ramba. (I am really looking forward to discovering Stokoe's treatment of the orc reproduction process) Using the poison thrower, Stokoe exhibits creative alchemial uses for strange creatures.
This is just the beginning of an epic tale to rival the mush towards Mordor. If the reader isn't easily made queasy by almost ceaseless obscene renditions of the gronch, here awaits an exciting and subversive read.
The Orc Tzar, a Genghis Khanesque Qin wannabe, is marshaling his not inconsiderable forces to unify the orc nation. Fickle and moronic, the orcs cannot remain cohesive for long, and often splinter into smaller tribes and colonies. The Tzar consults an oracle and discovers that an one-eyed orc is destined to be his downfall. In a classic act of self-fulfilling prophecy, he orders all one-eyed orcs be taken captive.
In the land of the blind, the One-Eyed orc is king. Possessing an intelligence and morality in an entire culture of cultures that revels in inane, moronic violence, One-Eye is spectacularly and utterly alone in his unique nature. He also has a knack for discovering the weak spot in objects which saves his ass on more that a million occasions.
What Stokoe has written is a perverse, epic masterpiece to rival fantasy tropes the likes of Tolkien and Jordan. In the first few books, he has established an interesting culture based on an even more interesting currency. The gronch is a lopped-off orc penis. The gronch is peeled and chopped into chits to be dehydrated over a fire. So on that basis, orcs are continually betraying and engaging each other in combat for the payoff of a warm, severed gronch.
And there's the poison throwers, solitary female shamans that occupy the swamplands. So far, the limited roles females play in the Orc Stain is that of a low-caste prostitute or the much feared swamp ramba. (I am really looking forward to discovering Stokoe's treatment of the orc reproduction process) Using the poison thrower, Stokoe exhibits creative alchemial uses for strange creatures.
This is just the beginning of an epic tale to rival the mush towards Mordor. If the reader isn't easily made queasy by almost ceaseless obscene renditions of the gronch, here awaits an exciting and subversive read.
September 10, 2011
This gets an extra star because it includes a kick-ass punchline -- the orc currency (the "chit") is actually the sliced-up penises of dead orcs. The appendix includes detailed, illustrated descriptions of how this is done. I had no idea. There are heroic castrations of corpses, sure, I figured that was an analogue to scalping, but nowhere did I see these man-dangles getting turned into currency... nowhere did I witness a "chit" changing hands. And of course, after reading the appendix, my questions multiplied -- obviously if you're a well-endowed orc, you're just a target from day one, right? And if so, surely natural selection would have created a species with a micropenis? By the by, can these "chits" be debased by thinner slicing?
But yeah, this is a work of complete comic-book virtuosity -- written, drawn, and colored (in spectacular Pez-vomit scheme) by Stokoe, who obviously has a fertile imagination and one weird socio-political turn of mind. For one thing, this is the "greenest" universe I've ever seen, in that everything, even a money safe and a beer can, is a living being. These are downed or broken into of course -- complete with fascinating levels of horror and pity. Even a problematic thing like long-distance communication is solved by using orcs connected by puppet strings through some living medium stretched out over miles. As for the actual plot, Stokoe kinda relies on the "here's another cool development" line of thought -- as if he didn't actually construct this plot before drawing it. Fun but very random and often goofy.
On the whole though, very entertaining, creepy, strange. Not intended for weak stomachs or minds. Stokoe is young and I suspect he's on to something very important...
But yeah, this is a work of complete comic-book virtuosity -- written, drawn, and colored (in spectacular Pez-vomit scheme) by Stokoe, who obviously has a fertile imagination and one weird socio-political turn of mind. For one thing, this is the "greenest" universe I've ever seen, in that everything, even a money safe and a beer can, is a living being. These are downed or broken into of course -- complete with fascinating levels of horror and pity. Even a problematic thing like long-distance communication is solved by using orcs connected by puppet strings through some living medium stretched out over miles. As for the actual plot, Stokoe kinda relies on the "here's another cool development" line of thought -- as if he didn't actually construct this plot before drawing it. Fun but very random and often goofy.
On the whole though, very entertaining, creepy, strange. Not intended for weak stomachs or minds. Stokoe is young and I suspect he's on to something very important...
November 22, 2018
This.... is... just... wow... So, I like fantasy RPGs, I like some fantasy fiction (not much actually), I like to read graphic novels, and this alternative take on orcs sounded kind of fun. What I did not expect is some of the best art I've ever seen -- the character concepts are amazing, the environments are amazing, the colors are great, the level of detail is to die for...
One thing I really don't like about a lot of graphic novels is when effort and detail is disproportionate between the main action in the panel and the background elements. Don't get me wrong -- I understand why that happens, it's a ton of extra work! But I don't care how cool a character is, if their world doesn't feel fully realized, I'm not sucked into their story. This has probably the most immersive setting I've seen in a graphic novel -- every panel has something to discover in the background -- sometimes hilarious little side jokes.
The story is about a one-eyed, hammer-wielding orc who wanders the mountains trying to find loot. There's a big threat coming from some orc king who's managed to unite all the tribes for the first time ever, and then there's some other stuff. None of that really matters much -- it's all about the set pieces, crazy concepts, and amazing art. There's also a heavy emphasis on, um... orcs cutting off other orcs "members", which is shown in vivid detail and becomes a major plot point. So -- you have kind of be ready for that kind of content (and some sex too). Great stuff, a shame the series never continued.
One thing I really don't like about a lot of graphic novels is when effort and detail is disproportionate between the main action in the panel and the background elements. Don't get me wrong -- I understand why that happens, it's a ton of extra work! But I don't care how cool a character is, if their world doesn't feel fully realized, I'm not sucked into their story. This has probably the most immersive setting I've seen in a graphic novel -- every panel has something to discover in the background -- sometimes hilarious little side jokes.
The story is about a one-eyed, hammer-wielding orc who wanders the mountains trying to find loot. There's a big threat coming from some orc king who's managed to unite all the tribes for the first time ever, and then there's some other stuff. None of that really matters much -- it's all about the set pieces, crazy concepts, and amazing art. There's also a heavy emphasis on, um... orcs cutting off other orcs "members", which is shown in vivid detail and becomes a major plot point. So -- you have kind of be ready for that kind of content (and some sex too). Great stuff, a shame the series never continued.
October 2, 2018
Penises as currency? Women being almost nonexistent outside of "love nymphs"? Rampant misogyny that's pretty much unremarked on? Hmmm, pretty fucking awful.
But... interesting worldbuilding? One cool female character? Art that did it for me? I'll actually resort to a reaction image for once:
I can't in good conscience give this more than two stars because I was gritting my teeth the entire time I was reading it, which sucks! I did like the art, I was sort of interested in the storyline (enough so that I'm disappointed to see this was released in 2010 and never followed up on), and I even found the humor entertaining on occasion. But man, the sexism is lazy, and there's not so much as a hint that there may be a good reason for it.
Maybe if Stokoe had ever released more of the series, he could have changed my mind - if there ever is a volume 2, I'll give it a try, because there could be a solid lore reason for the preponderance of male orcs. Who knows! But based on this volume alone, no thanks.
But... interesting worldbuilding? One cool female character? Art that did it for me? I'll actually resort to a reaction image for once:
I can't in good conscience give this more than two stars because I was gritting my teeth the entire time I was reading it, which sucks! I did like the art, I was sort of interested in the storyline (enough so that I'm disappointed to see this was released in 2010 and never followed up on), and I even found the humor entertaining on occasion. But man, the sexism is lazy, and there's not so much as a hint that there may be a good reason for it.
Maybe if Stokoe had ever released more of the series, he could have changed my mind - if there ever is a volume 2, I'll give it a try, because there could be a solid lore reason for the preponderance of male orcs. Who knows! But based on this volume alone, no thanks.
April 17, 2011
What completely blows my mind is that James Stokoe is the writer, illustrator, AND inker for this entire series. You can tell after the first issue that Stokoe is really passionate about the story he's telling here. He's injected a bit of himself into every page. I cannot get over how ridiculously sick his artwork is. Just absolutely wicked. The last time I was this impressed with artwork was when I first saw Sheldon Vella's stuff in KILL AUDIO. The subject matter is very simple, but really fun to get behind: Orcs are mindless killing machines. Main Orc is worried about a particular orc (our hero, One-Eye) because of what an oracle has told him. Sends out his troops to find him. Meanwhile, One-Eye is just trying to make a quiet living as a safe-breaker seeing as he's so good at it. Hilarity ensues. Again, this is just an absolute joy to read.
June 27, 2011
Read the 1st issue on ipad. Very creative and nice art, but not much dialog.
Got the trade paperback in the mail. Now I'm committed.
A gronch for a gronch!
Very fresh. Be warned that a lot of it revolves around castration.
All done. Except for my pet peeve of silent panels, it's hard to find fault with this book. It's a one man operation; James Stokoe did all the writing, drawing, coloring, and lettering. There's some explanations at the end, including how 'chit' coins are made (NSFW!).
Io9 article where I learned about Orc Stain: http://io9.com/5795566/how-does-one-i...
Got the trade paperback in the mail. Now I'm committed.
A gronch for a gronch!
Very fresh. Be warned that a lot of it revolves around castration.
All done. Except for my pet peeve of silent panels, it's hard to find fault with this book. It's a one man operation; James Stokoe did all the writing, drawing, coloring, and lettering. There's some explanations at the end, including how 'chit' coins are made (NSFW!).
Io9 article where I learned about Orc Stain: http://io9.com/5795566/how-does-one-i...
May 22, 2017
Un volum de benzi desenate excelent. Are poveste, grafica, atitudine. Si ideea, desenul, dialogurile, pe scurt tot ce tine de constructia volumului, sunt munca aceluiasi autor. Genial!
Pacat ca e vorba doar de un volum si despre continuare nu prea se stie ca ar fi vreun plan.
Pacat ca e vorba doar de un volum si despre continuare nu prea se stie ca ar fi vreun plan.
February 23, 2011
Possibly the craziest fucking thing I've ever read. But damned fun. Look forward to more.
February 13, 2013
I'd give my gronch to work with James Stokoe.
October 5, 2016
Lots of orc penis. Like, it's central. Gruesomely central.
January 2, 2014
One of the weirdest, grossest, but best indie comics I've read in a while.
May 17, 2019
Orcs are hyper-violent, penis-obsessed, blustering idiots, and somehow this book manages to make them... not sympathetic, because it never excuses them, but interesting and worth spending time with. The art is hypnotically detailed, so even things that are grotesque are beautifully rendered. The main character is an orc who gets glimpses of a better way of living, while still surviving in the savage reality of his world. He follows the basic Hero's Journey of Mad Max, stumbling into a plot that's far bigger than his survival-oriented intentions. The entire design of this book pulled me deeper into the panels so before I knew it I'd either gotten lost pouring over one page or I'd swept through 30 pages of action and comedy (in which case I went back and poured over those pages again). Either way, it's not life-changing but it is very satisfying.
Apparently Stokoe is slowly working on finishing the last few issues that will make up the second half of the story. Normally I'm impatient for that sort of thing, but this artwork is so clearly labor-intensive that I'd wait a decade to let it be done right. It's the kind of intense, weird, niche work that could only be done by one person with a singular vision. The afterword describes the genesis of the idea (a 10 page comic he made years ago about two orcs arguing about if there could be another way to live), and I really hope that it's either published with Volume 2 or posted somewhere on the internet for us to read once we've seen the completed story.
Apparently Stokoe is slowly working on finishing the last few issues that will make up the second half of the story. Normally I'm impatient for that sort of thing, but this artwork is so clearly labor-intensive that I'd wait a decade to let it be done right. It's the kind of intense, weird, niche work that could only be done by one person with a singular vision. The afterword describes the genesis of the idea (a 10 page comic he made years ago about two orcs arguing about if there could be another way to live), and I really hope that it's either published with Volume 2 or posted somewhere on the internet for us to read once we've seen the completed story.
July 15, 2018
There's a sort of Dr. Seuss quality to the oddness of the worlds Storoke creates, in vivid detail, marked by rich color gradients. There's almost so much detail that you could read through it several times and observe new things, like details in the background or smart foreshadowing. It's beautifully drawn and probably one of the most visually appealing comics on the market.
As for the story itself, it's exciting and solid, though borrows shamelessly from well-worn plot devices. Stoic hero seeks revenge against what is essentially a criminal, with plenty of action that culminates in an epic-level climax. The creativity is not in the story points, but more in the way he takes well-known story ideas and puts them through both his visual style and the filter of what it might resemble in the orc world.
There's also a bit of heavy--if not apt--symbolism ins the value placed on "gronches" both as victory trophies that earn respect as well as an actual measure of currency. And there's a level of perversion and grotesqueness that truly separates this story from any other. There were definitely moments that could have run deeper, and certainly some straight-up cartoonish moments, but in appealing to the young, mostly male demographic, it hits all the marks. As someone who enjoys the ways in which comic expand our ideas of what makes a story, Orc Stain may not have been perfect or life changing, but it was still great in enough ways to recommend to any fan of the genre.
As for the story itself, it's exciting and solid, though borrows shamelessly from well-worn plot devices. Stoic hero seeks revenge against what is essentially a criminal, with plenty of action that culminates in an epic-level climax. The creativity is not in the story points, but more in the way he takes well-known story ideas and puts them through both his visual style and the filter of what it might resemble in the orc world.
There's also a bit of heavy--if not apt--symbolism ins the value placed on "gronches" both as victory trophies that earn respect as well as an actual measure of currency. And there's a level of perversion and grotesqueness that truly separates this story from any other. There were definitely moments that could have run deeper, and certainly some straight-up cartoonish moments, but in appealing to the young, mostly male demographic, it hits all the marks. As someone who enjoys the ways in which comic expand our ideas of what makes a story, Orc Stain may not have been perfect or life changing, but it was still great in enough ways to recommend to any fan of the genre.
May 23, 2021
Punk, psychedelic and full of pulp material! In a fantasy world a warlord orc is trying to create an empire, and the only way to achieve his goal is to obtain the magic and powerful eye of another orc. Our hero, one-eye, will try to save his life killing anyone and anything that comes his way.
This comic is a joy for the eyes 😍 The deaths are creative and incredibly gory, orcs’ junk is partly currency, partly war trophy in this sick world, and orcs came up will sort of ways to get it! One-eye is gifted with the ability of identifying the weak points in any structure or bodies, and uses his skill to wreak havoc on cities, and dismember enemies like a character from Hokuto No Ken.
The scale of the action is really impressive, mountain monsters and immense armies appear on the panels with fantastic details. Each page will expand the universe presenting new monsters, environment and dark magic powers. I loved the biopunk aesthetic: eyes pop out of weapons, motorcycles run on wheels and octopuses, and instead of telephones orcs communicate with marionettes.
Fans of Tank Girl and fluorescent black won’t be disappointed, the author pushes hard on the craziness and sometimes it feels like he was high on something, in the best way possible.
It’s a shame that the comic was cancelled. This was supposed to be the first of a three-part story, so obviously there are a lot of unanswered questions...I’ll probably be dreaming about it for sometime and come up with my own ending!
This comic is a joy for the eyes 😍 The deaths are creative and incredibly gory, orcs’ junk is partly currency, partly war trophy in this sick world, and orcs came up will sort of ways to get it! One-eye is gifted with the ability of identifying the weak points in any structure or bodies, and uses his skill to wreak havoc on cities, and dismember enemies like a character from Hokuto No Ken.
The scale of the action is really impressive, mountain monsters and immense armies appear on the panels with fantastic details. Each page will expand the universe presenting new monsters, environment and dark magic powers. I loved the biopunk aesthetic: eyes pop out of weapons, motorcycles run on wheels and octopuses, and instead of telephones orcs communicate with marionettes.
Fans of Tank Girl and fluorescent black won’t be disappointed, the author pushes hard on the craziness and sometimes it feels like he was high on something, in the best way possible.
It’s a shame that the comic was cancelled. This was supposed to be the first of a three-part story, so obviously there are a lot of unanswered questions...I’ll probably be dreaming about it for sometime and come up with my own ending!
June 20, 2017
There's an element within SF&F that I would describe as "deliciously scuzzy," the kind of feel you get from B-movies and the bootleg dealer stands hidden in the nooks and crannies of every SF convention. Orc Stain reeks of that atmosphere, and I love it. To paraphrase Mel Brooks, this comic "rises below vulgarity." Every page is overstuffed with oozy little details, like a Heavy Metal version of "Ren & Stimpy."
This volume contains the first five issues of the comic. Only two more issues were ever published, apparently, so I guess there's no hope for a vol. 2. Such a shame.
This volume contains the first five issues of the comic. Only two more issues were ever published, apparently, so I guess there's no hope for a vol. 2. Such a shame.
October 12, 2017
I dislike this comic. The art style is unappealing to me and confusing visually. Almost no contrast. Just about everything in the frame is a random gradient of the same 3 or 4 colors arranged differently. Clothes, skin, wood, blood, smoke, plants. It's all a red, green, purple seemingly arbitrary gradient. The writing was uninspired. Apparently they're orcs, but other than a nonsense word added here and there they talk normally. There's a weird fascination on orc genitalia. The whole thing just gives me a headache. Definitely not for me.
December 2, 2017
After my last read of Godzilla I decided to dig this one out and reread it. This is a kind of post apocalyptic Orc story. It is heavy on atmosphere and story and the art here is unbelievable! You have to read this one to believe it. It hurts me deeply that Stokoe didn't do more of this. The eye patch wearing main character doesn't say much and yet delivers a wonderful presence here, just because of the way he is drawn. The Orc Tzar who is the villain, well you just hate him immediately. This one is a keeper and you should read it, now!
Danny
Danny
August 14, 2019
Gnarly fantasy weirdness courtesy of a master stylist. The story is brash, bloody and barbaric, revolving around a nasty-brutish-and-short culture of orcs whose social status and currency system revolves around castration - some entertaining world-building, even if many of the details skeeve me out. But the art, the amazing art! Each panel is blown out with mind-bending levels of detail, yet a line never feels wasted - it's a truly immersive visual experience, and, despite the ugliness of its denizens' beliefs and behavior, a world that I perversely loved spending time in.
October 23, 2022
3.5 stars
The Orc culture is gleefully juvenile in a way I found off-putting at first, but grew on me before too long. The grander background plotting feels a little like a waste since it doesn’t get very far and seems unlikely to ever be continued in a vol 2+, but the immediate story of One Eye and his hammer is entertaining. I love Stokoe’s current art style, and this earlier version still looks like he drew it, but it’s much less refined or labored over and a bit underwhelming by comparison.
The Orc culture is gleefully juvenile in a way I found off-putting at first, but grew on me before too long. The grander background plotting feels a little like a waste since it doesn’t get very far and seems unlikely to ever be continued in a vol 2+, but the immediate story of One Eye and his hammer is entertaining. I love Stokoe’s current art style, and this earlier version still looks like he drew it, but it’s much less refined or labored over and a bit underwhelming by comparison.
July 3, 2023
I'm a big fan of James Stokoe's cartooning, but even the brilliantly grungy artwork could not salvage a shallow story about orcs who uses penises as currency. I admire Stokoe's creativity in general, but the worldbuilding in Orc Stain was too scattered and the fantasy parody aspects fell flat. If this was meant to be satire, I just didn't really get it I guess.
September 7, 2018
This book has gorgeous, grungy art, and a very silly story which I find difficult to fully enjoy. Delight in its indulgent, comix-steeped, trichromatic ugliness if you can. It has too many abused testicles in it for my liking, but it's still good fun.
March 16, 2019
This is what I crave in comics. A creator that uses both sides of his brain! It's beautiful from cover to cover. Too bad he hasn't continued the story in years. But I'll keep an eye out if it ever does.
Viva la Gronch!
Viva la Gronch!
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