Barbaric Orcs

I picked up my comics yesterday, expecting a ton of books to read. But I was surprised to find my bundle so thin, with only 7 books. Then I remembered that I canceled a lot of titles from my pull list last month, leaving only the titles from Vertigo, Image and a few from Marvel. So, since I had a couple of buck left in me, I shopped around the store for some new titles to read. Two series got my attention: Joe the Barbarian and Orc Stain.

Joe the Barbarian (left) and Orc Stain (right)

Joe the Barbarian #1
8.4 of 10

Joe the Barbarian had been previewed on every Vertigo title I've read last month. That's how I found out about it. I actually wanted to add it on my pull sheet but I forgot. The story in this series is centered on Joe, a sickly boy and a loner, who had drifted into a world where all his toys had come to life. To me, who was once an asthmatic child surrounded with more toys than friends, this modern-fantasy hits all the right notes.

This book, however, this first issue, is pretty slow and bare. While there's enough info about the protagonist -fatherless, have type 1 diabetes, bullied- there's not enough dialogue or action in here. Just a lot of pages with panels of artwork that shows the lay of Joe's house. But I guess those pages serves as a map of some sort, like the ones that you'd find on the first pages of a fantasy book, since the adventure will be in Joe's house for the entirety of the series.

All in all, while this book was pretty slow and almost lifeless, it still carries a lot of promise. As shown in the last pages of the book, I think the upcoming issues will be grand. So I'm going to stick around for a while and wait if this series is going to pick up some pace.

Orc Stain #1
9.0 of 10
I don't know anything about this book. But its title is very nasty and so intriguing that I couldn't help myself but buy it so I can find out what an Orc stain is. Plus, the cover art is also kick-ass. But this series is a gem, and I'm pretty sure it's going to pick up some cult following pretty soon.

The story in Orc Stain is fairly simple, but still entertaining. Orcs run amok, conquering the world, under the Orctzar. But in order for the Orctzar to dominate the whole planet he needs to fulfill a prophecy with the aid of One-Eye, our protagonist, a non sterotypical Orc who loves stealing more than fighting. The artwork, however, is wow. WOW! The designs here are so punk and disgusting (ever seen a naked Orc?), and the colors in this book makes you feel you're in a drug-induced hallucination.

I'm glad that I bought this book, even without knowing what is it about. It's like hitting a gold vein in a mine with a blindfold on. I never really expect to get anything out of it beyond its artwork and title. But it was true to its kick-ass cover art and disgusting title. Now, I can't wait for #2 to hit the stores.

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