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Orisha, Volume 1: With Great Power
224 pages, Paperback
Published February 25, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
December 29, 2024
Thank you Quarto Publishing Group and Rockport Publishing for letting me review this Manga ARC before the publishing date via NetGalley. Please note that my review is honest and without bias.
I liked it, I generally prefer darker mangas but I enjoyed this story.
The main character Aboki is a village outcast, who unexpectedly receives the superhuman power of the Orisha. You follow his story as he goes on a journey of self-discovery and learns how to use his gifts while going on a quest to prove he is not a threat to the other Orishas
I thought it was a cool story to put in comic form. I loved the use of African mythology with universal anime character expressions. This is suitable for teens and up and a great read. I'm interested in seeing what happens in Volume 2.
I liked it, I generally prefer darker mangas but I enjoyed this story.
The main character Aboki is a village outcast, who unexpectedly receives the superhuman power of the Orisha. You follow his story as he goes on a journey of self-discovery and learns how to use his gifts while going on a quest to prove he is not a threat to the other Orishas
I thought it was a cool story to put in comic form. I loved the use of African mythology with universal anime character expressions. This is suitable for teens and up and a great read. I'm interested in seeing what happens in Volume 2.
January 11, 2025
A chosen one manga with the power of the gods on its side.
Orisha follows Aboki, the village outcast, after finding the celestial seed of the great god Olorun, who has just been murdered. With birthmarks on his face and now the celestial seed, he has become the Orisha of their great prophecy who will either usher in a new age or be the end of them all. So it’s with no surprise that the others want to stop him before he learns to control his powers.
This is an action-packed shonen manga that starts out strong with fight scenes, magic, and world building and doesn’t stop until the last page. With this only being the first volume, it’s incredible to think of where this could go beyond. I definitely didn’t want it to end.
Orisha follows Aboki, the village outcast, after finding the celestial seed of the great god Olorun, who has just been murdered. With birthmarks on his face and now the celestial seed, he has become the Orisha of their great prophecy who will either usher in a new age or be the end of them all. So it’s with no surprise that the others want to stop him before he learns to control his powers.
This is an action-packed shonen manga that starts out strong with fight scenes, magic, and world building and doesn’t stop until the last page. With this only being the first volume, it’s incredible to think of where this could go beyond. I definitely didn’t want it to end.
February 10, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Rockport Publishing for providing this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!
Orisha follows a young boy by the name of Aboki. Aboki is not like the other kids in his tribe. He has unique markings on his face and body that make him different. During a game, Aboki is left by the other children and he stumbles upon a celestial seed. This seed gives him the power of an Orisha. But with great power, comes great danger. Aboki must fight to keep hold of his new found power along with protecting those he cares for.
This was a solid manga! I enjoyed the art and the story. It was a quick read and I breezed through it once I sat down with it long enough. If you love a good chosen one trope this would be right up your alley! Overall I give it 5/5 stars!
Orisha follows a young boy by the name of Aboki. Aboki is not like the other kids in his tribe. He has unique markings on his face and body that make him different. During a game, Aboki is left by the other children and he stumbles upon a celestial seed. This seed gives him the power of an Orisha. But with great power, comes great danger. Aboki must fight to keep hold of his new found power along with protecting those he cares for.
This was a solid manga! I enjoyed the art and the story. It was a quick read and I breezed through it once I sat down with it long enough. If you love a good chosen one trope this would be right up your alley! Overall I give it 5/5 stars!
March 4, 2025
Summary:
Aboki has always been the village outcast - his unique looks put him on the outside looking in. Despite this, Aboki has always loved his friends and enjoyed spending time with them - even if some of them aren’t always so kind.
One day, everything changed. When a threat came for the village, something within Aboki woke up. While this power will let Aboki protect those he cares for, it’s also the very thing many are hunting.
Review:
The second I saw Orisha Volume 1: With Great Power, I knew I had to read it! The cover is simply striking (seriously, look at it!), and the description sounded compelling. I was not disappointed.
I will say that I usually find the first volume in any manga to be the roughest as creatives find their footing. Orisha Volume 1 is a solid read on that front, but I do feel like the world and characters need more time to settle in. I’m hopeful that that will happen in future volumes.
Orisha is a delightful blend of new (to me) and familiar. It has chosen one trope merged with godlike powers and inherent goodness. Aboki’s character is beautifully designed, and while we don’t know much about him (yet), you can tell that he’s caring and compassionate.
Highlights:
West African-Influenced Manga
Chosen One
Outcast Becomes More
Thanks to Rockport Publishers and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Tumblr | Reedsy | CBR | Storylace
Aboki has always been the village outcast - his unique looks put him on the outside looking in. Despite this, Aboki has always loved his friends and enjoyed spending time with them - even if some of them aren’t always so kind.
One day, everything changed. When a threat came for the village, something within Aboki woke up. While this power will let Aboki protect those he cares for, it’s also the very thing many are hunting.
Review:
The second I saw Orisha Volume 1: With Great Power, I knew I had to read it! The cover is simply striking (seriously, look at it!), and the description sounded compelling. I was not disappointed.
I will say that I usually find the first volume in any manga to be the roughest as creatives find their footing. Orisha Volume 1 is a solid read on that front, but I do feel like the world and characters need more time to settle in. I’m hopeful that that will happen in future volumes.
Orisha is a delightful blend of new (to me) and familiar. It has chosen one trope merged with godlike powers and inherent goodness. Aboki’s character is beautifully designed, and while we don’t know much about him (yet), you can tell that he’s caring and compassionate.
Highlights:
West African-Influenced Manga
Chosen One
Outcast Becomes More
Thanks to Rockport Publishers and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Tumblr | Reedsy | CBR | Storylace
January 27, 2025
It's been a while since I read a manga and this art style was definitely a bit different for me. I did end up liking it though I need to get a tablet or e-reader that can do apps so I can read NetGalley directly instead of needing to use my phone. It's hard to see all the detail when I need to zoom in just to read the words. NetGalley's format of making two pages into one page doesn't help.
The fight scenes were a little visually confusing sometimes with a lot of lines all over the place but I was still able to follow blow by blow reasonably well. The plot is pretty well set already for a first book of a series, thought I actually think it could have been extended and split into two with the last couple chapters of this book being a climax of Vol. 2 and a longer journey to the location be the rest of Vol. 1. It felt a little rushed and the character development of Oya was lost because of it. 100+ years old and she trusts this new young kid without second thoughts? Whether she should or not was beside the point, it just seemed unrealistic the way it happened.
I found the character's faces to be wonderfully expressive and thankfully wildly different enough to be able to tell them all apart. I'm hoping, later in the series some of their facial markings, etc are explained. I'm guessing they are relevant to the Orisha mythology of Nigeria so maybe other people don't need them explained but I'd love to learn more.
Overall, I think it was a solid first book from a debut author and I'm excited for more!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this for my honest review.
The fight scenes were a little visually confusing sometimes with a lot of lines all over the place but I was still able to follow blow by blow reasonably well. The plot is pretty well set already for a first book of a series, thought I actually think it could have been extended and split into two with the last couple chapters of this book being a climax of Vol. 2 and a longer journey to the location be the rest of Vol. 1. It felt a little rushed and the character development of Oya was lost because of it. 100+ years old and she trusts this new young kid without second thoughts? Whether she should or not was beside the point, it just seemed unrealistic the way it happened.
I found the character's faces to be wonderfully expressive and thankfully wildly different enough to be able to tell them all apart. I'm hoping, later in the series some of their facial markings, etc are explained. I'm guessing they are relevant to the Orisha mythology of Nigeria so maybe other people don't need them explained but I'd love to learn more.
Overall, I think it was a solid first book from a debut author and I'm excited for more!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this for my honest review.
April 22, 2025
This is the origin story of Aboki, a young man who is physically and substantively different from the other kids in his village. He’s both bullied and pitied, but he remains a peacemaker. One day, he finds a talisman which makes him an “Orisha” and gives him special powers. The book follows his journey as he encounters those who want to help him and those who want to do him harm – and it’s often hard to know which is which. That creates some suspense that had me invested in the character and story, even though I was occasionally frustrated in understanding what was happening in some of the panels.
For example, the first few pages make up a fight scene and I think it’s supposed to be disorienting to start in the middle of a fight, but there are some panels that I still can’t understand after studying them multiple times: it looks like the protagonist is being attacked by almonds? And when Aboki and his friends are introduced, I had trouble with their ages. They are playing a game in the woods/jungle, so they must be very young, but they are sometimes drawn with the thin, lean build I would expect of 20-somethings.
Except for the chapter title pages, nothing is colorized. The black and white might be part of the problem I had distinguishing what was happening, but it was mostly clear. This is the Nigerian author’s first published work of manga based on African mythology and it’s a very good effort with more to come, as Aboki is just getting started by the end of book 1.
For example, the first few pages make up a fight scene and I think it’s supposed to be disorienting to start in the middle of a fight, but there are some panels that I still can’t understand after studying them multiple times: it looks like the protagonist is being attacked by almonds? And when Aboki and his friends are introduced, I had trouble with their ages. They are playing a game in the woods/jungle, so they must be very young, but they are sometimes drawn with the thin, lean build I would expect of 20-somethings.
Except for the chapter title pages, nothing is colorized. The black and white might be part of the problem I had distinguishing what was happening, but it was mostly clear. This is the Nigerian author’s first published work of manga based on African mythology and it’s a very good effort with more to come, as Aboki is just getting started by the end of book 1.
August 24, 2025
Aboki is a normal kid growing up in a normal village - shunned for his distinctive boy markings, he tries his best to make friends and get along. The course of his fate is unexpectedly altered forever when he unexpectedly receives superhuman powers of the Orisha - powerful beings imbued with godlike power - from a celestial seed. Afraid and reluctant to use his power, Aboki is unsure where to turn, especially as multiple outside forces converge on him and his newfound gifts with their own agendas in mind. Will he be able to hold onto his hopeful outlook on life as he's tested by the anger an cynicism around him?
Billed as a African shonen manga fantasy, this story was really compelling and seems to be full of a lot of lore, as well as the occasional comedy and exaggerated drawing style one comes to expect from manga. Aboki feels like a titular, optimistic main character, and the circumstances in which he finds himself are rife for a classic coming-of-age, seek-your-fortune high-stakes fantasy where nothing is as it seems, and true human grit and a heart of gold will be necessary for any chance of survival. I think anyone looking for a diverse and unique take on the shonen manga genre will find a new series to love with this title!
Billed as a African shonen manga fantasy, this story was really compelling and seems to be full of a lot of lore, as well as the occasional comedy and exaggerated drawing style one comes to expect from manga. Aboki feels like a titular, optimistic main character, and the circumstances in which he finds himself are rife for a classic coming-of-age, seek-your-fortune high-stakes fantasy where nothing is as it seems, and true human grit and a heart of gold will be necessary for any chance of survival. I think anyone looking for a diverse and unique take on the shonen manga genre will find a new series to love with this title!
August 16, 2025
A birthmark on his face leads the people of his village to believe is Aboki is cursed. {Made me think of the Lion King II song: One of Us} He still tries to make friends and play with the other village children, but they end up ditching him. As he wanders the outskirts of the village, Aboki stumbles upon a strange object: a seed. He is unaware that this is no ordinary seed. It holds the power of creation, the infamous Celestial Seed. Humans that contain these seeds can perform miracles so that may protect their realms. These humans are known as Orishas. Unbeknownst to Aboki, trouble is afoot among the other Orishas since Olorun’s untimely demise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this volume and am waiting in anticipation for the next! It is worth the read!
#ThxNetGalley #HuzayfaUmar
Merged review:
A birthmark on his face leads the people of his village to believe is Aboki is cursed. {Made me think of the Lion King II song: One of Us} He still tries to make friends and play with the other village children, but they end up ditching him. As he wanders the outskirts of the village, Aboki stumbles upon a strange object: a seed. He is unaware that this is no ordinary seed. It holds the power of creation, the infamous Celestial Seed. Humans that contain these seeds can perform miracles so that may protect their realms. These humans are known as Orishas. Unbeknownst to Aboki, trouble is afoot among the other Orishas since Olorun’s untimely demise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this volume and am waiting in anticipation for the next! It is worth the read!
#ThxNetGalley #HuzayfaUmar #OrishaVolume1
I thoroughly enjoyed this volume and am waiting in anticipation for the next! It is worth the read!
#ThxNetGalley #HuzayfaUmar
Merged review:
A birthmark on his face leads the people of his village to believe is Aboki is cursed. {Made me think of the Lion King II song: One of Us} He still tries to make friends and play with the other village children, but they end up ditching him. As he wanders the outskirts of the village, Aboki stumbles upon a strange object: a seed. He is unaware that this is no ordinary seed. It holds the power of creation, the infamous Celestial Seed. Humans that contain these seeds can perform miracles so that may protect their realms. These humans are known as Orishas. Unbeknownst to Aboki, trouble is afoot among the other Orishas since Olorun’s untimely demise.
I thoroughly enjoyed this volume and am waiting in anticipation for the next! It is worth the read!
#ThxNetGalley #HuzayfaUmar #OrishaVolume1
April 16, 2025
I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.
I am new to the world of Manga, only having read three, including this one, and I must say that I was intrigued. I enjoyed the use of African Mythology and the flow of the story. I think this will be perfect for teens and teens at heart.
It is high-action from the beginning, the world-building is great, and the artwork is phenomenal! This was a fun read between classwork; I enjoy a good underdog-ish type of read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group—Rockport Publishing | Rockport Publishers, and Huzayfa Umar for the ARC of this book.
This was an exciting start; I'm interested in seeing what is planned for book 2!
I am new to the world of Manga, only having read three, including this one, and I must say that I was intrigued. I enjoyed the use of African Mythology and the flow of the story. I think this will be perfect for teens and teens at heart.
It is high-action from the beginning, the world-building is great, and the artwork is phenomenal! This was a fun read between classwork; I enjoy a good underdog-ish type of read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Quarto Publishing Group—Rockport Publishing | Rockport Publishers, and Huzayfa Umar for the ARC of this book.
This was an exciting start; I'm interested in seeing what is planned for book 2!
July 22, 2025
Solid action comic, inspired by West African mythology. I appreciate that it doesn't take long for main character Aboki to get dropped into the action, but at the same time I also feel like the world building needed a little more front loading. This first volume also kind of feels like a prologue, since there's a major twist towards the end of the volume that means the plot will be moving in a different direction than the rest of the volume was setting up. The twist is actually pretty effective, and has just enough forshadowing that while most readers won't see it coming, they also won't feel like it's entirely out of left field.
September 3, 2025
Fans of Naruto are going to love this graphic adventure drawn in a manga style. Orisha sets up a world rich in lore, and I really enjoyed how the author balanced worldbuilding with story progression. It never slowed things down but still answered all the questions I had along the way.
Another detail I appreciated was the shift to a simpler chibi style during moments of comic relief. It gave the story a lighthearted edge without taking away from the action and drama.
Overall, this was a great read and an exciting start to the series. I can’t wait to see where volume two takes the characters and the story!
Another detail I appreciated was the shift to a simpler chibi style during moments of comic relief. It gave the story a lighthearted edge without taking away from the action and drama.
Overall, this was a great read and an exciting start to the series. I can’t wait to see where volume two takes the characters and the story!
July 17, 2025
Sick!
The art is awesome, the action is awesome, the character arc of this kid realizing that he needs to engage with the world is really good and appreciated right now!
I really like when a piece of media respects the audience, and this hit through the origin story really nicely, didn't engage over much in the depressing start but used it as a springboard, same with the appearance of the villain, the enemies to allies, and the respect of the council!
The art is awesome, the action is awesome, the character arc of this kid realizing that he needs to engage with the world is really good and appreciated right now!
I really like when a piece of media respects the audience, and this hit through the origin story really nicely, didn't engage over much in the depressing start but used it as a springboard, same with the appearance of the villain, the enemies to allies, and the respect of the council!
January 7, 2025
This was an ARC from netgalley.
I don't read a lot of manga (I'm trying to remedy this!) but this was an enjoyable superhero-esque story of a boy coming into his powers as an orisha. The fight sequences were great and it was engaging. A fun time, but it didn't leave enough of an impact for me to seek out the second volume.
I don't read a lot of manga (I'm trying to remedy this!) but this was an enjoyable superhero-esque story of a boy coming into his powers as an orisha. The fight sequences were great and it was engaging. A fun time, but it didn't leave enough of an impact for me to seek out the second volume.
February 1, 2025
I got an e-copy of this on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Definitely personal preference here but I wasn't a fan of this. This was battle/fight scene heavy with little text so I found it confusing. The orisha seed idea was intriguing but because a lot of the panels were fights I just kept getting confused.
Definitely personal preference here but I wasn't a fan of this. This was battle/fight scene heavy with little text so I found it confusing. The orisha seed idea was intriguing but because a lot of the panels were fights I just kept getting confused.
December 23, 2024
Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga
This was a fun read. It was engaging and also I enjoyed the fighting as well as feeling for the main character and his new journey into what now has become his new way of life
This was a fun read. It was engaging and also I enjoyed the fighting as well as feeling for the main character and his new journey into what now has become his new way of life
February 24, 2025
A West African influenced manga. A boy gets the power of an Orisha buried in his chest and is pursued by the rest of the Orisha because of some vague prophecy. It's not bad. Bit underdeveloped maybe.
July 23, 2025
La verdad que la ilustración estuvo bien, pero se dificultaba la lectura o el entender qué pasa por la gama de grises y el uso indiscriminado de lineas. Pensé que, po rla portada, iba a tener algo de color.
Todo fue bastante confuso
Todo fue bastante confuso
January 15, 2025
Great art, cool story!
March 4, 2025
Interesting graphic with Yoruba Mythology influences. I didn’t enjoy this as much as I hoped - it’s a little too young and full of plot holes for me.
March 14, 2025
Interesting fun story about a young teenage boy who is always teased because of his appearance but finds himself in a peculiar position of gaining super human powers. Can't wait for more!
December 31, 2024
In the vein of Percy Jackson but with Orishas, Orisha, Volume 1 tells the story of Aboki, the village outcast who suddenly becomes something more than the black sheep inherits the powers of an Orisha from a celestial seed that fell from the sky. Now, he's on the run from the other Orishas---not to mention scary voodoo monsters---seeking his power. He meets people who help him out understand his new powers and find his purpose.
Despite knowing nothing about West African mythology, this was such a fun comic to read, I basically flew through the whole thing in one sitting! The art style is anime-ish but fun. I only wish the comic explained a bit more about the pantheon and basic world building. But I think I'll have to do research on my own lol.
I can't wait for the next volume!
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Rockport Publishing for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Despite knowing nothing about West African mythology, this was such a fun comic to read, I basically flew through the whole thing in one sitting! The art style is anime-ish but fun. I only wish the comic explained a bit more about the pantheon and basic world building. But I think I'll have to do research on my own lol.
I can't wait for the next volume!
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Rockport Publishing for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2025
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
Aboki is often a victim of bullying because of his strange markings on his face. On one occasion during what should have been a friendly game, he finds himself outside the village and he comes across a strange glowing object that turns out to be a celestial seed. The seed fuses with Aboki, making him a target of gods, warriors, monsters, and all kinds of creatures trying to obtain the seed. This story is full of action and takes inspiration from African mythology, which makes this a great addition to English units to provide worldly perspective and diverse voices.
Reviewed for Booklist Magazine.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12
Aboki is often a victim of bullying because of his strange markings on his face. On one occasion during what should have been a friendly game, he finds himself outside the village and he comes across a strange glowing object that turns out to be a celestial seed. The seed fuses with Aboki, making him a target of gods, warriors, monsters, and all kinds of creatures trying to obtain the seed. This story is full of action and takes inspiration from African mythology, which makes this a great addition to English units to provide worldly perspective and diverse voices.
Reviewed for Booklist Magazine.
Sara's Rating: 8/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12
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