Sarah's life was changed dramatically after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looked just like her. Sarah learned that, not only were she and the woman clones, but there were others just like them, and dangerous factions at work set on capturing them all. Now, the mysterious world of Orphan Black widens, with new layers of the conspiracy being peeled back in this series by co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson! Based on the hit BBC America TV Show!
Any time I read a book or comic that originated in another genre, I am hoping for more. There is nothing more disappointing than an adaptation that is a word-for-word replay of the show or movie. I want insight, perspective, extras that I didn't get before.
Happily, this filled the bill. Glimpses big and small of clone life before and during the story. I personally enjoyed watching the handlers play their part.
Anyway, worth a read if you watch the show, utterly incomprehensible if you don't.
Αν είστε fan της σειράς και σας λείπει, αυτό το graphic novel είναι ό,τι πρέπει για μια αναπόληση. Αν όμως δεν έχετε δει τη σειρά και θέλετε να το διαβάσετε ανεξάρτητα, σίγουρα θα μπερδευτείτε και θα μείνετε με αναπάντητα ερωτήματα.
I can't imagine anyone who hasn't seen the show picking this book up and making any sense of it. Each issue focuses on a different character: Sarah, Helena, Allison, Cosima, and Rachel. Much of what we see, especially in the first two issues, is basically a series of snapshots summarizing season 1. It jumps around with very little explanation, so I would think that if you haven't seen the show it would be pretty confusing. However, on the other hand, if you do watch the show it's gets a bit boring. Much of the dialog seemed word for word, it was almost like I was watching a string of "previously on..." summaries.
It does get better with more backstory given to the characters, still most of the flashbacks provide little insight into the characters. We see Allison in College, Cosima with her ex-girlfriend/monitor, and Rachel as a child.
If you are a super fan or need a refresher on where we've already been, this might be for you. Otherwise...
I picked this up when I saw it at the local library because basically I am pretty obsessed with Orphan Black. Sadly, I wasn't as impressed with the graphic novel and do not see myself continuing the series. In order to understand this volume, you pretty much have to have seen the first season of the series, and if you have, then there is really no reason to read this book. There were a few bits and pieces added in which aren't shown on TV, but it's pretty "jumpy" and hard to follow and I didn't even enjoy the artwork that much. I really think this is a case of where I love the television series so much, there is no way this could ever hold up to it. I am sure others will love this, it just isn't for me.
This book kind of has an identity disorder (which seems appropriate on some level). It can't decide if it's intended for people who are already fans of Orphan Black, or if it's supposed to be bringing new fans into the fold. Two of the five stories feel like almost complete retreads of episodes or story arcs from the first season. The other stories at least add a little bit of new material. But still, it really doesn't seem to be intended for people that already know the basics, while it also alludes to, or leaves unexplained, a number of things that only people who have watched the series would understand. so I went from being bored to being slightly in the dark. The art was well done, with all the characters being distinct and easy to follow, although the lack of interaction between the clones makes this a bit easier - for the most part, each issue focuses on one clone, with little if any interaction with any of the others. But the lack of focus and target audience made me find it something I can't really recommend.
Plot seems to target toward people who had already watched the TV series hence some backstory there and about, with some lack of plot too (thinking that the reader would fill in the missing gaps from the TV show?). The portrayal method however: character by character seems to target toward people who are new to OB, hence the characters introduction.
Overall, confusing. Who were the intended audiences? :/
Basically a recap of the show with a few hints here and there of the “new layers of the conspiracy being peeled back,” but not enough to make it satisfying. Because the focus was on the main cast, they were more easily recognizable as clones, versus Orphan Black: Helsinki.
It was successful in that now I want to rewatch the television show...unsuccessful in that there were barely any revelations.
3.5 stars. A must read for fans of the show but otherwise I feel it would be a bit flat and confusing. I enjoyed this but it wasn't amazing, so I am looking forward to reading future volumes to see where this goes. Alison and Cosima's sections were my favourites.
I really liked it, but if you haven't watched the tv show or if you are not aware of what happens... you have no idea of what is going on here. That's my main complain, honestly. The art was also a bit off, sometimes, but it's still great!
It was very disjointed. Start a page on one story line and go to another without even getting to a stopping point on the first story. I felt like I read a bunch of comic strips that had no ending and no real beginning.
For a tie-in, the content was spot-on. But if you're a fan of the show, there's not much new information except in the last 2 issues. Looks like future comics will have more new stories.
The writers of this comic should have been able to offer great insight into Orphan Black, but instead they produced a compromise, which by definition makes no one happy.
These five issues focus on the five core clones: Sarah, Helena, Alison, Cosima, and Rachel. Unfortunately, they introduce the, by retreading extensive ground from the TV show. The first two issues are the worse, with many scenes being repeated word for word.
This is balanced with "secret" backstory on the characters, but it's unfortunately quite shallow. It picks up toward the end: the background on Alison is amusing (#3) and that on Rachel is actually insightful (#5). But as a whole, it's not enough to make these five issues worthwhile.
I really can't tell who this book is supposed to be for or even what it's trying to be. The new information is absolutely miniscule, the plot bounces across the whole first season without linking anything together and it's probably 70% word-for-word TV dialogue. I've seen the show and I struggled to make sense of it!
Not a fan of graphic novels on a good day but I was really interested in this as a big fan already, but it just confused me and didn't answer any questions I either did or didn't already have.
Orphan Black Vol. 1 collects issues #1 to #5. These issues feature each of the main clone Sarah, Helena, Alison, Cosima and Rachel. Additionally, there were variant covers one could drool over after issue #5. As a whole, I thought it might be confusing and lacking in information (also plot) for people who did not watch the series for there were only bits of parts which showed the present events. This could be hard to connect with the past events which showed not only other layers of the clone's personality but also other supporting characters'. I think this acts more of a supplementary in the main Orphan Black universe. For the issues I liked best, it would be Helena and Rachel's.
Orphan Black #1: Sarah Sarah was shown here as a rebel teenager under Siobhan's care. The events during her birth were also told, scattered events of her assuming Beth Child's identity were put here and there and the discovery about them being clones.
Orphan Black #2: Helena The issue about Helena showed how she came to be a religious nut/"angry angel". Her past was saddening and how she was treated as if she was a weapon was heartbreaking. Panels were divided between the past (in black and white) and present (in color). It also showed the scattered events of her killing the clones and meeting Sarah. This issue solidified just how much of a complex character Helena is.
Orphan Black #3: Alison Alison's issue was about her, Donnie, her kids and living in the suburbs. This featured Alison and Donnie's high school romance whilst Donnie was also working as a monitor under Aldous' orders. Also, the scene with them discovering that Alison could not bore a child was very heartwarming. It showed just how much Donnie loves her. The present events include discovering Big Boob Blowies and threatening her husband with a glue gun due to paranoia.
Orphan Black #4: Cosima I have found a number of problems from this issue namely, Delphine x Leekie's relationship. I was hoping to know more about Cosima's family. But instead we saw Cosima's previous monitor fell in love with her too just like how Delphine did. And just like Delphine, there was a pattern with the previous monitor being all jealous and shit. And probably they will have the same demise. That was quite alarming. It was also pretty weird as it kind of established Cosima's character as someone who actually moves on pretty easily (hint: ). There was also more of Delphine being shady here and Cosima and Beth meeting. Cosima gave Beth a cactus as a welcome gift. That was cute.
Orphan Black #5: Rachel Houser did an amazing job in weaving Rachel's past with her present. Her thoughts and perspective about being self-aware was pleasantly surprising. In this issue, we also saw Rachel really contemplating things, not just exercising her power and not having her hardened exterior but also being human in the inside. These slightly opposing idea of what we have with Rachel was really written wonderfully. Other than that, she also met another clone named Veera. Her backstory was good and I read somewhere that she would be the protagonist in the upcoming Orphan Black: Helsinki mini series. I cannot wait for that. I have high hopes for the Orphan Black: Helsinki mini series.
Overall, I am a biased fan and more or less, I really liked 3 out of 5 issues here. If you greatly enjoy Orphan Black and wanted to know a tad bit of the past events in each of the clone's life then this is for you. This is also one good way to spend the hiatus while waiting for the fourth season.
As a huge fan of the TV show and a member of “clone club,” I knew that I’d enjoy ORPHAN BLACK VOL. 1. Cleverly divided into an issue featuring each clone, this graphic novel gives readers the opportunity to follow their favourites years before they had met. While there’s little added to the overall story arc of the show, I loved seeing the clones back in action.
There were a few little teasers for season 4 of the show here and there, particularly in the issues dedicated to Helena and Rachel. We got some insight into the mysterious Helsinki operation, and a new character who played an important role therein is also introduced. I’m really intrigued by her, so fingers crossed that she plays a role in the next season!
My personal fave of the group is Cosima and her story-line did not disappoint. She’s the kind of character that I’d love to be friends with if she were a real person, but let’s be real: I’m definitely not cool enough to hang with her. Since the graphic novel is written in first person, you’re privy to the thoughts of the clone who’s narrating, which I really appreciated since it gave good insight into some of the more questionable decisions they’ve made. I found myself feeling relieved to know that Cosima wasn’t completely blindsided by the Delphine Thing.
If you’re not watching the Orphan Black TV show, do yourself a favour and get on that. Those of you who are already fans of the series will enjoy ORPHAN BLACK VOL. 1 but I wouldn’t recommend it for newcomers. As my first media tie-in, ORPHAN BLACK VOL. 1 was fun but nothing too special.
I'm a huge fan of the show but I can't say the same for this volume of the comic books. I'll be honest I'm not much of a comic book reader but I love the show so much that I was interested in the comics to learn more about the character's backstories. Unfortunately, I was let down by that exact desire.
The Sarah, Alison and Cosima issues are mostly useless. The majority of those issues cover things we've already seen in the show. *Even worse, sometimes injecting some really weird cannon such as Delphine sleeping with Dr. Leeki... It just didn't feel right at all. The Helena and Rachel issues were the only ones I enjoyed as there was a heavy dose of backstory versus - again - things we've already seen in the show.
I feel that they tried to balance giving the fans of the show the backstories they were interested to see while also making the comics enjoyable - or somewhat understandable - to those who haven't seen the show at all. To me, I feel they imbalanced it more towards those who haven't seen the show and ended up giving very little to fans, like myself, who were looking for more backstory on the characters.
EDIT: *Apparently this was actually implied in the show as well and was not just canon in the comic. Still though, Dr. Leeki and Delphine? Eww...
I couldn't quite tell if this was for people who had already seen the show or for newcomers to the clone club, but either way it was lacking just a bit at first. The book follows 5 of the clones (Sarah, Helena, Alison, Cosima, Rachel) from the beginning events of season 1. It starts off with Sarah but this section of the book was basically the first episode translated right to the page. This felt a bit repetitive and boring for someone who has already been a fan of the show. The Rest of the stories, however, are sort of like missing scenes or events that happened in another perspective which was interesting for me, but would have been very confusing for people new to Orphan Black. Helena and Cosima's wound up being my favorite stories. A definite strength of the book are the alternate cover pages- Soooo pretty. If you love Orphan Black get past the first section, the rest are a nice insight to the clone sister's stories.
I flew through this last night after hearing my friend Gem talk about it; I haven't delved into comics, manga or graphic novels in a very, very long time! I love how it builds on the TV show and you get a chance to get into the character's heads. I definitely will be getting my hands on the second volume very soon!! It's also really made me want to re-watch the series too... so much to do, so little time...
Great companion graphic novel to the TV show. We get to see the backgrounds of the characters, what made them resilient and realizations they had.
They lead one to the other, with the ending being about the next character or Helsinki, which the next volume is on.
Sarah's story was from the very beginning of Orphan Black when she sees Beth commit suicide and then tries to fit in her life and realizes that Beth had realized the problem was bigger than her. The art style matches Beth's urban life.
Helena's story is about how she became an assassin. The art style is very gritty. She think the others are dirty copies. I see parallels between hers and Rachel's story; they both have some power over the others and both have been brainwashed though they may seen two ends of a spectrum.
Alison's story is about her spiral when she thinks Donnie is her monitor and then she doesn't know who it is. They go to a retreat. There is the iconic moment of Donnie tied to a chair and Alison with a glue gun! We get to see then at various stages of their relationship. Alison realizes that the clones don't have to deal with their problems on their own since they are shared.
Cosima's story offered the background of when she moved and changed majors to study about them. We see her breakup with Emi and the introduction of Delphine. She says some very strong words about what's not ok and how relationships are about being on the same page and not having someone. This was my favourite but only because Cosima is my favourite. All the comics offered a gimps into how the clones are different.
The last story was Rachel's. We see her as a child and what formed her. How she thinks she is above the others and how in a way she was also brainwashed. The art style changes from childish to a very sophisticated, posh and neutral purples which show Rachel's personality. We get introduced to the Helsinki affair in this comic. Self-awareness still did not give her motherhood or love. You have to pity her really.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a little bit of a let down for me. I loved the show so much so I might have been expecting too much so it could totally be my fault. This book is made up of five issues each one around a different version of the clones. This does mean that we get to see stories from lots of different characters which is great but it has made it hard to have an overarching plot and if you haven't watched the show I don't think it would make much sense. Allison was always my favourite clone so I loved her chapters which deals with her and Donnie getting engaged. I also loved Rachel's chapters which showed her as a child learning about the clone experiments. Quite a lot of this book is a scene for scene telling of the same story that we saw in the show which wasn't great but we do get little bits of extra information around the edge. The less the chapters were directly ripped from the show the better they were in my view. Considering this book is all about a group of clones I thought it was a bit odd that some of the character art was spot on and others were barely recognisable. I think this would be a nice read for fans of the show if they don't go in with too high expectations but I don't think a new fan would get much out of it.
I am a bad Orphan Black fan as I've not finished watching the final season as I didn't want the series to end. And I just picked up this graphic novel.
That said, this isn't the best tie-in graphic novel to a TV series. It's not bad but it's a bit lackluster. It covers a lot of ground from the first season and fleshes things out to a degree. It uses information that we learn from later seasons in some cases to flesh out the main five clone's lives. I think I would have preferred it if the graphic novel had given us a look into the lives of other clones.
I did enjoy how Cosima's and Allison's arcs from the first season were fleshed out a little more. But the graphic novel didn't really give us too much insight into Beth much less Rachel, Sarah or Helena that was necessary to understand the characters or appreciate them.
The artwork was rather nice and unlike some other graphic novels based on TV shows or movies, there was no questioning as to who was who.
Overall it was a pleasant read but probably only a must have for the truly die-hard Orphan Black fan.
This volume includes chapters about: Sarah, Helena, Allison, Cosima, and Rachel. Each chapter ends with a slight mention of the next featured clone, and Rachel’s chapter ends with a mention of MK/Mika, so I’m guessing the next chapter/volume will start with her. Every chapter has a slightly different art style to match the personality/mood of each clone.
If you’re a fan of the series, I highly recommend this. but just don’t expect it to be a sequential story.
Each chapter is a self-contained standalone backstory for each character, all with the intention of helping you understand the nurture side of each clone’s life; which is something we don’t get to see a lot of in the show. (Spoilers for the show in each chapter are minimal.)
The first three issues were very disappointing - basic rehashes of series one storylines, with only a few sprinklings of added detail. I was going to give this two stars before I got to the final two issues which managed to claw it back slightly. Cosima is given a nice bit of backstory here with a past monitor, more detail on Delphine and the evil machinations of Dr Leekie. Rachel's issue stands out as the best, showing the origins of the fire that 'kills' her parents, as well as her early involvement working for Dyad. This issue introduces Ferdinand and Hellsinki before they appear in the series 3, and MK who is not seen on screen until series 4. If only the whole series had the guts to go deep into lore like this! Overall, 3 stars.
The first volume of "Orphan Black" combines a moderately intersting story with moderately disappointing artwork to revisit specific elements of the first season of the series with the same name. Although each issue sheds new light on events from the TV series the the book does not manage to distinguish itself or show the intensity and originality of that series. Hardcore fans of the series who are open to reading graphic novels will probably find this book worthwhile but most other readers are not likely to find it engaging.
Orphan Black is one of my favourite shows, however this graphic novel barely makes sense unless you’ve seen the show (and even then it’s still all over the place). Conversations are word for word from the show, but In particular, the unexplained time jumps are quite confusing. I know how to fill in the blanks but if this was someone’s introduction to OB they would have no idea how to even start following the story. I liked that we got a bit more background info into their lives though, and a teaser for Helsinki.