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Orphan and the Five Beasts #1-4
Orphan and the Five Beasts
A brand-new kung-fu epic from James Stokoe, the creator behind Orc Stain and Aliens: Dead Orbit!
Spurred on by her master's dying words, the adopted warrior "Orphan Mo" seeks to find and kill five former disciples who now threaten the land with corruption from their demonic powers. Part Five Deadly Venoms and part surreal grindhouse, James Stokoe brings his knack for ultra-detailed fantasy imagery and over-the-top violence to this classic tale of revenge.
Spurred on by her master's dying words, the adopted warrior "Orphan Mo" seeks to find and kill five former disciples who now threaten the land with corruption from their demonic powers. Part Five Deadly Venoms and part surreal grindhouse, James Stokoe brings his knack for ultra-detailed fantasy imagery and over-the-top violence to this classic tale of revenge.
112 pages, Paperback
First published July 26, 2022
6 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
James Stokoe
147 books85 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 36 reviews
May 25, 2022
One of the finest games in recent years is unquestionably Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild from 2017 for the Switch. The story goes: Princess Zelda tasks the androgynous hero Link to defeat the evil Ganon with the help of the Four Divine Beasts, all of whom, along with the land of Hyrule, have been corrupted by Ganon’s Blight and Link must cure them each to aid him in his quest.
I’m speculating but I’m guessing James Stokoe was among the millions who played and loved Breath of the Wild and, unconsciously or not, has replicated the same story in his latest comic, Orphan and the Five Beasts. His story goes: Some Guy tasks the androgynous hero Orphan Mo to defeat the evil Wolf Man, as well as the Five Beasts, all of whom, along with the land itself, have been corrupted by Wolf Man’s demonic power and Orphan Mo must defeat them all in her quest.
Without getting into a detailed review of Breath of the Wild, what I loved the most about it was the gameplay and definitely not the generic, boring story that loosely connected it all. The problem with Stokoe’s comic is that it doesn’t have that saving grace: it’s basically all just crap story. Paper thin characters, the most basic storyline, predictable developments - Orphan Mo defeats both of the Beasts because she has to (yes, that means there’s at least another book planned in this series to cover the remaining three Beasts, and, no, I won’t be reading it).
The book does have Stokoe’s amazing art though, and it is incredible. Wonderfully detailed, coloured in a way that perfectly complements the style, so dynamic, and the panels are always filled with so much. I’ve always enjoyed Stokoe’s art and it doesn’t disappoint here. He’s such a unique and talented artist.
It’s just a shame that there’s a huge disparity between the art and writing, the latter of which is so completely unimpressive and underwhelming. The bad guys are so childishly conceived - Thunderthighs likes using his giant thighs to kill horses and Chopper Teng likes to chop up his meat to serve to customers. Why? ‘Cos that’s what those characters like doing and bad guys do bad things. Hmm.
Maybe if you’re a fan of Stokoe’s art, this one might be worth checking out, otherwise Orphan and the Five Beasts is a comic that’s easily ignorable for most readers.
I’m speculating but I’m guessing James Stokoe was among the millions who played and loved Breath of the Wild and, unconsciously or not, has replicated the same story in his latest comic, Orphan and the Five Beasts. His story goes: Some Guy tasks the androgynous hero Orphan Mo to defeat the evil Wolf Man, as well as the Five Beasts, all of whom, along with the land itself, have been corrupted by Wolf Man’s demonic power and Orphan Mo must defeat them all in her quest.
Without getting into a detailed review of Breath of the Wild, what I loved the most about it was the gameplay and definitely not the generic, boring story that loosely connected it all. The problem with Stokoe’s comic is that it doesn’t have that saving grace: it’s basically all just crap story. Paper thin characters, the most basic storyline, predictable developments - Orphan Mo defeats both of the Beasts because she has to (yes, that means there’s at least another book planned in this series to cover the remaining three Beasts, and, no, I won’t be reading it).
The book does have Stokoe’s amazing art though, and it is incredible. Wonderfully detailed, coloured in a way that perfectly complements the style, so dynamic, and the panels are always filled with so much. I’ve always enjoyed Stokoe’s art and it doesn’t disappoint here. He’s such a unique and talented artist.
It’s just a shame that there’s a huge disparity between the art and writing, the latter of which is so completely unimpressive and underwhelming. The bad guys are so childishly conceived - Thunderthighs likes using his giant thighs to kill horses and Chopper Teng likes to chop up his meat to serve to customers. Why? ‘Cos that’s what those characters like doing and bad guys do bad things. Hmm.
Maybe if you’re a fan of Stokoe’s art, this one might be worth checking out, otherwise Orphan and the Five Beasts is a comic that’s easily ignorable for most readers.
October 4, 2022
Certainly only here for the intricate artwork of James Stokoe. The story is fun, a bit simple. Orphan Mo sets off after her master dies to destroy 5 of his disciples who threaten the world with their demonic powers.
Essentially it's a series of boss battles. Each Beast has his own unique style just like in a video game. We only get to see two of the beasts in this first volume.
Essentially it's a series of boss battles. Each Beast has his own unique style just like in a video game. We only get to see two of the beasts in this first volume.
June 23, 2022
Sad to see this is over. One of my favorite comics has had it’s first arc come to a stunning conclusion. Thankfully James Stokoe confirmed a Volume 2 is coming, but goddamn, after waiting over a year for these 4 issues to drop, I wish we had more. This was one of my favorite indie comics last year and is probably my personal favorite thing Dark Horse has ever published. The art is incredible and I love how Stokoe’s building the story so far.
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January 20, 2023Deliciously ripe martial arts pastiche, in which pretty much every line of the mentor's in particular could have been a sample on an early Wu-Tang album. But then Stokoe's lush, intricate and vibrantly gory art pushes it all that little bit further from naturalism, so that the first of the liberators turned monsters whom the protagonist must vanquish has a combat style based around his mighty thighs and a party trick of crushing his steeds to death between them. And then the body horror really gets going... Entirely ludicrous, and that's not a criticism.
March 1, 2022
Every page of comics made by James Stokoe is a treasure, a little morsel of heaven.
August 19, 2022
really some of the most detailed art you'll get to see in a comic. Awesome.
October 10, 2022
Art is gorgeous, both the graphic violence and the facial expressions.
Sadly the story its very poor. We don’t care for the main character or know anything about them really. We are told at the very start the old master knows nothing about what’s happened since the ‘beasts’ left him but has a bad feeling and that will be his last words. but then when we get him telling us every little detail as we meet each ‘beast’.
Its a pretty, yet violent book but don’t go looking much deeper than that.
Sadly the story its very poor. We don’t care for the main character or know anything about them really. We are told at the very start the old master knows nothing about what’s happened since the ‘beasts’ left him but has a bad feeling and that will be his last words. but then when we get him telling us every little detail as we meet each ‘beast’.
Its a pretty, yet violent book but don’t go looking much deeper than that.
March 5, 2023
Perfect. Feed me more, Jimmy
January 14, 2025
The story is simple but the art is the real show and, boy, does Stokoe show out!
August 19, 2025
Chaos and camp. Those are the words for this comic, and I’m all for it. James Stokoe (Aliens: Dead Orbit) creates a crazy kung-fu-inspired world designed to impress and impact us in every way possible, from the writing to the coloring and the characters. He uses all elements at his disposal to make the reader exclaim how cool Orphan and the Five Beasts is. Well, it sure is cool as heck!
After she finds a dying man on the road, the warrior Mo learns from her master that his five past pupils are corrupting the valley and using their sacred techniques for evil. She goes on a journey to find and defeat all of them, almost as if they were video game bosses (again, cool as heck). In the first volume, by James Stokoe (writer, artist, lettering, and cover artist) and Daniel Chabon (editor), Mo manages to defeat two of them, making us eager to see a sequel soon.
But even though we follow Mo throughout the four chapters collected in the first volume, we don’t learn much about her. It’s cool to see her story, because she’s strong, smart, and kind-hearted, but I hope we will get to know more about her past, like why she started learning martial arts and how she met her master.
Even I, someone who’s not that big on watching classic martial arts movies, can realize Stokoe is paying tribute to them and putting a ton of fantastical elements into the mix. The clothes and weapons of the characters reflect the era. While Mo knows the five aspects of the art, each of the other pupils only mastered one, so they have different fighting styles. Thunderthighs, for example, is gifted with the “leg aspect”, while Chopper Teng, the second corrupted pupil that appears, has the “arm aspect” and uses quick palm strikes to defeat his opponents.
We also are presented with the view of how important martial arts are because the past students wouldn’t have become corrupted if they had dedicated their lives to studying all five aspects of their master’s sacred art. But as I said, Stokoe wanted to give the genre his own spin, so it’s filled with exaggerated moments. From the master shouting his final wishes while inside a cauldron filled with hot water to a man destroying a horse with his thighs.
And that takes me to Thunderthighs, the first boss. When we see him, the story reaches another level. Obviously, per his name, when he is introduced, the sky roars with thunder to represent how dangerous he is. In addition, his thighs are pure muscle and would certainly kill any of us with a single strike. I said he killed the horse with them, but it wasn’t only one; he killed every horse in the stable by mounting them and is proud none of them lasted many laps.
During this first fight, we see two great things: Mo’s fast and clever fighting style and Stokoe’s taste for a good twist. Mo realizes her hits aren’t as efficient as she would like because of Thunderthighs’ muscles, so she uses her intelligence to defeat him. She tricks him into breaking a Bell Tower and then pretends to use the bell as a shield, but it’s only a ploy to make the villain confused and perform a sneak attack. She cuts him in half and wins the fight. Great! But actually, she doesn’t.
That moment changed everything. Thunderthighs cut in half proudly screams that Mo only helped by slashing him, almost as if that was his true form. It’s that odd moment when something clicks in your brain; I knew I was having fun with this series, but I didn’t expect it to become one of my favorite pieces of action media in general. That monstrous set of muscly legs jumping around and shooting logs made my day. Stokoe’s art and coloring (mainly the bright orange he uses) bring even more energy and impact to the fight, and that sense is heightened by the heavy juxtaposition between orange and green.
With the help of his minions, Mo rips Thunderthighs in half and kills him. Then they decide to join her in her mission. That takes them to another village where a strange shop attracts more and more customers every day; customers that are addicted to the meat they are eating. After hearing the rumors of it being an incredible restaurant, Mo goes to investigate and surprises the odd cook of the place when she tells him she’s a vegetarian. Before she storms into his kitchen, I was already expecting some form of twist, but him killing the clients and using their meat would be too simple, so I thought we would find some kind of monster or demon there. To my surprise, he really was using human meat, but it was his own.
When I get to read the sequel, definitely one of the most entertaining things will be to guess what the next twist will be and what kind of fighting style the evil bosses use based on their design. The new villain, Chopper Teng, being able to regenerate himself and transform other people into basically mindless creatures is a cool concept that allows for an even more interesting battle. In an almost Alien-like nature, a giant vermin comes out of the customers and attacks Mo while Teng uses his regeneration to produce more and more arms, which he uses to overpower Mo. Gory imagery fills the pages whilst our protagonist tries to turn the table.
Let’s do an exercise here. How can we kill someone that has a healing factor? Take Wolverine, for example, he was already zapped by an energy blast, got his heart ripped out, was incinerated by the sun’s heat, and even got his skeleton turned into rubber (the best of them. Thanks, Thanos). So how does Mo defeat Chopper Teng? She batters and cooks him to death. Yeah, didn’t expect that. Stokoe knows exactly how to surprise us and make that fun and campy so that we will still enjoy ourselves if we reread it.
Another thing that guarantees that is the way Stokoe draws action scenes. Orphan and the Five Beasts didn’t become one of my favorite action books even just because of the campiness; during the fights, the fast slashes and the colors guide us, making everything really easy to follow. Stokoe’s detailed art makes us stand and stare at his backgrounds (something I only feel the need to do when reading the likes of One Piece or Berserk), but he surprises us by abandoning that detail (that becomes only reserved for the characters) to create flashy and fluid scenes.
As there’s not much story going on, it really feels like Mo is thrown into situations and we’re just waiting for her to find the next boss fight. So having impeccable art and easy-to-follow action scenes is essential for the narrative. Also, as I’ve mentioned, the twists are built thinking about our usual expectations and mixed with campy elements to get us impressed with the fights no matter how many times we see them. Do you think you’ll get used to and tired of seeing a giant muscly leg monster rampaging so soon? I sure won’t.
To me, one of the only bad things about Orphan and the Five Beasts is the abrupt ending after the fight against Chopper Teng; we have no indication of where Mo is going next, nor a glimpse of what kind of corruption she’ll face next. But still, Stokoe hits the right beats in basically every other aspect of the comic. It’s a cool, fun, and surprising ride with detailed art, great use of colors, and some of the best character designs I’ve seen this year. I know that while I wait for Mo’s next big boss fights, I’ll explore other crazy and incredible universes created by James Stokoe.
After she finds a dying man on the road, the warrior Mo learns from her master that his five past pupils are corrupting the valley and using their sacred techniques for evil. She goes on a journey to find and defeat all of them, almost as if they were video game bosses (again, cool as heck). In the first volume, by James Stokoe (writer, artist, lettering, and cover artist) and Daniel Chabon (editor), Mo manages to defeat two of them, making us eager to see a sequel soon.
But even though we follow Mo throughout the four chapters collected in the first volume, we don’t learn much about her. It’s cool to see her story, because she’s strong, smart, and kind-hearted, but I hope we will get to know more about her past, like why she started learning martial arts and how she met her master.
Even I, someone who’s not that big on watching classic martial arts movies, can realize Stokoe is paying tribute to them and putting a ton of fantastical elements into the mix. The clothes and weapons of the characters reflect the era. While Mo knows the five aspects of the art, each of the other pupils only mastered one, so they have different fighting styles. Thunderthighs, for example, is gifted with the “leg aspect”, while Chopper Teng, the second corrupted pupil that appears, has the “arm aspect” and uses quick palm strikes to defeat his opponents.
We also are presented with the view of how important martial arts are because the past students wouldn’t have become corrupted if they had dedicated their lives to studying all five aspects of their master’s sacred art. But as I said, Stokoe wanted to give the genre his own spin, so it’s filled with exaggerated moments. From the master shouting his final wishes while inside a cauldron filled with hot water to a man destroying a horse with his thighs.
And that takes me to Thunderthighs, the first boss. When we see him, the story reaches another level. Obviously, per his name, when he is introduced, the sky roars with thunder to represent how dangerous he is. In addition, his thighs are pure muscle and would certainly kill any of us with a single strike. I said he killed the horse with them, but it wasn’t only one; he killed every horse in the stable by mounting them and is proud none of them lasted many laps.
During this first fight, we see two great things: Mo’s fast and clever fighting style and Stokoe’s taste for a good twist. Mo realizes her hits aren’t as efficient as she would like because of Thunderthighs’ muscles, so she uses her intelligence to defeat him. She tricks him into breaking a Bell Tower and then pretends to use the bell as a shield, but it’s only a ploy to make the villain confused and perform a sneak attack. She cuts him in half and wins the fight. Great! But actually, she doesn’t.
That moment changed everything. Thunderthighs cut in half proudly screams that Mo only helped by slashing him, almost as if that was his true form. It’s that odd moment when something clicks in your brain; I knew I was having fun with this series, but I didn’t expect it to become one of my favorite pieces of action media in general. That monstrous set of muscly legs jumping around and shooting logs made my day. Stokoe’s art and coloring (mainly the bright orange he uses) bring even more energy and impact to the fight, and that sense is heightened by the heavy juxtaposition between orange and green.
With the help of his minions, Mo rips Thunderthighs in half and kills him. Then they decide to join her in her mission. That takes them to another village where a strange shop attracts more and more customers every day; customers that are addicted to the meat they are eating. After hearing the rumors of it being an incredible restaurant, Mo goes to investigate and surprises the odd cook of the place when she tells him she’s a vegetarian. Before she storms into his kitchen, I was already expecting some form of twist, but him killing the clients and using their meat would be too simple, so I thought we would find some kind of monster or demon there. To my surprise, he really was using human meat, but it was his own.
When I get to read the sequel, definitely one of the most entertaining things will be to guess what the next twist will be and what kind of fighting style the evil bosses use based on their design. The new villain, Chopper Teng, being able to regenerate himself and transform other people into basically mindless creatures is a cool concept that allows for an even more interesting battle. In an almost Alien-like nature, a giant vermin comes out of the customers and attacks Mo while Teng uses his regeneration to produce more and more arms, which he uses to overpower Mo. Gory imagery fills the pages whilst our protagonist tries to turn the table.
Let’s do an exercise here. How can we kill someone that has a healing factor? Take Wolverine, for example, he was already zapped by an energy blast, got his heart ripped out, was incinerated by the sun’s heat, and even got his skeleton turned into rubber (the best of them. Thanks, Thanos). So how does Mo defeat Chopper Teng? She batters and cooks him to death. Yeah, didn’t expect that. Stokoe knows exactly how to surprise us and make that fun and campy so that we will still enjoy ourselves if we reread it.
Another thing that guarantees that is the way Stokoe draws action scenes. Orphan and the Five Beasts didn’t become one of my favorite action books even just because of the campiness; during the fights, the fast slashes and the colors guide us, making everything really easy to follow. Stokoe’s detailed art makes us stand and stare at his backgrounds (something I only feel the need to do when reading the likes of One Piece or Berserk), but he surprises us by abandoning that detail (that becomes only reserved for the characters) to create flashy and fluid scenes.
As there’s not much story going on, it really feels like Mo is thrown into situations and we’re just waiting for her to find the next boss fight. So having impeccable art and easy-to-follow action scenes is essential for the narrative. Also, as I’ve mentioned, the twists are built thinking about our usual expectations and mixed with campy elements to get us impressed with the fights no matter how many times we see them. Do you think you’ll get used to and tired of seeing a giant muscly leg monster rampaging so soon? I sure won’t.
To me, one of the only bad things about Orphan and the Five Beasts is the abrupt ending after the fight against Chopper Teng; we have no indication of where Mo is going next, nor a glimpse of what kind of corruption she’ll face next. But still, Stokoe hits the right beats in basically every other aspect of the comic. It’s a cool, fun, and surprising ride with detailed art, great use of colors, and some of the best character designs I’ve seen this year. I know that while I wait for Mo’s next big boss fights, I’ll explore other crazy and incredible universes created by James Stokoe.
August 31, 2022
To quote one of the two amazing antagonists in this story... "Inspired."
So happy that James Stokoe is back with an ongoing series. I really hope this doesn't go the way of Orc Stain and fizzle out before we see the conclusion.
So happy that James Stokoe is back with an ongoing series. I really hope this doesn't go the way of Orc Stain and fizzle out before we see the conclusion.
August 2, 2022
Gotta admit, the “pinch of salt” joke really got me. Excited to see what comes next!
August 15, 2025
If you like your art incredibly detailed, and your kung fu incredibly kick ass, this is the book for you!
So James Stokoe, who if you are familiar with, is an incredible artist, actually draws as well as writes this one. And it's pretty damn awesome. The story is straightforward: there's a kung fu "master" that had 5 apprentices that went bad. Now his new apprentice has to go and face them one by one in order to.... well just cause they're bad really. And that's all you really need to get going.
The art is amazing. I mean, cmon its Stokoe. Everything, and I mean everything, is incredibly detailed. From the individual pieces of brick flying all over, to the sky itself, the amount of time it must take to illustrate this must be crazy... which is why this first volume is only 4 issues. And also why volume 2 is set to be released 3 years later in November of '25. And I mean, I get it, this is some very detailed work - but of course, I want more at a faster pace!
But this is super enjoyable and just a fun and cool read. Cant wait for volume 2!
So James Stokoe, who if you are familiar with, is an incredible artist, actually draws as well as writes this one. And it's pretty damn awesome. The story is straightforward: there's a kung fu "master" that had 5 apprentices that went bad. Now his new apprentice has to go and face them one by one in order to.... well just cause they're bad really. And that's all you really need to get going.
The art is amazing. I mean, cmon its Stokoe. Everything, and I mean everything, is incredibly detailed. From the individual pieces of brick flying all over, to the sky itself, the amount of time it must take to illustrate this must be crazy... which is why this first volume is only 4 issues. And also why volume 2 is set to be released 3 years later in November of '25. And I mean, I get it, this is some very detailed work - but of course, I want more at a faster pace!
But this is super enjoyable and just a fun and cool read. Cant wait for volume 2!
January 28, 2023
Read in single issues (loved the connecting covers), and re-read again in trade.
Stokoe flexes his artistic muscles to produce a fun kung fu comic that is not short on visceral violence and explosive scenes. The story is a bit thin, but it mostly revolves around Orphan Mo as she takes on her master's former disciples turned rogue (the titular Five Beasts). However, this series should be titled "Orphan and the 1.5 Beasts", since the story really doesn't approach any semblance of closure. Given the marginal storytelling, I would have been totally fine with this being a five issue series, each with a glorified boss battle being depicted in Stokoe's brilliantly detailed linework. But instead, we get a stretched out story where we are forced into unnecessary build-up to each conflict. Don't get me wrong - most of Orphan and the Five Beasts was fun to get through, but it also doesn't quite have the same charm as some of Stokoe's previous works for me.
Stokoe flexes his artistic muscles to produce a fun kung fu comic that is not short on visceral violence and explosive scenes. The story is a bit thin, but it mostly revolves around Orphan Mo as she takes on her master's former disciples turned rogue (the titular Five Beasts). However, this series should be titled "Orphan and the 1.5 Beasts", since the story really doesn't approach any semblance of closure. Given the marginal storytelling, I would have been totally fine with this being a five issue series, each with a glorified boss battle being depicted in Stokoe's brilliantly detailed linework. But instead, we get a stretched out story where we are forced into unnecessary build-up to each conflict. Don't get me wrong - most of Orphan and the Five Beasts was fun to get through, but it also doesn't quite have the same charm as some of Stokoe's previous works for me.
January 26, 2025
It's so good to see James Stokoe's art again! Crazy detailed, intense, hyper-violent... I love the enthusiasm that fills each page even when I don't care about the story. And this time, unfortunately, I didn't care about the story. It's an over-the-top kung fu epic in which a lone student must hunt down the "beasts" who have been corrupted by her master's art. The four comic issues collected here only cover the first two beasts (and it ends abruptly, without any attempt at wrapping up the arc) - I found an interview from a year and a half ago where he said he's working on the next one, but I have no idea when or if it will come out.
The master's narration is the worst part of the story. That drops away without explanation in the third issue, and that one is a much sillier, more enjoyable story. Stokoe has really creative ideas and funny gags (the final page really made me laugh!) when he isn't stuck on boring clichés.
The master's narration is the worst part of the story. That drops away without explanation in the third issue, and that one is a much sillier, more enjoyable story. Stokoe has really creative ideas and funny gags (the final page really made me laugh!) when he isn't stuck on boring clichés.
November 1, 2022
Orphan and the Five Beasts is an absolutely insane read. It's bonkers manga, somewhat refined, and brilliantly illustrated. Know what you're getting into: there's very little backstory and very much gore.
Orphan is the student of a legendary martial arts master who has been tasked with defeating the five beasts. Each beast is introduced with some light backstory, but more or less, each issue is 100% fight scene. The beasts have unique attributes (such as exceptionally strong thighs) that make them fearsome opponents.
This volume contains two beasts - can't wait to see how Orphan takes on the other three. This is one of those comics where I sent pictures of individual panels to my friends because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I suppose that's a high recommendation.
Orphan is the student of a legendary martial arts master who has been tasked with defeating the five beasts. Each beast is introduced with some light backstory, but more or less, each issue is 100% fight scene. The beasts have unique attributes (such as exceptionally strong thighs) that make them fearsome opponents.
This volume contains two beasts - can't wait to see how Orphan takes on the other three. This is one of those comics where I sent pictures of individual panels to my friends because I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I suppose that's a high recommendation.
October 2, 2022
4.5 stars
Stokoe’s intricately detailed art is a delight, depicting a genre story full of fantastical martial arts action and body horror that’s imaginative and thrilling. Even though this isn’t generally an emotionally impactful story, there’s some nice metaphorical writing, like the baddie whose hungry intellect turns sourly inward into a self-obsession he then projects back onto those around him. The physical metaphor for that is gross and bonkers and hilarious, and I can’t wait to see what Stokoe has in store for the remaining three Beasts to come.
Stokoe’s intricately detailed art is a delight, depicting a genre story full of fantastical martial arts action and body horror that’s imaginative and thrilling. Even though this isn’t generally an emotionally impactful story, there’s some nice metaphorical writing, like the baddie whose hungry intellect turns sourly inward into a self-obsession he then projects back onto those around him. The physical metaphor for that is gross and bonkers and hilarious, and I can’t wait to see what Stokoe has in store for the remaining three Beasts to come.
December 17, 2023
«Сирота та п’ять чудовиськ» - кумедний комікс від Джеймса Стокоу. Розказує про сирітку Мо, яку навчав майстер бойових мистецтв та попросив знайти та вбити 5 майстрів бойових мистецтв, котрі звернули з праведного шляху.
Цілком стандартна кунг-фу історія. Але детальний малюнок робить просто неймовірне. І кожні фрейми хочеться подовше порозглядати.
Наразі комікс не завершений. Вийшло 4 номери, коли буде продовження поки не відомо.
В цих 4 номерах ми зустрічаємо Мо та її майстра, а також 2 майстрів Сікача Тенґа та Стегна грому. Які відповідно "тренували" руки та ноги.
Цілком стандартна кунг-фу історія. Але детальний малюнок робить просто неймовірне. І кожні фрейми хочеться подовше порозглядати.
Наразі комікс не завершений. Вийшло 4 номери, коли буде продовження поки не відомо.
В цих 4 номерах ми зустрічаємо Мо та її майстра, а також 2 майстрів Сікача Тенґа та Стегна грому. Які відповідно "тренували" руки та ноги.
December 28, 2023
Quick review: Book's good.
Now actually, this is a comment on "Sam Quixote"'s review, because the bitchass turned replies off.
I'd be super surprised if Orphan had anything to do with Zelda. You're missing all the cultural background the comic actually does draw inspiration from.
It's really, really funny that you decided to be this confidently wrong in public. Keep the review up, it's hilarious.
Now actually, this is a comment on "Sam Quixote"'s review, because the bitchass turned replies off.
I'd be super surprised if Orphan had anything to do with Zelda. You're missing all the cultural background the comic actually does draw inspiration from.
It's really, really funny that you decided to be this confidently wrong in public. Keep the review up, it's hilarious.
October 23, 2022
James Stokoe's art is phenomenal, I love the action and the detail on each page. The story is generic as hell but screw it, I'm here for the cool action scenes and nothing else. The villains have striking designs and the brief blurbs about their corruption are great, but also the fights are bloody and gorey and fun as all heck.
November 9, 2022
Just sat down and kinda blasted through this one in in one sitting--have to get it back to the library--and what can I say? It's James Stokoe so it's super weird, super gross, super detailed, but… worth it…?
Trigger warning: You will see things no one should ever see.
Which is pretty much why it exists at all.
Trigger warning: You will see things no one should ever see.
Which is pretty much why it exists at all.
February 28, 2022
This has some really fun manga-esque action, some crazy core and some really icky stuff. The art is great but it does feel like the story got compressed from six issues to four. It's coming back for a second mini-series, though, so hopefully that will give it a more satisfying conclusion.
August 11, 2024
Will we ever get an ending to this? Will we see the remaining three beasts? Who knows, although I understand there to have been some panels posted somewhere by Stokoe. What we do have is a short journey into the gorgeously realised, hyper violent world of Orphan, which while currently lacking resolution, does not suffer from having an open end. The journey is well worth picking this one up for, even if that journey currently never arrives at its destination.
October 22, 2025
I did not like the story or script at all, thought the art is excellent. I've read some James Stokoe stories that were pretty good, but this did not do it for me at all. Cool if you like gory martial arts drawings, though.
August 7, 2022
2* for story and 4* for the art
November 27, 2022
Best thing in comics maybe ever.
December 25, 2022
James Stokoe was born to draw martial arts comics, and I don't know why it took me this long to see it.
February 21, 2023
James Stokoe strikes again. This one feels similar to Orc Stain, which is great because I love that comic, and I mean if this one goes the way of that title at least we got four more issues of amazing art and an absurdly fun story.
September 12, 2023
I think this series is unfinished, but it's very good.
November 1, 2023
Tremendos dibujos de Stokoe, en una historia inconclusa, ya que solo enfrenta 2 de las 5 bestias...
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