Orphan And The Five Beasts #2 - Dark Horse Comics

ORPHAN AND THE FIVE BEASTS No. 2, April 2021

Providing a somewhat detailed backstory to “the dreaded bandit leader that used to be a hero”, as well as subsequently establishing Orphan Mo as Thunderthighs’ unlikely successor, there is clearly much more to James Stokoe’s Issue Two of “Orphan And The Five Beasts” than the comic simply being a publication-long portrayal of oriental-flavoured pugilism. Yet whilst such welcome additions to this book’s plot definitely help break-up the Canadian author’s detailed depiction of the brave warrior tackling the dreaded “Two Trees Bearing Heaven” fighting style, it is her lengthy and gratuitously violent confrontation with the gigantic bearded villain which will debatably long linger within its audience’s mind’s eye. 

Indeed, considering that the storyline’s “first of the Beasts” is brutally bisected and disembowelled by a blinding series of blade blows, skewered through the legs with a pair of throwing spears and then later grotesquely torn asunder by rampaging horses, it is probably hard for any perusing bibliophile to imagine what other ghastly physical misdemeanour this title could possibly contain; “Hahaha!! Thought cutting me in half would slow me down, huh?! Thought you could stop Thunderthighs?!? You just cut off the dead weight, fool!”

Perhaps therefore it is this twenty-two page periodical’s intriguing premise that the “mountain bandits” actually thought their titanic boss was just a dislikeable “punk who crushed all of our horses”, that proves a much more palatable plot-thread. The titular character’s embarrassed shock at becoming the head of such a motley band of brigands is well-penned, and subsequently shows just how much the emaciated thieves loathed the “force of destruction that threatens all life in the valley with his indestructible legs" when they willingly aid Mo in the final stages of her battle against him.

Of course all this over-the-top wanton bloodshed is stunningly pencilled by this comic’s creator in his rather recognisable ‘frenetic, hyper-detailed style’, and must have taken an eternity to illustrate considering the sheer mass of gristle-splattered entrails on show. However, by the time Mo has finally killed the seemingly invincible monstrosity of an outlaw, the persistent panels presenting endless glimpses of torn arteries, sausage-like intestines and busted internal organs is arguably going to prove all too much for even the most dedicated of Gorehounds.

Script, Art, Letters, and Cover: James Stokoe