Why is this comic so damn aD'ORCable?
- MOVEMENT MAG
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
At a point where I was cutting down on comic buying and selling off a lot of my collection, a little comic came out of nowhere, blew the industry away, and got me excited about comics again. This is that story.
by Max Michaels
Discovering D’ORC …
From a very young age I have loved comics of all kinds, from the strips in the newspaper to the comic books from the news stands. For today's younger readers, a newspaper was a serial publication containing news, features, editorials, and advertising, and a newsstand was a small retail stall, booth, or kiosk that sold those newspapers and magazines. Now usually only found at airports.
In my early teens I began haunting Xeno’s comics at Roosevelt Mall practically every day. I collected all the top titles but always had a certain fondness for weird indie titles like Flaming Carrot, Love And Rockets (also a great band), Bean World, The Tick, and an indie black and white newsprint comic called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Fast forward a few decades and I’m purging a lot of physical media for storage sake and I’ve just sold off a few short boxes with the last of my childhood collection which thanks to blind luck, good taste, or the recommendations of the staff at the comic shop included several titles and key issues by artists that had greatly appreciated in value.
More recently, I have only been buying one-off or short run indie comics and trying to avoid the titles with endless issues, variants, spin-offs, and reboots to keep my collection and spending slim.
But then I caught an early buzz about a new comic on Image called D'ORC. Just on the cover image alone I had that sense it was going to be something I would really like. Similar to finding good music in the record store based on the album art alone.
I rushed to my local comic shops to try and score a #1, but initial orders were so few everyone was already sold out and awaiting a second printing. Ebay was flooding with high priced resale which just kept climbing in price with the comics popularity skyrocketing with titans like Ryan Ottley doing a variant cover for issue 1, and Deadpool creator Rob Leifield dropped praise on his socials for issue #1.
In just under five months D’ORC has caught fire and is the red-hot title blazing off shelves and surpassing all expectations with multiple reprints and countless variant covers. The first issue has since had a second, third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth printing, issue #2 reportedly surpassed 70,000 orders, and Issue #5 is already in its second printing.
As tempting as it was to secure a first printing #1 off Ebay at the time, I added the title to my pull and waited for a #1 second printing instead.
The quest for D’Orc …
Then is seems like fate intervened. D'ORC creator and artist Brett Bean was announced at MegaCon which I attend annually to promote our Hall of Heroes shows. I am usually working through the whole show and do not have a budget or autographs, comics, collectible, or art. But I made an exception this time.
Aside from my usual grueling (and gloriously fun) schedule, I quested unto myself the task of seeking out Brett's table and finding out if the hype was speculation, scarcity, or maybe because the book is genuinely good. I honestly had no idea, but I was determined to find out. I also had my eye on a sketch cover Brett had posted on his social media that he said he would have at this show.
Once our booth was set up, we began exploring the con floor to scope out where everything was happening through the weekend. I noticed Brett’s table in the far back of the artist alley and went up to see what was going to be on offer.
I browsed over the options, annoyed his help with lots of questions, checked some of the pricing that was posted, started hyperventilating while adding up how broke I was about to be. There were #1 first printings, foil covers, variant covers, ashcan promos … everything calling to my wallet.
So now I knew where he was and could come back later to pick stuff up. As I turned around to move on, I noticed a few people standing next to me. It was before doors and more than an hour before Brett would be at the table and there were already other vendors lining up next to me to get their D’ORC on. I turned and looked at my friend, shrugged, and said, “Just leave me here.” and staked my spot first in line.
As I waited more people were stopping by and lining up. Soon his handlers started laying down some colored tape to clearly mark off the line and how it was going to flow. Meanwhile I started pulling issues from the display, stacked them up, and awaited Brett to arrive to see if he had that coveted sketch cover. One thing he had at the booth that was unexpected was the D’ORC Ashcan promo. From what I understand he was at New York Comic Con giving them away and a month later at MegaCon they had become so scarce and in-demand they were being limited per day and started at a pretty high price. I of course added that to my stack too.
Brett showed up, got unpacked, and after a few hellos to some other comic peers in the same row he took his seat and I got to properly introduce myself and shill him a few flyers for my con guide and con events, then we got to business. I asked about the sketch cover, and he dug through some bags and boxes and to my delight he pulled a handful out and laid them on the table, the one I had my eye on being right on top. I looked through the others, but that one spoke to me. The price didn't. My stomach turned over a few times. It was a fair price, but more than I had ever invested in a comic. I could not leave it behind though. If I was going this far in, I may as well go for broke ... literally broke.
His incredibly helpful and patient assistant began calculating up my stack of comics and the sketch cover as he started signing them. There was a bit of fun banter and chit chat as he worked through signing everything, then I said my goodbyes and walked away with a big smile and a sense of relief that I had accomplished my one major quest in the opening minutes of the show.
But here is the thing. I just invested a bundle for a comic I had still never cracked a page of. I had no idea if it would be good or not. I was buying it based on pure instinct and a love of the cover art I had seen. It just looked and felt like something different, and I took the chance the guts would meet the hype.
I opened a second printing of #1 and carefully flipped the pages and read through. When finished I closed the book and carefully slipped it back in its bag and board. I closed my eyes and took a big deep sigh.
It was awesome!
I freaking loved it.
So, what the hell is D’ORC? …
D'Orc is the story of a half-dwarf, half-orc orphan who is prophesied to end the world, but he has no idea why. Along with an enchanted shield (that is really into violence), and a decapitated ghost-chicken-head, D'ORC wanders through the war-torn realm of Sunderaine while nearly everyone he meets wants him dead.
Brett respectfully parodies a lot of classic fantasy tropes in building his new world that are destined for some catastrophic misadventures. He nails high-fantasy conventions like prophecies, magical artifacts, and mythical creatures and filters them through a fast-paced stream of satire, sarcasm, slapstick, social commentary, and absurd humor as the characters quest through their world with escalating stakes every step along their path in the same vein as some of my favorite comics like Groo the Wanderer and Cerebus, but with a LOT more gore.
D'ORC himself is also simply a great character. He is a good guy, with a dark streak, on a tipping point in a world that hates him and he does not understand why. And that leads to some of the heaviest and the most poignant moments.
“I feel so much all the time that it suffocates me, and I cannot breathe. Every day is a struggle. I fear this world is turning me into something I do not recognize anymore. I am afraid of every one of these feelings.” D’ORC admits to his companions by fire side respite from the running, the fighting, and the chaos in issue #4.
His sentient shield replies “Let us avoid any more feeling tonight, I am not used to them, and they make me feel weird and icky. Now sleep and don’t worry, I’ve got my eye on you.” (Which is funny because it is just one big eye on the front of a shield).
At that moment I thought, damn, am I D'ORC? Is the shield me? I can totally relate to these ... um ... guys? Whatever. I'm all in.
Aside from great character-building, Brett has also landed on an endearing visual design for D’ORC. Panel by panel is lush with color, movement, and mood. Our reluctant hero (or destroyer) of short stature has big eyes, pointed ears, a purple pug nose, a toothy under-bite, and green skin contrasted by earth-tone medieval peasant garb that is both adorable and menacing, and conceptually instantly appealing to a wide range of comic and fantasy fans of all ages, including myself. I could see this easily expanding into toys, video games, animated series, or dare I dream... a puppet based series in similar style of the Henson company's Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn Eclipsed trailer.
Having just read book #5 I can attest that D'ORC truly deserves the attention it has received. It's got me hooked. While scarcity and collector frenzy helped fuel its early popularity, the comic's characters and heart will keep readers coming back.
One of the last days of MegaCon I ran into Brett crossing a sky bridge into the show and got to tell him how happy I was for his success. Which was in part a selfish compliment, because while I am happy he is personally seeing success, I’m more happy because that means I'll get to enjoy more D'ORC content, characters, and stories from him for years to come.
Becoming part of the D’ORC lore…
In a surreal turn of events our Ancient City Con show has teamed up with Coliseum of Comics to become a part of the D’ORC lore with an exclusive variant cover by illustrator Ryan English (The Vigis) for D’ORC’s first trade paperback “The Book of Certain Doom”. The cover depicts D'ORC being flung from battle atop the historic Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida. This limited-edition variant cover collects issues #1-#5 and will be hitting shelves July 22, 2026 exclusively at most Coliseum of Comics locations. Visit a store near you for more details.
Get in on the D’ORCiness at
Follow Brett Bean at
If you've made it this far, also check out some incredible
indie titles by talent local to North Florida.
THE VIGIS
A passion project constructed from the blood, sweat, and tears of Gainesville Florida's writer C. Matthew Foote and illustrator Ryan English
CAM LOPEZ
Gnarf by Cam Lopez follows an ALF-ish alien through his everyday life as he navigates new friendships and grapples with insecurities as a newbie in the DIY music scene.
MICHAEL REGINA
Sci-Fi horror comics and graphic novels for all ages. Be sure to try and find his short "Jaws" comic called Sandcastles. It centers around a retelling of the story of the film from the perspective of Sean Brody, the youngest Brody child.
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