For those wanting to delve deeper into the world of Orphan Black, the comic books are just for you.
One. Of a kind. Sarah’s life was changed dramatically after witnessing the suicide of a woman who looked just like her. Sarah learned she and the woman were clones, but also that 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 miniseries by co-creator John Fawcett!
‘Orphan Black’ issue #1 review
It’s important to know that if you want to delve into the world of Orphan Black, you do not start with this comic book. This comic is essentially a love letter to the fans, and builds on the story already established in the BBC America original series. While the book attempts to help non-fans understand the story, that is a goal they did not meet, and non-viewers would find themselves confused and lost when trying to put together frames from the show’s pilot episode.
That being said, as long as you know the story of Orphan Black, you will love this comic book. When this project was announced, we knew from the beginning it would explore the things that happened off screen, but we didn’t realize just how integral these new stories would be to the show.
Unfortunately, you’ll also have to get through all the regurgitated material in order to get to the fresh stuff. The majority of the first issue’s frames are almost exact copies from season 1, episode 1 stills. It’s kind of cool because we can hear the characters saying the lines in our head since we’ve already heard them say them in the show, but a bit boring once you start yearning for newer material.
Luckily for us the art is what really pulled us in. Each frame, whether it looks like a still from the show or an entirely new scene, is beautifully drawn and manages to captivate the grungy essence of the show without being too messy. That, combined by the great narrative story told in speech bubbles and boxes, gives us plenty of reason to stick around and wait for issue #2. Also, issue #2 is set to be about Helena, so we definitely have to check that out when it gets released next month!
Overall, if you’ve seen Orphan Black and want to learn more about your favorite characters, you will definitely want to give these comic books a shot, even if you haven’t read comics before. If you haven’t watched the show and want to get introduced to these characters in comic form, toss that idea aside and go watch Orphan Black season 1 right now.
Orphan Black issue #1 debuts tomorrow, February 25 at your local comic-book store.