Black Gate

The Newest Must-Read Fantasy Comic…

“And the Orcs took the fortress on the west slopes of Mount Rerir, and ravaged all Thargelion, the land of Caranthir; and they defiled Lake Helevorn.”
 –J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion

“Violator! Desecrator! Turn around and meet the hater!”
 –Rob Zombie, “Demonoid Phenomenon”

Orcs seem to be popping up everywhere these days. I’ve done my share of complaining about this. I’ve raved about how Orcs should be kept in Tolkien books…after all, he invented the beasties as a counterpart to his magnificent Elves. (Nevermind that that actual word “orc” existed before in reference to a water-monster.) Today there are even entire novels dedicated to Orcs.

And, to my great delight, at least one spectacular comic book.

ORC STAIN is the creation of writer/artist James Stokoe, and is published by Image Comics. This series “For Mature Readers” is a brand-new offering, with only two issues on the stands so far. However, it grabbed my attention on both a story and art level (a seemless blend) and quickly rose to the top of my must-read list. In fact, any fan of fantasy adventure fiction, sword-and-sorcery, dark fantasy, monster comics, or simply Those Who Dig Orcs owes it to himself to read this amazing experiment in non-corporate comics.

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The crumbling passage led to an underwater city, filled with marvels, wild magic… and secrets.

The village witch rowed Newyn to the tainted place, the ocean cove the locals called ya sangra liu — the bloody harbor. No one knew what had happened there, except that once it had not been filled by the sea.
     “There.” It was a toothlike stone structure that stuck out of the water to roughly waist-height, in the middle of the miniature bay. “Everyone knows, you walk down that way, you can breathe.”
      Newyn studied the protrusion. It was manmade, circular, perhaps the ruined top of a tower. “Do you breathe water, like a fish, or is there air?”
     “You’re not floating, if that’s what you mean. You can walk, run, speak if you find anyone to speak to. Near enough to air, even if the fish swim in it.”
     “And others have gone down, and come back.”
     The witch half nodded, half shrugged. “Come back, yes. But not always whole.”
    “Why did they go?”
     “Some folks come back ranting about gold… I’d think you might like gold.”
     “Oh, I do,” Newyn said, so softly it was almost a hiss. “I do.”

Isabel Pelech has been published in Talebones, Tickled by Thunder and Dreams & Nightmares. She lives in Tennessee with two gray cats.

“The Wine-Dark Sea” appears in Black Gate 14. You can read a more complete excerpt here.

The complete Black Gate 14 Sneak Peek is available here.

Art by Mark Evans.