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Warhammer 40,000 Graphic Novels
Deff Skwadron
The author of Bloodquest and Kal Jerico chronicles the adventures and exploits of the bloodthirsty orks of the Deff Skwadron, in an original graphic novel. Original.
64 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
1 person is currently reading
128 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Rennie
395 books34 followersFreelance writer for over 20 years – When he’s not being ungainfully employed as a BAFTA-nominated video games scriptwriter, he keeps himself busy writing comics, novels, screenplays and Doctor Who audio plays. Comics work includes Predator, Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper, Missionary Man, Necronauts, Caballistics Inc and Absalom, and Dept. of Monsterology for Renegade.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 3, 2022
Rating 3 out of 5 | Grade B; In da grimm darkness of da fa fuschia, der izz only Waaaagh! Dakka Dakka
If you ask anyone who plays the Warhammer 40k board game, they would agree, that out of all the different Xeno factions in the Grimdark future, one of the most balls to the walls crazy enjoyable to play as are the Orks.
Due to their sheer randomness and unpredictability, there is really no telling how the next move will end up doing. Wiping out half of your own squad due to a bad roll, or dropping a freaking orc roc on the unsuspecting opposition, there is never a boring day while playing as orks.
Now, I haven't played a single 40K board game as of late, (Damn you, for being born in a desert with no fandom or peer groups to spread the good word of the God Emperor!), but I consider myself somewhat of an lore junkie.
But I digress. We're here to talk about a whole bunch of dakka dakka. On which the story delivers. Set in a turf battle between two rival ork warbands, the story focuses on the exploits on the aerial squadron of ork fighters on one of the sides, aptly named the 'Deff Sqwadron', as they face off against their opposition in absurdly chaotic and often hilarious ways.
Nothing much to write home in terms to plot; what did you expect, it's a comic about orks. But it is filled it all manner of giggle inducing ork being ork behavior. Tin cans scrapped together with dirt and spit which shouldn't even move, but somehow manage to fly, ork fighter pilots who shoot down as many of their allies as their enemies (friendly fire being a irrelevant banal concept of ork military), and glorious, glorious explosions, you name it and it's delivered.
Plus, the sort of combat chatter & logic one can only hope to find only amongst the green devils.
Artwork
If I have one complaint, it is in regards to the artwork. While the actual art is beautifully chaotic and filled with details, because its in manga style black & white, during some of the more intense battle scenes it becomes hard to find focus on which are our guys and which is the enemy.
Considering how, 80% of the book is just battle, that is a sizeable negative. Plus, I feel personally, the wonderful absurdity that is ork like can only be fully rendered in all its glory using the options available in a colored palette, with all the red blood, green skins, black sooth and smoke, and not to mention, all the paraphernalia that comes as decorations for each distinct warband. A big loss there.
Yet, despite that, the book is enjoyable for fans, and a bit of a chore for the casual readers. Better luck next time, folks.
If you ask anyone who plays the Warhammer 40k board game, they would agree, that out of all the different Xeno factions in the Grimdark future, one of the most balls to the walls crazy enjoyable to play as are the Orks.
Due to their sheer randomness and unpredictability, there is really no telling how the next move will end up doing. Wiping out half of your own squad due to a bad roll, or dropping a freaking orc roc on the unsuspecting opposition, there is never a boring day while playing as orks.
Now, I haven't played a single 40K board game as of late, (Damn you, for being born in a desert with no fandom or peer groups to spread the good word of the God Emperor!), but I consider myself somewhat of an lore junkie.
But I digress. We're here to talk about a whole bunch of dakka dakka. On which the story delivers. Set in a turf battle between two rival ork warbands, the story focuses on the exploits on the aerial squadron of ork fighters on one of the sides, aptly named the 'Deff Sqwadron', as they face off against their opposition in absurdly chaotic and often hilarious ways.
Nothing much to write home in terms to plot; what did you expect, it's a comic about orks. But it is filled it all manner of giggle inducing ork being ork behavior. Tin cans scrapped together with dirt and spit which shouldn't even move, but somehow manage to fly, ork fighter pilots who shoot down as many of their allies as their enemies (friendly fire being a irrelevant banal concept of ork military), and glorious, glorious explosions, you name it and it's delivered.
Plus, the sort of combat chatter & logic one can only hope to find only amongst the green devils.
Artwork
If I have one complaint, it is in regards to the artwork. While the actual art is beautifully chaotic and filled with details, because its in manga style black & white, during some of the more intense battle scenes it becomes hard to find focus on which are our guys and which is the enemy.
Considering how, 80% of the book is just battle, that is a sizeable negative. Plus, I feel personally, the wonderful absurdity that is ork like can only be fully rendered in all its glory using the options available in a colored palette, with all the red blood, green skins, black sooth and smoke, and not to mention, all the paraphernalia that comes as decorations for each distinct warband. A big loss there.
Yet, despite that, the book is enjoyable for fans, and a bit of a chore for the casual readers. Better luck next time, folks.
March 6, 2009
Take Tolkienien Orcs and put them on the battlefield of a dystopic, war-torn galaxy 38,000 years in the future. Now give them planes.
Take my word for it, it's a good read.
Take my word for it, it's a good read.
May 29, 2020
In theory this should be an absolute winner, with great action and comedy and pretty solid artwork - but the artwork also gets pretty messy at times and it's hard to tell what's going on, a problem made worse by the ork lingo. It's still pretty good, though.
September 28, 2018
Best served with a side of Warhammer 40,000 tabletop wargame.
February 15, 2018
A really awesome, quick and amusing graphic novel about a group of Ork jet pilots and their "adventures".
Full of Orky goodness and is a must read for any tabletop 40k Ork player.
Full of Orky goodness and is a must read for any tabletop 40k Ork player.
February 17, 2022
The story is a lot of fun, but the art is way too busy. This took me three times as long as it should’ve because of how much time I spent trying to figure out what was happening in each panel. It’s a shame because this could easily deserve three or four stars if the art wasn’t so messy. If they ever released a colourized version or one with new art I think this would be something special.
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
June 12, 2017
A real gem of comedy in the otherwise overwhelmingly dark Warhammer 40,000 canon; the orks - who can be utter terror, as seen in 'The Beast Arises' series - are a rich vein of comedy with their single minded love of good fights (lookin' at ya, Killboy!) and the combination of orks and aerial combat is perfectly pitched for ridiculous moments.
March 29, 2016
Thay. Was. Awesome.
January 12, 2023
Despite the fun details and characterization, I'd have to recommend against this volume on the basis of the art being almost impossible to decipher in a number of places. The combination of the black and white style with an absence of shading makes the foreground and background indistinguishable and the visual experience messy.
I'll bump it back up to two stars though for the Squigeon. Love that little guy.
I'll bump it back up to two stars though for the Squigeon. Love that little guy.
March 31, 2020
Good fun read. A must for any 40k Ork player.
October 21, 2020
Always fun to read a book about maniac Orks flying questionably-built fighter planes and blowing the heck out anything in sight.
October 13, 2022
Orkz bein' orkz. Brutality, kunning and stuff gettin' blown to zog.
May 14, 2025
Basically all dakka dakka as you would expect in an Ork comic with a little peek into Ork social dynamics. 🤣
December 15, 2015
It's insane, ridiculus, awesome and above all else: fun!
The Deff sqwadron takes to the skies in the absolutely best ork-story I've ever read!
Think Dastardly and Mutley in their flying machines and you are quite spot on! (There's even an episode in the novel that's a giant shout-out to just that series!)
We follow the Deff sqwadron as they battle a rival ork klan. Their primary vehicles are their own fighta bommas, but there's nothing wrong with using their enemies, or gigantic flying fortresses, or why not convert the entire Sqwadron into war buggies with jet engines?
Awesome characters, awesome art, awesome dialogue and lots of orky humour!
why are you still reading this?
Go and get your own copy as soon as you can!
The Deff sqwadron takes to the skies in the absolutely best ork-story I've ever read!
Think Dastardly and Mutley in their flying machines and you are quite spot on! (There's even an episode in the novel that's a giant shout-out to just that series!)
We follow the Deff sqwadron as they battle a rival ork klan. Their primary vehicles are their own fighta bommas, but there's nothing wrong with using their enemies, or gigantic flying fortresses, or why not convert the entire Sqwadron into war buggies with jet engines?
Awesome characters, awesome art, awesome dialogue and lots of orky humour!
why are you still reading this?
Go and get your own copy as soon as you can!
February 18, 2015
Needs more Dakka!
Deff Skwadron is a chaotic (not that kind of Chaos) romp through the internecine infighting that plagues Ork inhabited worlds. It belnds humor, insanity and violence in the kind of mix Orks were once famous for. I say once famous for because Black Library has been pushing grimdark hard of late. This sort of unbridled fun would never made it past the current standards.
Why do I say it needs more Dakka? Because there's no such thing as 'enuf Dakka', you can always use more!
Deff Skwadron is a chaotic (not that kind of Chaos) romp through the internecine infighting that plagues Ork inhabited worlds. It belnds humor, insanity and violence in the kind of mix Orks were once famous for. I say once famous for because Black Library has been pushing grimdark hard of late. This sort of unbridled fun would never made it past the current standards.
Why do I say it needs more Dakka? Because there's no such thing as 'enuf Dakka', you can always use more!
February 17, 2013
Ork zaniness at its finest.
August 13, 2016
The attention to detail and vernacular was spectacular. Wouldn't be surprised if this was an influence for the last Mad Max.
January 5, 2014
Anarchic, funny, nice artwork, a good read if you can find it
May 5, 2017
Boring, plus it was b/w line drawings, I thought it would be Orks Vs Space Marines but it was Ork Bosses fighting each other, unenjoyable and disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews