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Orcs in Space #1

Orcs in Space

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From Justin Roiland, co-creator of Rick and Morty, comes ORCS IN SPACE, a wildly funny and absurd fantasy adventure set in deep space! 

Gor, Kravis, and Mongtar are three Orcs trying to survive while on the run from everything and everyone on their home world. When the naive bureaucrats from StarBleep land on their planet, the orcs unwittingly steal most advanced ship in the fleet and blast into the dankest reaches of the outer galactigon. After befriending the ship's AI, D.O.N.A, the gang encounters everything from pacifier-sucking bounty hunters to raucous nightclubs to steampunk Space Rats. The cosmos will never be the same, thanks to the Orcs in Space!

104 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2021

42 people want to read

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Justin Roiland

10 books6 followers

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5 stars
11 (13%)
4 stars
23 (27%)
3 stars
29 (34%)
2 stars
12 (14%)
1 star
9 (10%)
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Profile Image for dane.
366 reviews55 followers
August 2, 2021
thank you to Oni Press for an e-arc of this volume in exchange for an honest review.

orcs in space: volume one collects the first four issues of this comic series from the co-creator of rick and morty, among other award winning writers and illustrators. admittedly, i have never watched rick and morty so i don't now how it compares but this volume of comics was a super fun ride through space aboard the aarken!

we follow a group of three not-so-friendly orcs who hijack a space ship and go on a fast-paced galactic adventure through the solar system...when they find themselves in all kinds of trouble, specifically mayhem (their favourite.) it is a non-stop thrill ride of robot fights, weird alien entertainment centres and space rats while the orcs try to adjust to their new home and making friends with D.O.N.A, the spaceships metal eyeball artificial intelligence.

the three orcs and D.O.N.A were a really fun perspective to read from; with their banter, arguments and confusion as well as their slightly weird love for their artificial intelligence friend who was my favourite character across each issue. they also delivered some funny lines and the way the sequences were drawn really tied the whole story together.

i thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this, and it provided a much needed refresher from reading full novels, so i highly recommend you purchase it on release day: October 5th 2021! - 4*
Profile Image for Paige.
167 reviews49 followers
July 13, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for the eARC of Orcs In Space by Justin Roiland, Micheal Tanner, and Rashad Gheith.

When I saw ‘Justin Roiland’ and ‘Orcs In Space’ side-by-side I was scrambling to request this comic. Then I saw that it was published by Oni Press, and I could of sang. Oni Press has me on their auto-approve list, and I have never been happier than getting auto-approved for this comic.

Orcs In Space is what it says on the tin: ORCS IN SPACE. We follow a trio of orcs, Gor, Kravis, and Mongtar as they hilariously and accidentally intercept and steal Starbleep’s most advances spaceship, The Arken.

After taking over The Arken, and making acquaintance with the ship’s control system, D.O.N.A, the orcs begin to explore the galaxy, whilst coming face-to-face with other beings and causing over the top ‘mayhem’ wherever they go.

I particularly loved D.O.N.A, the artificial intelligence system of the Arken. D.O.N.A begins to learn from the orcs, particularly Kravis, and we see her personality chip begin to develop. D.O.N.A becomes a bad-ass with a personal connection to the orcs, and we get a taste of how they will be an amazing team in future issues.

The artwork in this graphic novel is excellent. Really bright and colourful palettes, exactly what you would expect from something with Roiland involved. I loved the digital art-looking illustrations, with bright, block colour and pleasing chunky outlines and text.

Overall, this was an adventure from page one, and I can not wait so continue reading about Kravis, Gor, Mongtar, and D.O.N.A in future volumes. The concept is crazy, over the top, and is clearly written with an overactive imagination- which makes it perfect for any fans of Roiland’s other work such as Rick and Morty or Solar Opposites. Although both Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites are adult animation, I would confidently say that this comic book series seems appropriate for an older teenage audience as well as an adult one.

Please read this comic, it’s damn good.
Profile Image for Amanja.
575 reviews72 followers
October 6, 2021
Review originally published at https://amanjareads.com/orcs-in-space...

Thank you to illustrator Francois Vigneault for providing me with an early copy of Orcs in Space in exchange for this honest review.

Orcs in Space is an easy, fun read about a group of dimwitted Orcs who accidentally become intergalactic travelers. They stumble upon an alien ship one day and don't understand what it is. This kicks off their misadventure as space Orcs.

They don't really have any grand goals in space. They barely understand what space is. But they do know they get to leave their society behind and they seem quite grateful for that.

While on the ship they befriend the AI who operates it. She has only ever been treated like a utility so when the Orcs come she's delighted they treat her like their friend. They don't know any better and their naivety turned friendliness is my favorite part of the book. It's honestly just really cute.

Which makes up for the otherwise boorish nature of these Orcs in Space. They are barbarians afterall.

The art is fun and very colorful. It seems perfect for a younger audience. Once my nephew is old enough to read I'd be happy to give him a copy of Orcs in Space. I think he'd love it.

The first volume is a very quick read, think I finished it in just under an hour. But it was a nice break from my heavier reading and I would definitely give a volume 2 a try. Do not expect any earth shattering literature here, just some good honest fun.

I would definitely recommend this graphic novel for a younger male audience. It has some crass, but not offensive, humor that seems just in line with what that audience likes. I'm not the perfect demographic for this book but I did still enjoy it, the target audience will likely love it and really love to see what happens next.
Profile Image for Marissa.
214 reviews1 follower
July 20, 2021
This was a super fun book and funny also. This follows 3 Orcs and they find this ship and take it over and well you will have to see for yourself once its released. But it was very good and the pictures and graphics were outstanding as well. I highly recommend to everyone.
Profile Image for Peter Derk.
Author 32 books412 followers
August 15, 2022
You know how some books you read the title, and then you can pretty much guess where it's going from there?
Orcs in Space.

I have my questions about how involved Justin Roiland was in this. When I watch Rick and Morty or Solar Opposites, I feel his stamp on it, but this doesn't have that spark of hilarious cruelty, which you'd think would be a slam dunk with orcs mingling with much friendlier Star Trek types. It doesn't hit those highs.

I guess I also sort of thought this would be a riff on the Star Trek thing where it's sort of hilarious to have Klingons, this war-like race, who somehow developed warp capability, a very science-y thing. They sort of hate bookworm types, yet somehow figured this all out? I'm not sure how that happened. Maybe there's a secret, shameful part of Klingon culture where their nerds are kept in a secret bunker or something, toiling away on science projects and spaceships so that the jocks can all go punch each other in space.

I don't know why I thought that's what this would be, but I did, and once I went down that road, I was a little disappointed.
Profile Image for Caity.
1,357 reviews14 followers
September 13, 2021
This mash up of fantasy and Sci-Fi has great gross out humor and a lot of chaos. The art is well done and I really enjoyed how it enhanced the mash up vibe of the story. The Orcs look straight out of a fantasy game, the spaceship and its original owners have the classic Sci-Fi style, and there are other elements that each bring in their own genres like a mechasuited bounty hunter and steampunk space rats. I also really appreciated the guide at the end that goes into more detail on these style choices, it was interesting to see how the different elements influenced the overall design and feel of the book. Overall its a crazy adventure and I look forward to seeing more of this crew.
Profile Image for G. Salter.
Author 5 books31 followers
July 31, 2021
It's a Star Trek parody, it's a Lord of the Rings parody, there are even elements (cantina scene, armored bounty hunter) that feel like a Star Wars parody. It's all very silly and quite ridiculous. What's not to love?
1,689 reviews8 followers
July 15, 2021
That was cute. This is definitely something a nerd parent might pick out for their kids with Star Trek jokes about red shirts and orcs straight of a D&D game with Way Too Much sugar involved so the players and DM are all a bit manic. It was a fun little read though and a fantasy loving kid that likes a bit of humor will probably enjoy it. There is a bit of blood and death, though it’s cartoony and not gross so it isn’t for a kid too young to handle that.
Profile Image for Vivienne.
Author 2 books111 followers
October 6, 2021
My thanks to Oni Press for a digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘Orcs in Space: Vol 1’ in exchange for an honest review.

Volume 1 collects Issues 1-4 of the original comics. These were written by Justin Roiland, Rashad Gheith, Abed Gheith, and Mike Tanner with illustrations by François Vigneault.

The publishers describe ‘Orcs in Space’ as ‘a wildly funny and absurd fantasy adventure set in deep space!’ This seems a fair description.

Gor, Kravis, and Mongtar are three Orcs on the run from other orcs and trying to survive. Two StarBleep bureaucrats land on the Orcs’ home planet and go off for a wander. The fleeing orcs unwittingly steal the AARKEN, the most advanced ship in the fleet, and blast off. They befriend D.O.N.A., the ship’s AI, and have a number of quirky adventures.

While not quite my thing, I could appreciate its appeal as a cartoon space romp with tongue-in-cheek references. It’s not particularly sophisticated but had its moments.

With respect to the artwork, I had admired François Vigneault’s graphic novel, ‘Titan’, in which he had used a restrained colour palette. By contrast, in ‘Orcs in Space’, bold, bright colours prevail throughout creating an upbeat feel. Following the comics François Vigneault presents his concept art and ideas for the design of objects and characters.

Overall, a fun mash-up of SF/fantasy tropes in comic book form.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Profile Image for MJ Barrette.
337 reviews5 followers
September 14, 2021
This was cute. I appreciated that these Orcs were just trying to have a good time, and escape a situation that they probably put themselves in. All 3 of the main characters were well fleshed out, and were relatable. I would have liked a little more background information on the situation they were about to leave, just so we have an idea as to why they're like the way they are, but otherwise this was well rounded.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.
50 reviews
September 9, 2021
Thank your NetGalley, the publisher and authors for the chance to review!
Orcs in space follows 3 orca who love mayhem that stole the starbleeps space ship. They run into a bit of trouble. I absolutely adored this! It was funny and cute all at the same time. I’d definitely recommend this to my friends.
Profile Image for Jordyn.
102 reviews
October 7, 2022
Fun romp through space with a crew of orcs and a loveable AI. Will be keeping it in mind to rec to teens and older middle grade readers who are looking for something fun and funny. I get really grossed out by vomit so it wasn't the graphic novel for me, but I think it'll be a hit with a lot of other readers.
Profile Image for Wayne McCoy.
4,318 reviews32 followers
November 14, 2021
'Orcs in Space' by Mike Tanner, Justin Roiland, Rashad Gheith, and Abed Dheith with art by Francois Vigneault is a funny fish out of water graphic novel.

When a starship lands on their planet, orcs Gor, Kravis, and Mongtar find themselves in charge of technology they don't understand. The ship intelligence tries to understand its new passengers, so it takes them to, of all places, a nightclub. The wackiness continues to ensue as a bounty hunter and sentient rats try to take the ship over.

It's a goofy story and I liked it. The art is fairly cartoony, especially the more violent parts of it.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
Profile Image for Lucía ✨.
403 reviews41 followers
September 15, 2021
I was kindly sent this in exchange for an honest review via Netgalley

Orcs in Space tells the adventure of three Orcs on the run who steal a spaceship and try to navigate their way through space. I liked the illustrations to some extent, but this is definitely not my kind of graphic novel; there was too much vomiting. Also, was I supposed to empathize and like these orcs? It was a fun read but I honestly couldn’t see myself liking them or wanting to continue with the series, even though it ended up with a pretty good cliffhanger.
Profile Image for Carolyn Bragg.
412 reviews7 followers
August 7, 2021
Content warning: profanity, comic book violence and gore.

What would happen if slow-witted, space-faring (mostly) pacifist people developed a spaceship with an A.I.? They might wander off the ship without taking proper precautions, and never be heard from again...after their ship is stolen. Hypothetically, of course.

If the above very unlikely things happened, this might be the beginning of good working relationships and peace between worlds! Or misjudgments, death, dismemberment, and possible false imprisonment charges. With Orcs involved, I would lean heavily toward whichever is more messy and results in really bad days for the most creatures.

This issue loosely spoofs Star Trek and some of the more clueless decisions made by people in charge. (I'm pretty sure the book doesn't refer to any Royal Navy in particular that loves tea, because that would be wrong.)

The comic was amusing, and I laughed a couple of times. However, some of the humor was obviously aimed at young male readers, like too much reliance on repeated lines such as "Are you ready for MAYHEM?" A gag which was beaten until dead, pronounced, and funeral-ed. Among others. As well as the type of "Swearing to show that we're old enough to do it, darn it!" (Completely unnecessary but makes some of them feel more grown up.)

Some of the story features were more goofy than funny, but who's to question what is writing versus filler in comics?

At the end of the book, I had to admit it was mostly fun, but has room for improvement. It seems like different people wrote the chapters because the characters are subtly different. (I think it has more continuity if you consider it an anthology instead of a chapter book.)

Peter Pan Syndrome writers -1 Star
Gratuitous swearing -1 Star
Truth About Bounty Hunter -1 Star
Vendetta over you know who +1 Star

Total = 3/5 Stars

Thanks to Oni Press and NetGalley for the free (temporary) preview of this graphic novel!

#OrcsinSpace #NetGalley
Profile Image for Aaron Harvey.
139 reviews2 followers
April 6, 2022
I GENUINELY hated everything about this. The story was even more nonsensical than I expected considering it was by the creator of Rick and Morty, the comedy wasn’t even a little funny, the gags were the worst bit of “you think dats bad, remember one time when….” that made Family Guy so intolerable and the art was AWFUL as anything other than standalone panels (they didn’t flow in any sort of story telling fashion and all felt disconnected from one another never mind that they were all the same perspective and the characters never turned more than 75 degrees from the straight on axis.
Profile Image for Marice.
409 reviews8 followers
July 16, 2021
The art style is quite simple and colourful, I'm not the biggest fan of it to be honest.
While I enjoy 'Rick and Morty', the humor in here doesn't work for me. It feels way too childisch and simple. We basically follow the Orcs exploring a space ship, which doesn't offer an engaging plot. The story also feels very much thrown together. Therefore, and because the humor misses the mark for me, 'Orcs in Space' couldn't delight me in any capacity.
Profile Image for Jon Nakapalau.
6,608 reviews1,036 followers
December 26, 2023
What do you get when you mash-up Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, steampunk and D&D - something very close to this! When three orcs take over the most advanced spaceship in the galaxy there are going to be lots of problems! A really fun read that blends well if you are a si-fi/fantasy fan; will look for more works by Michael Turner!
Profile Image for Chad.
10.5k reviews1,068 followers
February 20, 2025
To be honest, I expected more when I saw Justin Roiland was involved. Rick and Morty is one of the funniest things I've ever watched. This was just OK. It's more for younger readers and if you're a 10 year old boy, you'll probably love this. Otherwise, this play on Star Trek where 3 dumb orcs steal the Enterprise gets old pretty quick.
Profile Image for Sam.
513 reviews15 followers
July 14, 2021
It's a Star Trek parody but it didn't feel like it really had any substance to it. The longer I spent trying to read it the more boring I ended up finding it overall. Which I found really dissapointing.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
3,129 reviews97 followers
June 22, 2023
DNF. I'm starting to realize that Justin Roiland might only work for me for Rick & Morty.
Profile Image for Booknerd_dragon (TANIA).
167 reviews7 followers
October 23, 2025
🚀 Orcs in Space by Justin Roiland, Abed Gheith & Rashad Gheith 🚀
There are certain books that don’t even need promotion — they just speak for themselves. And Orcs in Space is one of them.

It’s chaotic, hilarious, and honestly such a fun ride. From the very first few pages, you’re like, “What the actual hell is going on?” — but in the best possible way. It’s bizarre, it’s ridiculous, and yet, you’re totally in for the ride.

It gave me the same energy as watching Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time — pure space chaos, lovable weirdos, and that perfect blend of absurdity and entertainment.

I genuinely enjoyed every bit of it. Definitely a solid, entertaining read. Not giving it a full five stars because I do think there’s room for improvement — but man, what a fun time.

⭐ Rating: 4/5
Profile Image for Robin.
314 reviews6 followers
October 26, 2022
This one really grew on me! I'd definitely read another volume of it.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews

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