Orphan and the Five Beasts vol. 2: Bath of Blood

Orphan Mo put Chopper Teng to soup at the end of the previous volume and now she needs a bath something fierce.  Fortunately there’s a nice bathhouse in town run by a pregnant woman and her doctor husband that fits the bill.  This provides only a momentary respite for our protagonist as she’s quickly wrapped up in some more murderous business.  Inspector Xiao from the Imperial Court has come to investigate a series of murders that Chopper Teng wasn’t responsible for and she’s recruiting Orphan Mo to help – whether she wants to or not.  However, the real problem is that the threat facing the both of them is much, much closer than they could have anticipated.

Creator James Stokoe’s first “Orphan” miniseries was a blast as it provided a great showcase for his insanely detailed art and incredible action storytelling skills.  Two of the five beasts were taken out in that volume, but he slows things down here to focus on one who has a significantly more tragic backstory.  This isn’t a bad thing as this new antagonist is fleshed out pretty well and there are other additions (and one return) to keep this latest miniseries from feeling needlessly padded.  There’s also the fact that Stokoe’s action scenes remain sick as hell to see in action on the page and we get plenty of those here.

My only real problem with this volume isn’t with what’s in it.  It’s just that I was prepared for this to be a twelve-issue (three-volume) series before the five beasts were taken out.  While Stokoe shows that a worthwhile story can be told by focusing on one beast here, I’m just worried about whether or not we’ll actually see the end of Orphan Mo’s quest.  Not just because of how long it takes for its creator to work – you can’t rush greatness – but because I can’t remember the last time I read a series-of-miniseries from Dark Horse which went on to its natural end that didn’t have Mike Mignola’s name in the credits.  Still, these first two volumes are great and worth reading by anyone who can appreciate great art and action in comics.

Which is all of you, right?