Review – The Orville: Digressions Part 1
Written by David A. Goodman
Illustrated & Coloured by David Cabeza & Michael Atiyeh
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Released in May, 2021
SUMMARY
The Orville: Digressions Part 1 is a sci-fi comedy comic based on the Seth MacFarlane Star Trek parody show, The Orville. Written by David A. Goodman and illustrated by David Cabeza with colouring by Michael Atiyeh, the comic is set before the events of the season two finale, The Road Not Taken.
Kelly Grayson once woke up 7 years in the future by a Kaylon robot on a ship called the Orville, met by an older version of herself and a space captain she once went on a date with named Ed that also turns out to be her ex-husband. With seemingly no hope of returning to her time, she adapts and accepts her new reality until they found a way to send her back with her memory wiped. Trouble is, the memory wipe didn’t work and she now knows of a galactic tragedy that will occur in 7 years. In order to set things right, she must change the timeline before her.
ART
Firstly, the likenesses of these unique characters are impeccably reworked for a weirdly minimalistic but hyper detailed comic style by Cabeza. As well as this, and I might be forgetting this from the show, they’ve also included a character that is quite clearly Sigourney Weaver?! If it is a totally new character with her likeness, I can’t complain.
A really nice touch is Atiyeh’s subtle use of colour palettes, I only noticed it upon a second reading when I took in the backgrounds and seen that little details in the decorum were implemented to create a tonal or character setting. Brown and red for Alara and blue and purple for Kelly for example.
WRITING
As a fan of the show, I am happy to see a return of the series in some capacity. The humour and storytelling of this comic is on point with the show. Regardless if MacFarlane’s style of humour is your taste or not, there is plenty to love about The Orville.
Despite the show being a parody of Star Trek, it stands on its own without the parallels. To put it into perspective, I watched The Orville and Star Trek Discovery around the same time and I get events mixed up between the two and I love both shows! That being said, Goodman’s comic doesn’t require any prior knowledge of The Orville to understand the characters and story, it helps though!
My knowledge of the episodes is a little blurry, seeing as it was a couple of years ago, but this comic does a great job of bridging two of the stand out storylines from the show, a lot of emotional development and twists that make for an interesting short read.
OVERALL
In conclusion, The Orville: Digressions Part 1 is a great comic for avid fans of the show but I’d suggest watching the show first if you aren’t familiar with the subject. As much as it stands on its own as the first part of an interesting sci-fi storyline, you’ll enjoy it more with an understanding of the characters and show as a whole.
These are great characters with interesting adventures and the humour is secondary to the overall storytelling. I urge you to try the show and if you like it, read this comic before the final episode. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to part 2 and await a potential third season!
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Let us know in the comments your thoughts on The Orville: Digressions Part 1 as well as the show itself. Also fight me on whether you think Seth MacFarlane is a genius or not!
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