A great follow up to the first volume. I definitely enjoyed being able to read this second volume and find out more about this world, the characters, and the plot.

I can see why this series is so popular in Italy. It's Ender's Game crossed with Halo. Whatever it is, it's a blast. The story alternates between the Orphans as young teenagers training to be sent among the stars to retaliate against the aliens who attacked Earth and now as they make planetfall and take the fight to the enemy. I love how this twists throughout the book into a completely different scenario by the end. I can't wait for volume 3.

The story continued exactly where Vol.1 left off. What I truly loved was that the art and the storyline itself was much more darker than previous one. Like in the first volume, we could see at first parts with characters as children and tha stages of making them stronger; parts of emotional traumas they had to go through, and then we jumped right into present where we can see how they fight with aliens and how some of them try to cope with the loss of one of the members of the team. More than 300 pages full of action, different kind of emotions and likeable characters. Brilliant twists and fantastic cliffhanger at the end, can't wait for vol.3!

'Orphans Vol. 2: Lies' by Roberto Recchioni with art by Emiliano Mammucari continues the story of a world that is changed and the children brutally trained to defend it.

As in the first volume, the stories move back and forth in time, showing the characters as children then as grown adults dealing with the emotional trauma they've lived with. This time around, we learn more about the quieter members, Sam and Ringo. Both are loners, and we get good flashbacks from them. There is also plenty of combat and alien fighting along the way.

This collects the next three issues, but these issues are over 100 pages long, so there is a lot of art and story. There is also a nice collection of extras with lots of sketches and character formation background.

I really liked the first volume, and this one feels even stronger. It's a good story with solid art, and I look forward to finding out where this story goes.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

The intention of perception is relegated, at least in narrative, the way the characters perceive their existence or, by extension, their purpose in our mind’s eye. In “Orphans: Volume 2 – Lies” [Robert Recchioni/Lion Forge/352pgs], the ideal is based in the idea that in a post apocalyptic world, like that of “The Darkest Minds”, the decisions of the characters become based out of survival and not necessarily good judgement. The way “Orphans” approaches this ideal is by a couple different artists approaching the similar story line and progression at the get go. In the post discussion, the artists speak about how the necessity of body language especially when dealing with YA stories tends to precipitate on a certain mental structure and thereby intention of character. Looking at the different lead characters in Ringo, Sam, Rey and Saul (by extension), their different strengths and weaknesses are built in the early frames. But when the war shifts a decade or more the comparison of how the characters grow in certain ways shows how the different artists truly see them. The later chapters show the actual plot progression a bit more including the mutation testing and ultimate brainwashing of these children to make them the killers they grow up to be. The training in the forest where their trainers set them against death row inmates also shows the psychological breakdown of the team. Ringo & Sam are the focal point of the team with her being the more powerful but undisciplined. This creates a unique situation when she beats Rey within an inch of his life in the first story. Ringo is the one who tries to save Sam by talking and fighting his way back into her heart and soul. This is a very telling scene which makes a later scene where Ringo has already died and Sam is reaching out to Saul that much more heartbreaking. These kids have much to lose but the question is why. Saul questions his motivation and yet Doctor Puric engages the point in that this is why they were created. In the final perception of this volume, Ringo sees the mission for what it is while Rey sees it for what it has become. “Orphans: Volume 2 – Lies” is a good exercise in the perception of psychological crafting if story through physical traits where the artist and their angle through the writing allows for different read each way it is seen.

B

By Tim Wassberg

The story continues in volume 2. We pick it up with the orphans grown and fighting the war against the strange aliens. Through flashbacks, to when they were younger, we learn more about their training and some of their first missions. They have become super soldiers who are fighting to win the war. Still loving the story and will be waiting to see how it all ends. #orphansvol2 #netgalley #indigoemployee

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and authors/illustrators for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I also got to read the first volume on NetGalley and I was very intrigued by the story and art style. This volume compiles chapters 4-6 of the series and really dives into some character dynamics as well as dynamics with the alien species that they call phantoms.

I love the back and forth between being orphaned children taken in to be trained as soldiers, and their adult lives actually using those skills against the phantoms. I also think the art is amazingly well done and the action scenes have a nice flow to them. Higher stakes are thrown out in this volume when a conspiracy begins to unfold involving the alien species.

I am extremely happy to have been able to read the second volume and look forward to continuing the series, a very well-done sci-fi for the shelves of any graphic novel reader and collector.

A gritty and violent graphic novel with a lot going on inside its pages. I'm looking forward to more volumes.

This volume was amazing. It was better than volume 1. Full of action. We can see brief moment of some of the characters past. Character development was amazing too. I can't wait to read volume 3.

Orphans works for readers who enjoy the bombastic and vibrant world that can be found in graphic novels.