Written by David A. Goodman

Art by David Cabeza

Colours by Michael Atiyeh

Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt

Dark Horse, out now

In the immediate aftermath of season 1, Ed and Kelly have broken up and the Orville is back on standard duties. Things are tense but when Ed heads off to a conference, he and Kelly both find themselves under pressure.

Written by the show’s own David A. Goodman this is essentially an Orville episode on the page and that is very much a good thing. The setting cleverly lets Goodman explore the aftermath of Kelly dumping Ed a second time, and also to play in the grumpy, tense atmosphere that comes with it. That’s vintage season 1 material and also, oddly enough, the element of season 1 that I liked the least.

it’s fascinating to watch it fall away then as Ed and Gordon set off to a conference and are waylaid by a century old mystery. Meanwhile, Kelly has to deal with Bortus’ son being enrolled in school despite technically only being a few months old. The end result is a story that does the two things The Orville does very well (weird space mystery, office sitcom in space) and uses the dead(ish) romance to connect them. Both Ed and Kelly figure out they’re stronger with the other there and it’s a nice touch that pushes the relationship into the platonic. Not that it’ll stay there but hey.

The script also gives Goodman the chance to do a little housekeeping. This is where Kelly meets Cassius, the teacher she dates in season 2 and their relationship has a spark here that it sometimes lacked on screen. Likewise, this is where Bortus and Klyden’s marriage problems begin, albeit off screen. It’s subtle work but it’s executed very well by Goodman.

The art team are just as impressive. Atiyeh’s colours give the book the naturalistic feel of the show and Cabeza’s art does the near impossible, managing to nail every likeness without them look stale. Rounded out by typically excellent lettering from Betancourt and Richard Starkings this really is a high quality package.

Verdict: If you’re craving more Orville, this one is definitely for you. 9/10

Alasdair Stuart