Black Orchid
Story:
Art:

Written by Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave McKean
Lettered by Todd Klein

Published by DC Vertigo
Contents: Black Orchid #1-3
Price: $19.95

My Verdict: Buy it.

Black Orchid originally came out about the same time as Sandman first burst on the scene, only the second major work after Gaiman and McKean created Violent Cases together. So it's nice to look back on our pre-Morpheus days and review some of Gaiman's earlier forays into the world of comics.

The plot of Black Orchid is simple: the Black Orchid, crime-fighter, has been killed and reborn again in a new body. Her memory is gone, and in the process of telling her story, her "father" reveals much more about the world and some of the people in it than who (or what) Orchid really is, how she came to be that way, and how there are others much like her. This isn't about a villain versus the good guys... it's more about the redemption of individuals and the hybrid "heroine" who leads them to peace.

Black Orchid has been seen as kind of gender politics faery tale, with the urban, patriarchal world set against the more beautiful, brilliant, and matriarchal natural world. Be that as it may, Black Orchid is also just an interesting tale, different from the usual pow-bam of superhero comics and possessing an immanent tranquility and spirituality that points toward Gaiman's later graphic work and his novels. Logic and thought prevail over violence in this work.

Readers looking for McKean's later mixed media surrealism may be disappointed with the art in this book. It's a bit dreamy and kind of scratchy at the same time, but not quite as lovely and interesting as his later work is. It is, however, an interesting touch that the city scenes are generally black and white, whereas the later jungle scenes are vivacious color, underscoring the plot developments.

In short, overlook the few blatantly jammed in DC cameos (Poison Ivy and the Mad Hatter, for example) and pick this one up. It may not be as fabulous as some of their later works, but it's still beautiful and interesting, and just might make you think: as Gilmore states in the introduction, "... no matter how bold or smart or hip the new comics may be, most of them still end up resorting to hackneyed moral and narrative customs: violent men save the world through violent choices or violent bravery." Black Orchid is different, and perfect antidote for anyone feeling they have too much yang in their yin. Give it a chance.

Review by Dindrane