Black Orchid

[grassangel]

So, Neil Gaiman’s first comic that he wrote. Which, based upon some of his earlier stuff, as well as Dave McKean’s in general, I was expecting something much darker and grotesque.
Instead, I found myself reading something that nestled nicely between what little I know of the DC universe and a ‘superhero’ I rather liked.

Firstly, the art is really really pretty. There’s all these saturated colour inks and paint and then there are dark, gritty black and white graphite drawings. Nothing is inked in the traditional sense and while it can seem a bit ‘arty’, is also more organic, natural and soft, which reflects the story.

The story starts with the death of the first Black Orchid and the rise of consciousness in the second. We learn that the original Black Orchid was a superhero and fought crime and corruption, though perhaps not with the abuse of heroic powers as other superheroes do. Anyway, the second Black Orchid is all terribly confused about her existence and the inherited memories she has. So her journey is to discover more about Susan, the woman responsible for her existence and is part of her.
In the meantime, Lex Luthor, the person who killed the original Black Orchid is wanting to kidnap and study this intriguing anthropomorphic plant life. Also, the former husband of Susan is also out for revenge.
Thankfully, all of this gets resolved with little bloodshed. The current Black Orchid, addressing the men tasked with detaining her, deals with them in a very peaceful manner, although not without threat.

And because of that less than bloody end, Black Orchid is definitely not your average superhero graphic novel. The foreword talks a bit about this subversion of the genre. I just like it because the hero is a plant and that not every confrontation ends with someone being punched.

 

Is it good bedtime reading as I tried to earlier in the week? Answer: The first part is and perhaps the last bit as well. But not the middle. The middle requires too much upper-brain functions for good bedtime reading.
Is it good reading otherwise? Yes.