Black Orchid

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. )

 

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.