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Title: Black Orchid by Dave McKean, Neil Gaiman ISBN: 0-930289-55-2 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 September, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.12 (17 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good Beginning
Comment: Black Orchid was first released at approximately the same time as Sandman #1 and was the second major work by both Gaiman and McKean after Violent Cases. As a result, it was the North American audience's first real exposure to their work. This made reading it the first time especially interesting, not knowing what to expect from the two creators, but with their current greater familiarity, the experience of reading Black Orchid is now less exciting. Also, since they did not have their reputations yet, a lot of big-name characters such as Batman and Swamp Thing make distracting cameo appearances for the obvious reason of attracting readers when they would have been better left out.
McKean's artwork in this book goes for more of a photorealistic style that was more distinctive from Bill Sienkiewicz's work than Violent Cases, but is far less interesting than McKean's more recent and more surreal work, and with the exception of a few photographs is less multimedia and more straight painting. Furthermore, the scenes taking place in the city are largely black, white and gray, and not until the action moves to the jungle do you get brilliant flashes of colour. This was done purposely for dramatic effect, but also makes much of the art less interesting than usual. McKean himself said he was glad when he started painting the jungle scenes because he was getting utterly bored painting the rest.
Gaiman's story itself presents an interesting contrast between modern, patriachal, business-driven society with the beauty and serenity of the natural world. The plot itself is typical of Gaiman's writing, with a great deal of build up leading the reader to expect some great, violent confrontation only to result in an almost anticlimatic ending in which clearer heads prevail and violence is largely avoided. Here this pattern works especially well to contrast the testosterone-driven action of operatives under the employ of Lex Luthor trying to capture Black Orchid for scientific dissection, including her abusive lover from her previous life, giving chase and the feminine manner in which Black Orchid resolves the situation by avoiding conflict. This story is much quieter, more idylic than most of Gaiman's more famous work, in that it doesn't confront you with obscure references and the fantastic on every page. That being said, it is not particularly thought-provoking or entertaining, but it is beautiful enough to earn a good rating.
Rating: 5
Summary: Black Orchid, A Woman Done By Top Two Men in Graphic Novels!
Comment: I bought this before "Veils", also reviewed by me, and was very happy since this work, unlike most "comics" work, was more clearly aimed at women. I already owned much of Gaiman and McKean's work and was surprised to discover this feminist and environment oriented book among their earlier work. Also, buying it in the trade paperback version meant I wouldn't be missing any issues of the story, the typical problem when you are trying to find these as individual comics. McKean is my all-time favorite artist in "comics". He can do no wrong and I was delighted to find him doing a non-macho storyline. I wish Gaiman and McKean would go back to this type of work rather than what they are doing now in the "comics" field.
Rating: 4
Summary: Black Orchid caused my love of Graphic Novels to bloom!
Comment: I am not a DC comic fan or collector, so please bear with me in giving you this review from a non-comic owner perspective.
While not a follower of the comics, I do love Neil Gaiman. This is the story of how Black Orchid comes to life and seeks out a meaning for, literally, the life given to her. She wants answers to the questions "Who am I? Why am I here?" and is desperate to find a place that she will belong.
Her tale is told with cameo appearances by Batman, Swamp Thing, and Poison Ivy; and you should not miss the nightmarish visit to the Arkham Asylum where a skeletal, sleepless man spills his nightmares on the floor, and the x-ray man weeps burning tears onto the floor.
She awakens as the Black Orchid in the greenhouse at Dr. Phillip Sylvian, with the memories of a woman named Susan Linden. Phil tells her about a little of her background, and tells her of those who he went to college with, without whom she would not be alive; Dr. Jason Woodrue, Pamela Isley and Alec Holland.
But before he can reveal everything to her, Phil is killed and the Black Orchid is on her own. Her ex husband Carl Thorne finds out about her plant-reincarnation, and makes a visit to her, killing all but one of the smaller plants that Phil has been nurturing. Black Orchid takes the little one with her, "Suzy", to Gotham city where a tip from a friend sends her off along to Arkham Asylum to speak with Poison Ivy. Suzy is snatched by Lexcorp, but after a quick visit with Swamp Thing, Black Orchid rescues Suzy and they fly off to the Amazon Rainforest where Black Orchid can plant her seeds.
But there are still those who hunt her down; her ex husband who is trying to kill her again, and the Lexcorp minions sent into the rainforest to bring her back alive so that she can be dissected. What a girl...er...plant, to do?
Brief comic strip type prose does not stop Gaiman from bringing to life a fully fleshed out story, and the artwork of Dave McKean is to be applauded. Moving from shades of gray to brilliantly splashed pages of vibrant color, he paints brutality, horror, and the sereneness of nature in the same ethereal fashion. This is an excellent choice for those who are just starting to dip their toes and get their feet wet in the world of Graphic Novels. Enjoy!
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Title: Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman ISBN: 1563892464 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 September, 1995 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Violent Cases by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean ISBN: 1569716064 Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Pub. Date: December, 2003 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Harlequin Valentine by Neil Gaiman, John Bolton ISBN: 156971620X Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Pub. Date: January, 2002 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Midnight Days by Neil Gaiman ISBN: 156389517X Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 01 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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Title: Endless Nights (The Sandman, Book 11) by Neil Gaiman ISBN: 1401200893 Publisher: DC Comics Pub. Date: 17 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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