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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I give it 5 stars because of the great writing and astonishing drawing. The only things I regret are that the drawingstyle makes difficult to discern some characters at first sight, and sometimes the plant references are a bit redundant.
Great comic.
Great comic.
If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman, read this comic book. If you're a fan of DC comics... sure, give it a go if you have time. If you're a fan of Dave McKean's art style, then yeah, buy yourself a copy and try not to drool over it.
Let's begin.
I remember reading a short story by Neil Gaiman when I was very young and I have observed through the years his importance in the literary community without actually experiencing it for myself. What drove me to pick up this comic book is that included characters from DC comics, mostly from the Batman mythos. After reading it, while I'm sure Neil Gaiman is an excellent writer (I saw the movie adaptation of Coraline and I loved the story) it didn't have that special ingredient that makes me say "I have to read everything by this author," but I sure won't rule out reading something else by him when the right time comes.
But I think my reaction is understandable. Black Orchid is not an original character by Gaiman, this is just his vision of that character and this entry is great but it doesn't do enough to make you want to read other comics involving that character either. Unlike Batman comics that deviate from the main storyline (Noël, Gotham by Gaslight, etc.), I wasn't inspired to learn more about Black Orchid or her adventures. I don't know if that's Neil Gaiman's fault, or if the character just isn't compelling enough. After all, she has some similarities to Poison Ivy, which makes an appearance in this comic, and there doesn't seem to be much humanity left in her given that she is a plant with a bunch of copies.
*minor spoilers from this point forward*
This takes me to another criticism about the story. This comic has been praised for how Neil Gaiman decided to abandon comic book tropes and start right off by telling readers this is COMPLETELY different just because we are going to see the main character die in the first page, like this comic book's bad guy is actually good at his job. Sounds great, right? Yeah, it does, until you find out it doesn't have much of an effect, and I'll never appreciate things for their shock-value but for their lasting consequences, so I don't think this is a praiseworthy decision. It's a great start, but it doesn't have lasting consequences. I would have preferred to read a story after Black Orchid's death and how it affects other characters than to see her come back to life, figure out her back story—which is one of abuse with an overabundance of clichés—, and then reach an unsatisfying conclusion. One bonus is a series of glorified cameos from the likes of Batman, Lex Author, Poison Ivy, Swamp Thing, Harvey Dent, among others.
You see why this doesn't inspire me to read other stories by Neil Gaiman or Black Orchid comics? I found his style to be pseudo-intelectual, that is, pretending to be above the genre without actually achieving anything of significance and relying way too much on its art. In fact, the only reason why I plan to keep this comic book and maybe show it to some of my friends is because the art is so damn beautiful.
Dave McKean gave us the nightmarish art-style of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, and we should thank him for it. That was an amazing deviation of the typical Batman style that actually encourages people to read more comic books (and it inspired the classic game Arkham Asylum, which spawned one of the most amazing video game series, at least for any Batman fan), but that was a great collaborative effort between Dave McKean and Grant Morrison, the writer. For Black Orchid, McKean uses a photorealistic take on the characters while using watercolors and a style that actually carries meaning. The use of color, or lack thereof, says something about each of the characters and this world, so it is not only beautiful to look at, but it really gets to you. In fact, I'd say that it does all the heavy lifting because if this had been in someone else's hands, this comic book could have probably ended up being a throwaway for me.
Now, I know a lot of people have loved this story and put the praise on Neil Gaiman just as much as on Dave McKean and, granted, they needed each other to succeed in doing this comic book. However, I have to say that this felt like an uninspired entry that focuses more on condemning comic books without actually taking the genre to new grounds so that others may follow suit. I mean, have you seen similar comic books regarding Black Orchid's narration style? Let me put it this way, what Christopher Nolan did with Batman in movies, a lot of filmmakers tried to imitate, some with less success than others. I haven't seen a lot of comic book writers being particularly inspired by Neil Gaiman's Black Orchid, and I'm glad that's the case, because there are plenty of great writers who come up with truly unique ideas in the medium, so it's not a case of everyone doing the same, but you can tell from afar that whatever Neil Gaiman tried to do, didn't set the trend. It was shocking when it came out, but it didn't have long-lasting consequences. Life imitates art.
Let's begin.
I remember reading a short story by Neil Gaiman when I was very young and I have observed through the years his importance in the literary community without actually experiencing it for myself. What drove me to pick up this comic book is that included characters from DC comics, mostly from the Batman mythos. After reading it, while I'm sure Neil Gaiman is an excellent writer (I saw the movie adaptation of Coraline and I loved the story) it didn't have that special ingredient that makes me say "I have to read everything by this author," but I sure won't rule out reading something else by him when the right time comes.
But I think my reaction is understandable. Black Orchid is not an original character by Gaiman, this is just his vision of that character and this entry is great but it doesn't do enough to make you want to read other comics involving that character either. Unlike Batman comics that deviate from the main storyline (Noël, Gotham by Gaslight, etc.), I wasn't inspired to learn more about Black Orchid or her adventures. I don't know if that's Neil Gaiman's fault, or if the character just isn't compelling enough. After all, she has some similarities to Poison Ivy, which makes an appearance in this comic, and there doesn't seem to be much humanity left in her given that she is a plant with a bunch of copies.
*minor spoilers from this point forward*
This takes me to another criticism about the story. This comic has been praised for how Neil Gaiman decided to abandon comic book tropes and start right off by telling readers this is COMPLETELY different just because we are going to see the main character die in the first page, like this comic book's bad guy is actually good at his job. Sounds great, right? Yeah, it does, until you find out it doesn't have much of an effect, and I'll never appreciate things for their shock-value but for their lasting consequences, so I don't think this is a praiseworthy decision. It's a great start, but it doesn't have lasting consequences. I would have preferred to read a story after Black Orchid's death and how it affects other characters than to see her come back to life, figure out her back story—which is one of abuse with an overabundance of clichés—, and then reach an unsatisfying conclusion. One bonus is a series of glorified cameos from the likes of Batman, Lex Author, Poison Ivy, Swamp Thing, Harvey Dent, among others.
You see why this doesn't inspire me to read other stories by Neil Gaiman or Black Orchid comics? I found his style to be pseudo-intelectual, that is, pretending to be above the genre without actually achieving anything of significance and relying way too much on its art. In fact, the only reason why I plan to keep this comic book and maybe show it to some of my friends is because the art is so damn beautiful.
Dave McKean gave us the nightmarish art-style of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, and we should thank him for it. That was an amazing deviation of the typical Batman style that actually encourages people to read more comic books (and it inspired the classic game Arkham Asylum, which spawned one of the most amazing video game series, at least for any Batman fan), but that was a great collaborative effort between Dave McKean and Grant Morrison, the writer. For Black Orchid, McKean uses a photorealistic take on the characters while using watercolors and a style that actually carries meaning. The use of color, or lack thereof, says something about each of the characters and this world, so it is not only beautiful to look at, but it really gets to you. In fact, I'd say that it does all the heavy lifting because if this had been in someone else's hands, this comic book could have probably ended up being a throwaway for me.
Now, I know a lot of people have loved this story and put the praise on Neil Gaiman just as much as on Dave McKean and, granted, they needed each other to succeed in doing this comic book. However, I have to say that this felt like an uninspired entry that focuses more on condemning comic books without actually taking the genre to new grounds so that others may follow suit. I mean, have you seen similar comic books regarding Black Orchid's narration style? Let me put it this way, what Christopher Nolan did with Batman in movies, a lot of filmmakers tried to imitate, some with less success than others. I haven't seen a lot of comic book writers being particularly inspired by Neil Gaiman's Black Orchid, and I'm glad that's the case, because there are plenty of great writers who come up with truly unique ideas in the medium, so it's not a case of everyone doing the same, but you can tell from afar that whatever Neil Gaiman tried to do, didn't set the trend. It was shocking when it came out, but it didn't have long-lasting consequences. Life imitates art.
Neil Gaiman, Black Orchid (Vertigo, 1991)
As much a fan of Neil Gaiman as I am, some of his stuff just leaves me cold. Neverwhere is like that (while it's been quite a few years, I seem to recall saying in my review it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before done better), and some of the stories in Fragile Things seemed a bit anemic, though overall it's a strong collection. And then there is Black Orchid, which like the more recent Eternals is a Gaiman attempt at rebooting, or reimagining, an old comic character. Mikal Gilmore, in his introduction, heralds it as the beginning of a new era in comics. While I can kind of see where he's coming from, it reminds me of the old adage that first is not always best.
Black Orchid, a minor character from the DC universe, gets her own three-book series (collected in this volume). After the violent opening scenes, she takes stock of her existence and goes on a quest to discover her roots, along the way incurring the interest of a number of familiar characters (most notably Lex Luthor and Swamp Thing).
On the “strong” side is Dave McKean's art, which is always excellent whether he's collaborating with Gaiman or working on his own material (Cages made my ten-best-reads-of-the-year list back in the day). On the “weak” side is, well, everything else. Gaiman's story feels aimless more than anything else, with side trips that seem to exist for the sole purpose of roping other characters back into this story. For the Gaiman completist, at best; he was already doing far better work with Sandman at this time, and as far as reboots go, Eternals is a much better book than this. Still, it's worth it for McKean's always-stellar artwork. ***
As much a fan of Neil Gaiman as I am, some of his stuff just leaves me cold. Neverwhere is like that (while it's been quite a few years, I seem to recall saying in my review it wasn't anything I hadn't seen before done better), and some of the stories in Fragile Things seemed a bit anemic, though overall it's a strong collection. And then there is Black Orchid, which like the more recent Eternals is a Gaiman attempt at rebooting, or reimagining, an old comic character. Mikal Gilmore, in his introduction, heralds it as the beginning of a new era in comics. While I can kind of see where he's coming from, it reminds me of the old adage that first is not always best.
Black Orchid, a minor character from the DC universe, gets her own three-book series (collected in this volume). After the violent opening scenes, she takes stock of her existence and goes on a quest to discover her roots, along the way incurring the interest of a number of familiar characters (most notably Lex Luthor and Swamp Thing).
On the “strong” side is Dave McKean's art, which is always excellent whether he's collaborating with Gaiman or working on his own material (Cages made my ten-best-reads-of-the-year list back in the day). On the “weak” side is, well, everything else. Gaiman's story feels aimless more than anything else, with side trips that seem to exist for the sole purpose of roping other characters back into this story. For the Gaiman completist, at best; he was already doing far better work with Sandman at this time, and as far as reboots go, Eternals is a much better book than this. Still, it's worth it for McKean's always-stellar artwork. ***
If you read this, I recommend not reading the introduction (at least not until after you've read the book), because it rather spoils the surprise of the beginning. Also, you'll probably enjoy it more if you have greater familiarity with DC heroes and villains.
The artwork was stunning, and the story was tragic yet hopeful. I wish I had understood more of it. It was like getting a glimpse of something through fog - you're just never quite certain what you saw. What I did understand suggests there's a lot of backstory only hinted at. I would dearly love to see this fleshed out in a traditional novel.
Černá orchidej je odhalena... a zavražděna. Slušný začátek příběhu. Ale není to tak jasný příběh, jak by se na první pohled mohlo zdát. Černá orchidej není běžná žena, je něco mezi ženou a rostlinou. Po své vražde se opět “narodí” a začne pátrat po své minulosti. Objeví se v domě starého přítele Phila, který se jí snaží popsat její vlastní minulost. Dostanou se i k jejímu bývalému manželovi Carlovi. A k tomu, že není sama, je jí na blízku další malá Orchidej. S tou se vydává pátrat po svém vrahovi a své minulosti. A jejich první cesta vede do Arkhamu, kde se má setkat se starými známými.
Visually stunning. You don't need to know the original Black Orchid to understand this story. There's plenty of links for fans to follow though.
It's hard to sum up. Beautiful, mesmerising, dark and dangerous are just a few suitable words.
It's hard to sum up. Beautiful, mesmerising, dark and dangerous are just a few suitable words.
I didn't expect this book to have so many references to the DC world. There was some Poison Ivy, some Batman, reference to Gotham and Metropolis. It was really interesting. But my favourite part of this Gaiman title was the art - the art style was absolutely amazing. There were pages in that book that I wish I could hang up on my wall, they were so gorgeous.
I picked this up for three dollars at a remainder fair in Denver while I was there for Anaconism, and read it on the plane coming home. It was a whim purchase, based solely on my good impression of Gaiman from Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchett) and his comic series, “Sandman.” Black Orchid is a comic, and unlike “Sandman,” it is set in the superhero-populated DC Universe (Batman, Swamp Thing, and the current inhabitants of the Arkham Asylum feature prominently in the story). Gaiman’s treatment of the superhero genre is similar to Alan Moore’s (“Swamp Thing,” “Watchman”)–much grittier, much more introspective than the usual porcelain doll pip-ups engaging in the endless slugfest. You know from the beginning, as stated in the introduction by Rolling Stone writer Mikal Gilmore, that something is different: the villain captures the heroine and, instead of revealing his plans to her, he kills her. It is startling in its suddenness and its other-worldliness (at least for superhero comics). Nudity? Sex? Language? These are not taboos anymore in the comic world, but to actually kill a character, and in such a matter-of-fact, realistic way, that’s shocking. The rest of the book (actually a collection of three comics published in series in 1990) tries to live up to that moment, and sometimes comes close, but ultimately it isn’t quite satisfying. Gaiman’s willingness to find the trigger makes him someone to search out.