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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Read for Book Roast's Magical Readathon: NEWTs Exams. Subject: Muggle Studies, A Level. (Favorite Author)
It kind of boggles me that there are still so many Gaiman books I've never read. ESPECIALLY comic books. ESPECIALLY comic books illustrated by Dave McKean, a god among illustrators. I mean, I should turn in my Gaiman fan card right now.
I'd never heard of the character of Black Orchid before starting this, which should surprise exactly no one. Apparently, she's a crime-fighting plant. Her creator was part of a group of scientists who mostly went mad, including Poison fucking Ivy and Swamp Thing.
All of this makes me SUPER ASHAMED that I've a) never heard of her, and b) never read this. Seriously, self.
The art style is, predictably, FLAWLESS. Ugh, seriously, I want McKean to illustrate my life. And the story line is amazing. We start off with a familiar scene, a bunch of bad guys sitting around discussing being bad guys.
The bad guy starts off asking her questions about how she infiltrated them, then says, "Wait, I read comics, too," and effing kills her right on the spot. Hi, yes, you have my attention.
A LOT happens in this relatively small volume, but I don't feel like it's too much. Maybe if I didn't love the writing, but the illustrations. Or I loved the illustrations, but the writing is missing something. You really can't screw it up when it comes to these two, and that's what makes this comic so great.
It kind of boggles me that there are still so many Gaiman books I've never read. ESPECIALLY comic books. ESPECIALLY comic books illustrated by Dave McKean, a god among illustrators. I mean, I should turn in my Gaiman fan card right now.
I'd never heard of the character of Black Orchid before starting this, which should surprise exactly no one. Apparently, she's a crime-fighting plant. Her creator was part of a group of scientists who mostly went mad, including Poison fucking Ivy and Swamp Thing.
All of this makes me SUPER ASHAMED that I've a) never heard of her, and b) never read this. Seriously, self.
The art style is, predictably, FLAWLESS. Ugh, seriously, I want McKean to illustrate my life. And the story line is amazing. We start off with a familiar scene, a bunch of bad guys sitting around discussing being bad guys.
Spoiler
BO herself is in the same room, tied up and trying to figure out how she'll escape.The bad guy starts off asking her questions about how she infiltrated them, then says, "Wait, I read comics, too," and effing kills her right on the spot. Hi, yes, you have my attention.
A LOT happens in this relatively small volume, but I don't feel like it's too much. Maybe if I didn't love the writing, but the illustrations. Or I loved the illustrations, but the writing is missing something. You really can't screw it up when it comes to these two, and that's what makes this comic so great.
Beautiful art work. Interesting story. I'm new to comics and graphic novels so this was different for me, but I quite enjoyed it!
fast-paced
I'd been trying to find a printed copy of Black Orchid since I was first exposed to comic books as a young adult (via Neil Gaiman's Ultimate Sandman books), 15 years ago. I was under the impression that this was his first comic book for a U.S. publisher, but it went out of print ages ago. Apparently it was reprinted with some nice intro/afterward padding some time in the last seven years, and I stumbled upon it with excitement while shelving in my public library. Considering this was written and drawn so early in Gaiman's career, it really exceeded my expectations. It's a beautiful twist on the genre, and highly worth reading. Black Orchid fits into the Swamp Thing (and now Animal Man) mythology beautifully, and should really be more prominent in DC.
First reread in quite a while, and I’m surprised how much I forgot. I was spurred to do so because I’m reading (slowly) Greg Carpenter’s British Invasion. It was interesting reading this soon after a violent Cases and in the middle of a Sandman reread. Dave McKean’s work is fully formed by this point, but Gaiman is still working things out. It’s a little slow and wordy at times, but it’s still better than most comics, particularly at the time. It’s pretty amazing to see how much of a launch pad creators used to be given. The back matter is particularly interesting in the newest version of the trade.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I started reading this in a haze of illness, and wasn't sure I was enjoying it - the gritty Gotham vigilante style is not necessarily a genre I get excited by, and though I enjoy Neil Gaiman's writing I wasn't sure the premise was going to be enough to hold my interest. It took me about halfway through the second chapter to find I was liking it after all. It turns out it's not really about crimefighting so much as legacy, choosing between good and evil, ecology, and the urge to heal the earth, and the unexpected (to me - maybe because I wasn't paying enough attention early on) direction it took in the third chapter especially was a welcome breath of fresh air. I enjoyed the Sinatra threads woven throughout (and pulled up songs to listen to as I read). Also, the art is beautiful. It's possible it would be more satisfying to people who are attached to and excited by Batman comics and the ties this has to the rest of that canon, but I couldn't say. For me it ended up satisfactory but it probably won't be one of my absolute favorites.