One of the few Gaiman/McKean works that I haven't read; I was eager to read this graphic novel. It was a pretty good read. It is an unusual comic book and deals with some more serious issues than the basic good vs. evil.

This comic takes place in Gotham City and in the first few scenes we get to watch as the super-hero Black Orchid is captured and killed. The rest of the story follows her flower sisters as they deal with the fall-out from Black Orchid's action and try to find a place for themselves in the world.

It is an interesting story in that the main character for the most part is a passive flower-lady that is trying to gain back her memories and figure out how to protect her flower sisters.

There are cameo appearances by Batman, Poison Ivy, Lex Luther, and others. We get to visit Arkham Asylum and spend time with the dirty underground of Gotham.

The majority of the comic deals with the idea of violence and what happens when you make a choice either to be peaceful or take violent action. It also shows that sometimes making the right choice doesn't always mean things will turn out the right way.

An interesting graphic novel and somewhat thought provoking. I can see why they said this graphic novel helped break the way for more non-traditional graphic novels. The artwork by McKean is the usual mixture of beautiful, creepy, and slightly disturbing...it goes very well with the story.

There are only a couple things that weren't ideal. One was that the character's aren't as engaging as I am used to for Gaiman and (since this was released in the 80's) the other is that the graphics are pretty dated...there are a lot of 80's hairstyles walking through this graphic novel and at times that made me laugh. ( )

Gaiman turns Black Orchid into nearly a female version of Swamp Thing, though McKean's artwork is fantastic. ( )

The story didn't grab me, but the art was AMAZING. ( )

An important example of the re-creation and reimagining of comics by British authors during the mid eighties, Black Orchid combines Gaiman's mythology with McKean's powerful artistic visions in the series which made their careers.

Like Moore's 'Swamp Thing' or Morrison's 'Animal Man', Gaiman was given the opportunity to place his stamp on a pre-existing hero; and like the others, by betraying cliche and embracing a suitably mystic sense of realism, succeeds admirably. (as an aside, Watchmen was supposed to be such a recreation of old heroes, but was dubbed too far a difference from the original; of course, that decision is questionable as Watchmen is the most well-considered comic there has ever been)

From the very beginning of the three chapter series, Gaiman powerfully informs the reader of his intent to leave behind tradition and embark on a psychological exploration of the limits of the genre. This brave errancy is ably illustrated by the higher art aesthetic of McKean's, whose own sense of both magic and realistic depicion provides Gaiman's words an excellent partner.

In this highly experimental attempt, Gaiman does not fall to the usual high-falutin storylines, which is instead replaced with the vague and spiritual. Likewise, his often choiceless stories become less recognizeable in the emotional and intellectual extremes of Black Orchid.

The story does often move at a vague and paceless rate, and denies the simple morality or causal chain which we are so used to even out of comics. He also moves along a dangerous path: that of the romanticization of ecology and tribal life; however, he does not quite fall to it.

His story is emotional and personal in a way that super hero comics rarely attain, and part of this is because of the absolute denial of standard methods which McKean makes available to him by an alternate artistic representation. If it doesn't look like comics, is it still comics? Gaiman would say yes--so would McCloud--and so do I; but we are all a bit odd for it.

Gaiman also does proud the old comic fan with a score of intertwined heroes and villains of the past, though a reader without the foreknowledge may have to take his word a bit too often. The superior plan is to begin with Alan Moore's aforementioned Swamp Thing before tackling Black Orchid.

Though Sandman will undeniably reign as Gaiman's signature series, it is sometimes preferable to boldly make your 'X' and move along, rather than dither over the serif. In Black Orchid, Gaiman makes his mark. ( )

Beautiful, dark and whimsical.

Black Orchid awakens in a greenhouse with the memories of a murdered women, before she can learn of her origin, her creator also dies leaving her to seek self-knowledge.