Shadowy art elevates this superhero graphic novel written by the incomparable Neil Gaiman.
Susan Linden is a crime fighter named the Black Orchid. In the first pages of the story, she is killed by gangsters. She spends the rest of the book trying to remember who she is and why she has extraordinary abilities- including reincarnation.
The graphic novel brings in numerous heroes from the DC universe including Batman, Poison Ivy, and Lex Luthor. It was fun to read those interactions.
The overall feel of the story is very dark which makes the bright, almost electric purple of the Black Orchid panels stick out so much. Black Orchid and the other flower women are nude and it is handled tastefully throughout.
Here’s the Black Orchid and a friend from the graphic novel:
Before this graphic novel, I had never even heard of Black Orchid. This story makes a great introduction, but it doesn’t go fully into her abilities- some are still a mystery.
At first, I thought it didn’t fit the character that Black Orchid could fly because I associate plants with earth and being tied into the ground. However, in the supplemental materials at the back of the book, it explained that plants can change their density. Then, that particular superhero ability made more sense to me.
This isn’t a story for kids. I’d recommend it for readers 18+ because of the violence and some disturbing dialogue.
- The Ballad of a Small Player: a Metaphysical Movie Review
- Otherwhere: A Field Guide to Nonphysical Reality for the Out-Of-Body Traveler by Kurt Leland
- Psychic Dreamwalking: Explorations at the Edge of Self by Michelle Belanger
- Archetypes on the Tree of Life: The Tarot as Pathwork by Madonna Compton
- The Goddess and the Shaman: The Art & Science of Magical Healing by J.A. Kent
The Help Desk Book Blog 