黑兰花 (1988)

Black Orchid is an American comic book written by Neil Gaiman with art by Dave McKean. It was published by DC Comics as a three-issue limited series from December 1988 to February 1989, and was later reprinted in trade paperback form. Black Orchid follows two girls, Flora and Suzy, who awaken in a greenhouse. Their journey to find out who they are leads them into contact with DC Universe figures like Batman and Swamp Thing, but also into conflict with criminal mastermind Lex Luthor, who seeks them for his own interests.

Gaiman and McKean developed the series after meeting with Jenette Kahn, Dick Giordano, and Karen Berger in early 1987. The two pitched several ideas for series, but were ultimately assigned Black Orchid because all other characters they wanted to work on were in use at the time. They produced the series' concept within two days and won approval from DC Comics. DC nearly canceled the series due to fears it would fail commercially, but relented after McKean finished the art. Gaiman later reworked some cut characters and concepts into a pitch for a new series, which became his critically acclaimed Sandman.

Despite DC's concerns, Black Orchid sold well and was positively received. Critics feel the story has held up well for one of Gaiman's earliest works. Black Orchid helped bolster Gaiman's career and established many themes that became common in his later stories. It also inspired a short-lived ongoing series published under DC's alternative imprint Vertigo from September 1993 to June 1995.

Publication history

Background

The superhero Black Orchid, created by Sheldon Mayer and Tony Zuniga, first appeared in Adventure Comics #428 (June 1973), and was published by DC Comics. She was the first superhero to debut as the cover feature of the series since Starman in 1941; she was not given an origin story and her personal life was not shown. After a three-issue run in Adventure Comics, Black Orchid quickly faded into obscurity, but sporadically made guest appearances in other DC publications.

Neil Gaiman is a popular British author who has written comics for numerous publishers, but is best known for his work at DC, which includes high-profile comics like Batman, The Books of Magic, and The Sandman. Gaiman had wanted to write comics since he was a child, but became especially interested after forming a friendship with Alan Moore in the 1980s. Gaiman's first comics were published in 2000 A.D., but he quit after his third piece came out, upset that his artist ignored most of his script directions. Gaiman met painter Dave McKean while working on an unreleased comic called Borderline; the two then went on to produce Violent Cases.

Development

In early 1987, Gaiman learned that DC's president Jenette Kahn, executive editor Dick Giordano, and editor Karen Berger were in London, so he managed to schedule an appointment with them. Gaiman and McKean pitched series featuring John Constantine, the Sandman, the Phantom Stranger, and Green Arrow, among others. At the time, Jamie Delano had been developing the Constantine series Hellblazer, the Sandman was appearing in Justice Society of America, a Phantom Stranger limited series was in production, and Mike Grell was writing a Green Arrow series. Eventually, Gaiman got to the character at the bottom of his list, Black Orchid. Upon hearing the name, Berger, who did not know who Black Orchid was and misunderstood Gaiman because of his accent, asked "Blackhawk Kid? Who's he?" Giordano, on the other hand, knew who she was and gave Gaiman and McKean his approval.

As they walked away, McKean expressed disappointment that they were assigned Black Orchid, as he wished to produce a comic featuring Swamp Thing and rainforests. Gaiman promised McKean he would include them in the story. He was motivated by Berger's response to recreate Black Orchid in a new way. Gaiman had been interested by Moore's work on Swamp Thing and, like Moore, sought to explore the DC Universe using minor and obscure characters. Gaiman produced an outline for Black Orchid within a day and the next day McKean finished five paintings. They dropped them off at the hotel Kahn, Giordano, and Berger were staying at. In retrospect, Berger stated that the duo's quickness on Black Orchid's concepts was the reason DC took them seriously in later years.

DC commissioned Black Orchid as a three-issue limited series to debut in the 1988 holiday season. Gaiman considered it a realistic story. To set the tone for the series, he began it by killing the original Black Orchid and introducing her sisters. Then, he had the series explore the DC Universe while elaborating on Black Orchid's origin. As she had never been given a proper backstory, Gaiman decided to tie Black Orchid to Swamp Thing and Batman. He considered including characters and concepts from the 1974 Sandman series (including the Sandman, Brute, Glob, and the brothers Cain and Abel) in a scene for the first issue. The scene did not make it into later drafts because Roy Thomas was using the characters in Infinity, Inc. Gaiman used these concepts in a pitch for a new series, which became The Sandman. McKean's art, unlike other comics, combined paintings, photography, and sculptures. Some of his pages had as many as 12 panels.