Definitely a 4 star comic if I was being completely objective, something about it just never pulled me in so three stars it is.

An even less traditional comic then Sandman. Black Orchid is not for a lot of Vertigo fans. The art while none traditional is beautiful, and used very expressively. The choice to separate the gritty world of Carl from the magical world of Black Orchid through the use of color and style is dramatic, and each frame is beautifully rendered. I would have liked some more dynamic page layouts, but that could have easily taken the artsy factor too far so I guess it's for the best.

It was very interesting to read this book while reading through the new 52 of Batgirl. Because in that comic, despite the fact that the main character is clothed head to foot the art style encourages objectification. In this comic, despite the fact that the main female characters run around naked the entire time sex and objectification never entered into my mind. And while some men might get off to her, the artist is not using her sexuality (against her will) to sell comics. And why does our society think this comic should be rated mature and batgirl should be rated teen?

The story ended up being the lacking thing for me. Again, objectively it was fine and I can see why people enjoy it, but I just wanted more Black Orchid and less everything else. While I was amused by Lex Luther's appearance, I thought he and his henchmen got too much attention. Although I guess it helped to build a coherent plot line. It would be rather scattered if we just followed black orchid the entire time. I was really tickled by the guest appearance of Alec and Abigail Holland.