In a chillingly possible dystopian future, humanity pays the price for its mistakes.
What They Say:
From the mind of musician Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, The Nightwatchman) with art by Scott Hepburn (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), Orchid is the tale of a teenage prostitute who learns that she is more than the role society has imposed upon her. When the seas rose, genetic codes were smashed. Human settlements are ringed by a dense wilderness from which ferocious new animal species prey on the helpless. The high ground belongs to the rich and powerful that overlook swampland shantytowns from their fortress-like cities. Iron-fisted rule ensures order and allows the wealthy to harvest the poor as slaves. Welcome to the world of Orchid.
The Review:
We are introduced to Orchid’s world with stark imagery of a flooded planet filled with dangers. Water laps at the faces on Mt. Rushmore. Ruined cities are submerged, empty and motionless except for floating cars and bits of trash. Island nations disappear under the rising sea. Mutated monsters created from our chemical pollution prey on humanity. We are no longer the top of the food chain.
In a world filled with this much chaos, it comes as no surprise that the wealthy huddle on the mountaintops, enslaving the poor masses who live beneath decaying bridges and in the swampy wastelands. Human nature, however, doesn’t tolerate slavery for long. Our story begins with a short history of a failed rebellion, in which a mask – imbued with dangerous magic and a symbol of hope – was lost to the oppressors.
At this point, we are introduced to the first of the heroes of our tale – Simon. Simon is part of a team of rebels, rebels who manage to regain the mask but are caught by the forces of Tomo Wolfe. Simon is clearly terrified, but committed to his role in the rebellion. We are treated to some snarky humor as he taunts his captors while escaping. He seems to be the kind of hero I can grow to love – one who battles his own fear and puts himself in danger to help others. Along the way, he rescues a small boy who is the brother of our title character – Orchid.
Orchid is a prostitute, branded prominently with the word “Property” across her chest and “Know your role” along her arm. She’s desperate, angry, and jaded. Her sole goal appears to be to survive each day so that she can provide for her mother and brother. On this day, though, she snaps and lashes out at her captor. Now both of our heroes are fleeing for their lives.
It did bother me that it took so long to introduce Orchid herself. As her name is the title, and she is in all the promotional material, I kept expecting to meet her sooner. Based on the events in the story so far, it seems like Simon is taking on the lead role of hero in the tale. I hope to see her take on a larger role in future issues.
In Summary:
Dark Horse is introducing this comic at just $1.00 for the first issue and all of the issues will be available digitally on the day of release. That makes this an easy way to jump into the world of Orchid!
This is the first issue of a comic that needed to set up a whole new world, complete with years of backstory. They do this well, with dramatic imagery and language. While it does take a while to jump into the action, meet our main characters, and have them meet each other, the story picks up the pace quickly at that point. It leads into an ending that leaves me wanting more, and has the promise of an action packed series. It’s a solid start to a chilling story, with strong world building and characters full of potential.
Grade: A-
