Frankly, I never thought I'd see The Dark Knight Returns described as having "a new spirit of aspiration," but I think there's a reason we don't remember Black Orchid alongside the potent critique of fantasized superhero and state violence that is Watchmen. Gilmore cites Black Orchid as "one of those books that has helped break modern comics history in two and signalled the rise of a new courage and a new spirit of aspiration within the medium," placing it alongside Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, Alan Moore's Miracleman, and Alan Moore's Watchmen. (Seriously, I forgot that film even existed until I saw it mentioned here.) I don't even think Neil Gaiman fans read Black Orchid, even if my front cover does try to grab the dozens of people who watched MirrorMask. Which is why I don't feel bad about discussing them, but it's not like you were going to read the book anyway. Gilmore seems very impressed with all the "unanticipated" things that the book does- so impressed, in fact, that he tells you what they all are before you get to read them yourself. I don't know who Mikal Gilmore is, but he wrote the introduction this collected edition of Black Orchid.
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