“Ticelli Bot” is here to bring us his review of Tom Morello’s Orchid.
Many of you probably know that Tom Morello is a guitarist for the bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Some of you might even know that he, along with Serj Tankian of System of a Down, founded a non-profit political activist organization known as the Axis of Justice.
What you might not know, however, is that Mr. Morello is now writing comic books. Yes, comics. Morello has teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to bring us Orchid, a post-apocalyptic story that we have seen a hundred times before…or is it?
The focus here is very much on a class hierarchy and how the people act, or don’t act, within it. The rich and powerful live in fortresses up on high land, away from the danger of mutated creatures andthe scum of the lower class citizens. These “Bridge People,” however, have to live in poverty as slaves to the upper class or be killed. The story also focuses on a mask that is told to have some sort of power should a saint (Jim Carrey?) wear it, otherwise it kills the wearer. This mask is a continual point of contest between the classes as it is a sign of hope for the Bridge People and I can only assume that the wealthy want to try to use its power to further their iron-fisted rein over the poor. Some very interesting characters are introduced as well. One who flips off his oppressors as he is falling backwards off a broken piece of roadway into a ravine, and another who became a prostitute to be able to feed her family (she is the title character of the series).
I think that this whole post-apocalyptic thing has been done to death, however, the world and characters we are introduced to here have found a way to be unique in a wasteland of “blah.” I found myself enjoying the story much more than I originally thought I would and I am eager to read what Morello does with what has been established. Interestingly, there seems to have been some inspiration from author Tom Wolfe in Morello’s writing. He has created a character seemingly named after him and used many common themes also seen in Wolfe’s work, so it’s hard not to see similarities. Drawn by Scott Hepburn, animation designer for Marvel, DC, White Wolf, Udon and Nelvana as well as creator of the web series The Port. Hepburn does a great job of placing us in a world that is beautiful and tragic. I recommend that people go out and give this one a try when it comes out next week on October 12.
Check out Dark Horse’s website for more info:
“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.
• Each issue to be promoted with a new song by Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine!
• Featuring a variant cover by the best known and influential street artist Shepard Fairey!”
Ticelli Bot majors in Computer Science and Communications and spends his non-school time watching and making movies, hiking, playing video games, and reading comics.