Comic Review: The Rainbow Orchid Volume 3

And so we finally reach the end of the road, the finale of Garen Ewing's epic Rainbow Orchid trilogy, a book I've been both breathlessly anticipating... and quietly dreading. Could this really be the last we see of Julius Chancer and co?

For anyone as yet unacquainted with Garen's masterpiece, The Rainbow Orchid follows Chancer's quest to seek out the legendary flower of the title so his employer can win a wager with the nefarious Urkaz Grope, a truly hissable villain we're all hoping will finally get his come-uppance in this final chapter (you may be surprised!). As always, it's a witty, action-packed mix of Tin Tin and Indiana Jones that looks like no other comic out there... truly, the level of detail Garen puts into his artwork is staggering: you could easily stare at any of his panels for a week and never get bored... if only you weren't wanting to race through the book to find out what happens next. Definitely a comic to read more than once, then - the first time for the excitement of the story, the second to wallow in the beauty of the artwork.

The three volumes of The Rainbow Orchid are available from all good booksellers, and you can read a huge preview - and go behind the scenes for a wealth of extra fun - at Garen's website. Get over there and find out why this book was recently named The Observer's Graphic Novel Of The Month!

The Rainbow Orchid - The Quest Continues

Fans of sumptuous, detailed artwork and rattling good yarns rejoice - Julius Chancer is back in the second thrilling episode of Garen Ewing's The Rainbow Orchid - available to order now. This time Julius's quest for that elusive flower takes him all the way to India where he has to contend with plane crashes, punch ups and the rare beauty of an angry maternal snow leopard*. It's all jolly good fun in the best European comics tradition: but it's more than just a homage or tribute to the adventures of Tin Tin and others you may recall from your misspent youth. It lives and breathes and stands proud on its own two feet - Garen's book deserves to win every award going for graphic novel artwork and storytelling.

Truly, if you don't like The Rainbow Orchid, you don't like life!

You can sample the strip from the beginning here and buy both volumes 1 & 2 from Amazon or from Garen's store (where you'll also find a choice range of Rainbow Orchid merchandise too).



(*Snow leopards are one of my favourite animals. I have pictures of them on my notice board at work. So I was especially thrilled to see one guest starring in this comic - with its cub to boot.)