by Garen Ewing
Publisher: Egmont UK
Out: Now

The Book: In Volume Two of The Rainbow Orchid, the intrepid Julius Chancer journeys from Europe to the Indian sub-continent as he steps up his quest for the rainbow orchid. He soon discovers he has enemies more dangerous than he could ever have imagined who are determined to prevent him from finding the mystical flower. The Rainbow Orchid is an ambitious blend of classic storytelling, and cinematic artwork, in which adventure, historical drama and legend are seamlessly intertwined…

The Review: Creator Garen Ewing continues to delight his fans with this second volume of his historical adventure series, pitting earnest hero Julian Chancer and chums against a nefarious bunch of evil-doers working for the clearly bonkers Urkaz Grope, a business man not only trying to seize the rare orchid before anyone else, but prove himself a lord of the British realm to boot. The scoundrel!

Lovingly illustrated throughout – establishing shots such as the Natural History Museum, Karachi Railway Station and some London street scenes, to name but a few, are a delight – this second volume is all-new material. (Longtime readers of downthetubes will know much of the first volume of Rainbow Orchid, reviewed here, appeared in more than one form before being published by Egmont). As such, the volume holds together better, I think: Ewing weaves a careful tapestry of inter-connected plot threads, spanning events in Britain – not least the intriguing activities of the mysterious but cash-strapped Empire Survey Branch – to Chancer and chums continued hunt for the fabled orchid in India.

There’s so much to like about Rainbow Orchid. While there is clear homage to past comic heroes, most obviously Herge’s Tintin, Ewing has created his own mythos and a huge range of characters. Fans already have their favourites: the deliciously wicked Evelyn Crow (left) continues to prove a thorn in Julian’s side, and I imagine her wicked ways will ultimately do her no good whatsoever.

I’m also enjoying the antics of Nathaniel Crumpole, a self-obsessed hapless lover of animals, who successfully continues to cause more problems for the goodies than he solves, right up to the last page. While he’s inevitably going to be compared with Tintin’s Captain Haddock, he has his own idiosyncracies.

With such characters in the mix, it’s strange that Chancer himself is something of a cypher, although Ewing does develop his hero’s background in this volume.

There has been such expectation of this second volume of Rainbow Orchid that I feared the final story might not measure up to them. I need not have been concerned: while inevitably, this second volume progresses at a slower pace than Volume 1, it also lays the foundations for a thrilling finale with considerable aplomb.

Ewing continues to bring his growing readership a superb adventure story that leaves you guessing wildly at how the many plot threads will be resolved in the third and final volume…

• The Rainbow Orchid volume 2 is out now, available in bookshops across the land, but if you have trouble finding it, try amazon.co.uk, The Book Depository (free worldwide delivery), Egmont, or you can even nab yourself a signed and sketched-in copy from Garen Ewing’s official web site.

• Read our review of The Rainbow Orchid Volume 1

• The Official Rainbow Orchid web site: www.rainboworchid.co.uk 
You can  read a huge preview of The Rainbow Orchid online here, including an exclusive peek at volume two. Special features include pencils, annotations and more.

Upcoming Rainbow Orchid Signings

31st July – 1st August 2010 – Oxford: Caption

• About the Author
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John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.

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Tags: Egmont Books, Garen Ewing, Rainbow Orchid