In the grand tradition of sexy female double-crossers, Black Orchid was
queen in the early 1970s. Well, for a little while. With virtually no origin
story, no personal attachments, and no boss, Black Orchid’s m.o. was
infiltrating suspicious local sects and upon finding her predictions of illegal
activity confirmed, donning her purple crimefighting costume and shutting whole
groups of miscreants down.

But how? She had superstrength, flight, and
physical invulnerability. But her creator, Sheldon Mayer, never explained her
acquisition of the skills.

During her run with Adventure Comics,
which began in 1973, Mayer never fleshed he rout beyond her one-tract devotion
to taking down baddies and going undercover to repeat the cycle. She lasted
until 1976, bouncing from Adventure to The Phantom
Stranger.

At the end of the ’70s, Black Orchid faded from view until
the incomparable Neil Gaiman revived her in 1988. Though his miniseries only
lasted three issues, it was long enough to give our limited heroine an origin,
just as she was killed off to introduce a next-gen Orchid. Unfortunately, the
new incarnation wilted with the end of the miniseries.