Neil Gaiman Delights

Hereford is not, it has to be said, at the cutting edge of modern culture (or much of anything else, really!). There used to be a comic shop - Demon Comics, I think - but that was before I started getting interested in comics and graphic novels, and it's long gone now. The only places I've found that stock graphic novels are Waterstones and WH Smiths, and it's a pretty thin selection. Waterstones have quite a bit of manga, but that's a whole new alien world for me which I haven't looked at yet.
However, I was very pleased to come up with one gem last week - the de luxe version of Black Orchid, by Neil Gaiman, hiding at the back of the stand.
I first read Black Orchid when I lived down in London. According to the notes in the book, that was in 1988, and there were only ever three issues to tell the story. Which I didn't keep, because I'd never heard of Neil Gaiman and I really didn't know how special those comics were.
So now I've got the hardback version, with all the notes, letters and scripts at the back. I took it out of my bag to look at it while I was waiting for the bus back to Hay. A lady in the queue spotted it, and remarked on what a beautiful front cover it is, with the purple lady and the brightly coloured birds. She then started chatting about the Alpha course she'd just been on, and how wonderful it was to be a new Christian, which was actually quite sweet - it seems to be making her happy.
Later this evening, I shall be settling down with a good beer to savour the Black Orchid, and see if it is as good as I remember it (or if I remember it clearly at all, after all this time!)

This has come hot on the heels of the wonderful Neverwhere on Radio 4, of course. We listened to it every evening over the week, and it was brilliantly done. The cast is amazing, of course, and each episode was introduced and discussed afterwards by the man who had directed it, with Nick Briggs the radio presenter for Radio 4 extra. He talked about making layers of sound, starting in the background, with the voices over the top so there was plenty of depth and texture in the sounds.
They managed to describe their surroundings without sounding artificial. Richard, being un-used to these things, really would comment on the fact that he's just gone from a tube train carriage into a stone walled library when he hasn't left the train, for instance. The sound of the Angel Islington's wings flapping was very impressive, too. I've seen the TV series version of Neverwhere, so I remember what that looked like in that - but if you were coming to it fresh, you would be able to imagine what everything looked like very clearly because it is so well done.
Neil Gaiman even got to take part himself! We giggled helplessly as the Fop with No Name cried "You cad!" during the fight at the Floating Market.
Neil Gaiman wrote recently that he had been terrified of appearing on stage only a few years ago - but then he met Amanda Palmer, and appeared in some of her stage shows, and then when Gerry Anderson died he performed the song Fireball XL5 on stage with the band (which Amanda Palmer commented was probably the weirdest thing they had ever done!). And now he's on radio with James MacAvoy and Natalie Dormer (as Door) and Sophie Okonedo as Hunter, not to mention the magnificent Marquis de Carabas (David Harewood being just as good as Paterson Joseph in the TV version) and Benedict Cumberbatch as the Angel Islington.
The supporting cast is just as fantastic, with Bernard Cribbins as Old Bailey, Christopher Lee as the Earl of Earl's Court, and Anthony Head chewing his lines deliciously as Mr Croup.
And then there are the Black Friars, who all have West Indian accents, and the rat speakers, and the sewer folk, and the stall holders of the Floating Market selling cat ("leg or breast?" "Um, that'll be two veg curries, please....").

Listen to this version - your ears will love you for it.