Glamorous Diana Dawn, district attorney Richard Day’s secretary, was – unbeknownst to him – masquerading as the mysterious female sleuth “the Black Orchid.” She solved crimes with the aid of a magic ring that contains “black gas” that knocked out her opponents. In her first adventure, Black Orchid took on (the somewhat unfortunately named) Doctor Arso to regain some stolen surgical papers; and she fought zombies, too. In the second adventure, she battled a man named Carson (and his Torchmen) who had kidnapped a scientist. Unlike many heroes, Black Orchid wore a multi-piece costume made up of a skirt, an overcoat and a leotard. It was a good thing, too, because her overcoat and skirt always got damaged during the course of her stories, forcing her to discard them.
Creators/Key Contributors Albert Magarian, Florence Magarian
First Appearance Tops Comics (1944)
First Publisher Consolidated Book Publishing
Appearance List Tops Comics
Sample Read Black Orchid (Consolidated) DCM Archive [DCM]
Description Glamorous Diana Dawn, district attorney Richard Day’s secretary, was – unbeknownst to him – masquerading as the mysterious female sleuth “the Black Orchid.” She solved crimes with the aid of a magic ring that contains “black gas” that knocked out her opponents. In her first adventure, Black Orchid took on (the somewhat unfortunately named) Doctor Arso to regain some stolen surgical papers; and she fought zombies, too. In the second adventure, she battled a man named Carson (and his Torchmen) who had kidnapped a scientist. Unlike many heroes, Black Orchid wore a multi-piece costume made up of a skirt, an overcoat and a leotard. It was a good thing, too, because her overcoat and skirt always got damaged during the course of her stories, forcing her to discard them.
