# Is "Black Orchid" by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean (DC Comics, 1988) is identified by: Three-issue prestige-format series running December 1988 to February 1989; Book One / #1 (1988) is the true first. Gaiman's first work for DC; the true first is the prestige-format Book One / #1 (1988).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Three-issue prestige-format series running December 1988 to February 1989
- Book One / #1
- is the true first
- Collected as a trade edition in 1991
- Correct publisher/imprint: DC Comics

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | Three-issue prestige-format series running December 1988 to February 1989 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Three-issue prestige-format series running December 1988 to February 1989; Book One / #1 (1988) is the true first. Collected as a trade edition in 1991.

## Is this the true first?
Gaiman's first work for DC; the true first is the prestige-format Book One / #1 (1988). The collected edition is a later first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later collected printings are reprints of the 1991 collection.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Black Orchid* by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/black-orchid
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.