Introduction
With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies from Harvard University and a worldwide following as an accomplished musician, when Tom Morello speaks, most tend to listen. In 2011, Morello released his first comic book, through Dark Horse Comics, entitled Orchid. Morello is not the first musician to dive into the comic book world and receive critical acclaim. The two most notable musicians in the industry are Gene Simmons of KISS with his work, House of Horrors (2008), and Gerard way of My Chemical Romance with his work, The Umbrella Academy (2008), which is now being adapted as a feature film by Universal Studios. Morello’s love for comic books is not a recent development, having been an avid collector since his early childhood. In a 2013 interview at Comic-International, Morello commented, “I collected thousands of comic books till my mid-teens, 16 or 17 years old, when I discovered guitar, and then my OCD shifted in another direction.” Morello’s creative talents act as a means toward an end. By using musical works and comic books as outlets for his views on society, culture, and politics, Morello is able to speak freely and immerse his audience in a complete experience.
In describing his experiences with Orchid to the Nerdist podcast, Morello states, “When I sent the first draft to the people at Dark Horse, they were a little surprised that it wasn’t more of a Noam Chomsky-style lecture. I was like, “No, this is about the cool monsters and the huge battles, man!” I’m a sucker for the big popcorn-chomping summer movies and the epic stories of The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. I wanted it to have all of that, but infused with the kind of class-consciousness that is woefully absent in stuff like that.” [1] Morello may not be the “father of modern linguistics”, but his ability to translate his lyrical writing into graphic novel form and still maintain a compelling message is excellent. In Orchid, three major themes can be easily extracted: class-consciousness, matriarchal society, and good versus evil. Orchid takes place in a dystopian future where humans are no longer on top the food chain, succumbing to animals in “The Wild”, and land is scarce, with the few wealthy controlling the high ground, and the many poor rummaging in the water-ridden swampland. The main character, Orchid, is the lowest of the low, a young female prostitute in this swampland, and with the help of her people, the Bridge People, and inspiration from previous rebellion leaders, she leads a coup against the oppressive dictator, Tomo Wolfe. Throughout the story, Wolfe is trying to acquire a mask, which is in the hands of the rebellion group against him, which has ancient powers for those worthy enough to wear it. Eventually, with the help of the mask and mentor Opal (General China), Orchid succeeds in ending Wolfe’s regime; society is left peaceful and prosperous. It is important to note that Tom Morello is the sole creator of this story, which he actually developed almost four years prior to its inception, and is the only writer present in the work. Although, much of the effectiveness of this story is achieved through the visuals created by artist, Scott Hepburn, who worked closely with Morello. In his Nerdist interview, Morello commented, “From the outset, I had a story I wanted to tell and it was realized in a completely uncompromising way via Dark Horse and I’m very proud of it. Scott Hepburn, the illustrator, really is the MVP of the project. He’s done a spectacular job of being cinematographer for this whole world and this huge story, which we had to find some way to fit into 12 issues but it’s been a great experience and I’m glad that Orchid is out in the world.”
Literature Review
Class-consciousness
“The Social Psychology of Class and Classism” by Bernice Lott gives a lens in which to view class identity. Her work offers parameters assigned to classes that you could give to a hypothetical person, who has no idea who is in what class, and after reading this essay, this person could identify a working class individual from a wealthy individual. In the context of Orchid this is huge in both the roles of Morello as writer and Hepburn as illustrator. Representation of certain characters is not haphazard, but rather purposely constructed to follow social norms outlined in Lott’s work. The American Psychological Association (APA) published this article and Lott is a faculty member in the Psychology Department at the University of Rhode Island.
“Does “Classism” Help Us To Understand Class Oppression?” by Fred L. Pincus and Natalie J. Sokoloff questions the terminology of classism itself. They hold the belief that classism does not aid in the interpretation of class oppression. Rather, class oppression is an economic exploitation, in essence capitalism. Pincus is in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and Sokoloff is in the Department of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY.
Matriarchal Society
“The Structure of Matriarchal Societies” by Heide Gottner-Abendroth offers perspective on what matriarchal society looks like on four levels: economic, social, political, and cultural. In the context of Orchid, these traits of a matriarchal society are not explicitly outlined in this way. Extrapolating the story with these matriarchal truths will help further understand the narrative, especially with the death of Orchid’s mother, the role of Tomo Wolfe’s female mentor Madam Helah, as well as the revealed identity of General China. Heide Gottner-Abendroth is a German feminist and ReVision is an academic publication.
“Matriarchies as Societies of Peace: Re-Thinking Matriarchy” is also by Heidi Gottner-Abendroth, the premier scholar on matriarchal studies. In this particular work she speaks extensively about the egalitarianism of matriarchal society. These ideas relate to the almost socialistic movement of the society present in Orchid.
Good Versus Evil
“The Age of Terrorism” by Walter Laqueur is an extensive novel containing every facet of terrorism. In his introduction, Laqueur makes a relativist claim, which really stuck out to me in the context of Orchid and interviews with Tom Morello, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” Inherently, Orchid maintains a bias with Morello being the writer. Clearly Orchid is the hero in the comic, but in what was does she qualify as a terrorist? Laqueur is prominent historian and political commentator from modern-day Poland and Little, Brown and Company published this work.
“Walking the Line Between Good and Evil: The Common Thread of Heroes and Villains” is a guest blog on Scientific American by, researcher and science writer, Andrea Kuszewski. She refers to heroes, who take bold action for the welfare of others, as “Extreme Altruists” or “X-Altruist”, rather than an altruist who has these concerns but doesn’t take action. She goes in to list the traits of X-Altruists compared to Sociopaths and shows how they are not all that different, with the only difference being empathy. In Orchid, how can we classify our two primary characters and why?
Research Question and Methodology
How does Tom Morello represent the themes of class-consciousness, matriarchal society, and good versus evil in his comic book series Orchid? How do these representations in the comic book medium compare to his work as a songwriter and musician? My analysis of thematic representations in Morello’s Orchid will be purely qualitative. Orchid is composed of 12 issues, each of which has been evaluated. Incorporated in my analysis of Morello’s comic book work, I will address his musical work by looking at his two latest works, as his alter ego “The Nightwatchman”, entitled World Wide Rebel Songs (2011) and Union Town EP (2011). The reason I chose these particular works, out of the four he’s done as a solo act and out of the many he’s been a part of as a band member, is because their release dates are the closest to Orchid’s. By selecting the musical work that was chronologically nearest to Orchid’s, I am attempting to tap into a certain stream of consciousness. There’s no question that creative individuals evolve with age and changes in taste, and it’s my belief that World Wide Rebel Songs and Union Town are congruent to the mindset of Morello during the inception of Orchid.
Findings
The idea that resonates profoundly following the reading of Orchid is the stark divisions between characters: classism. In this story there are two sides: the people, and animals, who make up Tomo Wolfe’s regime, and the oppressed majority who put all their faith in Orchid. On a visual level, illustrator Scott Hepburn, with the inspiration of Tom Morello, creates strong a contrast between these characters that elevates their division. The Bridge People have tattered clothing, untamed hair, and don’t appear to be extremely hygienic; they look like the swampland they live in. On the otherhand, Tomo Wolfe and his minions are on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, Wolfe especially. Wolfe is wearing a white, well tailored, suit with slicked back hair surrounded by his well-equipped henchmen. It’s also worth noting that there is a character named Westin, who was initially sided with Orchid, but betrayed them to side with Wolfe. His character seemed awkward next to the Bridge People because his appearance resembled that of one of Wolfe’s followers, a possible clue leading to his betrayal. The patchwork nature of the clothing reflects the mask used by General China as a means for rebellion. The mask, as explained in the narrative, has ancient powers that if worn by a worthy, “saintly”, person, it makes them formidable. If worn by an undeserving individual it kills them. The mask looks like a red and blue quilt, with eyeholes, sewn together loosely. Hepburn and Morello also include many establishing shots in the comic which show Wolfe’s kingdom, Penuel, on the high ground, towering over the Bridge People’s swamp; a psychological and visual aid to the oppressed nature of their situation. The land of the high ground is clean, fruitful, and fatal wild animal free. Conversely, the land of the low ground is water ridden, overpopulated, and dangerous. The most important evidence of classism is the protagonist, Orchid. She is unquestionably the hero of the narrative. In an almost exaggerated manor, she is the lowest of the low: a young, rebellious, girl who is a prostitute. A hallmark of this series is what is featured in writing on her body. Across her chest is the word, “property”, and on her arm is the phrase, “know your role”.
Also present in the narrative are strong female characters exemplifying the idea of a matriarchal society. Clearly, Orchid, a woman, is the leader of the Bridge People rebellion, but her main support in battle comes from other young female prostitutes who are empowered by her presence. When Morello introduces the reader to Orchid, she is living with her brother and mother, no father figure present. It is up to Orchid and her mother to take care of her young brother who is not adequately equipped to handle life in the swampland. In the narrative, the mask, mentioned earlier, gives hope to the Bridge People because it was worn by General China who lead a previous rebellion attempt successfully until he sacrificed himself for his people to no avail due to Wolfe’s false promise to spare everyone else. Spoiler alert, Morello’s big twist in the comic is that General China actually did not die. The General China that was under the mask that was killed by Wolfe was an imposter for the real General China’s protection. The assumption the entire story is that General China is a man, but that is not the case. General China is actually Opal who took on her lover’s name, China, in battle. Together the two powerful women, General China, whose really Opal, and Orchid destroy Tomo Wolfe’s regime.
For as different as Tomo Wolfe and Orchid seem to be, they maintain striking similarities. Both Wolfe and Orchid were born into a poor situation, Wolfe on one of the barges (these barges kept humans alive during an apocalyptic flood, although there was relentless crime and cannibalism), and Orchid in the slums of the swampland below Penuel. Both have connections to prostitution, Orchid is a prostitute herself, and Wolfe’s mother was a prostitute, as he was born in the prostitution chambers of the barges. Each had a female mentor, for Orchid it was Opal, and for Wolfe it was Madam Helah, who is said to be the one who “provided order amidst the lawlessness and terror of the barge”. Both are leaders of their respective people. For as analogous as these two characters are, it makes you wonder if we should perceive Orchid as the hero? Is Wolfe a victim in the narrative?
Discussion
Class-consciousness in Orchid, presented by Morello and Hepburn, is a hyperbolic interpretation of the current state of society in America. In a Washington Post article, following the release of Orchid, US Census statistics show that, “The 60 percent of households earning between roughly $20,000 and $101,000 collectively earned 46.6 of all income, a 1.5 percent drop. In 1990, they shared over 50 percent of income. In contrast, the census data show, the top fifth rose 1.6 percent in 2011 after several years of decline during the recession. The biggest gains went to the top 5 percent, who earn more than $186,000; their share of income jumped almost 5 percent in a single year.[2] With the visual and narrative depictions of the classes in Orchid, what is missing is the, statistically shrinking, middle class. Unlike other comics with heroic figures, such as Spiderman or Batman where there are heroes, villains, and innocent bystanders, commonly citizens of the civilization, Orchid contains no individuals who are not a part of the rebellion or pitted against the rebellion. Morello’s class-consciousness is a two-class idea, the oppressive minority, and the oppressed majority. The prevalent representation of these two divisions is visual appearance; things that can go unsaid by Morello, but shown by Hepburn, in the narrative so he can focus on plot development.
In Morello’s musical works in World Wide Rebel Songs, this class-consciousness is portrayed in lyrically. In the track titled “The Dogs of Tijuana”, Morello speaks of an oppressed group that is “filled with garbage and stones in the streets and in the fields” and that is cast in the shadow of a “one tree orchard”. These canines in Tijuana grow more and more hopeful as the song continues, mirroring the complexity of the arrangement growing from simply guitar and vocals to finishing with backing vocals and percussive elements. The climactic finish of the track ends with the lyric “The world will not end in fire, it will not end in ice, it will end when we arrive”. Although both works maintain equal elements of oppression and hope for a more positive future, the comic book medium is able to present this archetypal case of classism in a way that is more visually striking, without the distraction of Morello’s baritone vocals, and making a more literary use of his story telling.
In her work on social psychology and classism, Bernice Lott paints a picture of an American society that is characterized by immobility.[3] Lott explains that the class one is born in is more than likely the class that one will stay in. Lott places a high level of significance into class denotations because she feels one could make three empirically valid conclusions. She states that membership in a given class, “reliably predicts the degree to which one can obtain and benefit from a society’s economic and political resources, is correlated with a wide array of life experiences, and mediates and influences what a person is likely to learn, believe, anticipate, and seek after.” In Orchid, Morello is able to tell a story of hope that confirms and goes against all social norms. Orchid, whose body is scarred with the word “property” and the phrase “know your role”, destroys all social and situational barriers that are personified in her role as a poor prostitute girl. She is able to do this through the power provided to her via a mask, which resembles the very patchwork clothing she maintains throughout the story. In his interview with Comic Book Resources, Morello explains, “What the mask encapsulates is both the violent and peaceful struggle of humanity for freedom and justice. Sometimes it’s done with a peaceful march through Selma, and sometimes its done in the way of Spartacus. She (Orchid) was a person who was at the end of her rope. Sometimes you have to touch the bottom in order to really begin knowing what your role is, and the mask exemplifies it.”[4]
In order to understand Morello’s sense of class-consciousness, you have to go beyond simply acknowledging classism, but rather the cause of oppression from one class towards another. In their work on class oppression, Fred L. Pincus and Natalie J. Sokoloff conclude that, “The essence of class oppression is economic exploitation where employers profit from the labor of employees. This is capitalism. The result of this exploitation is inequalities of wealth, income and power.”[5] In the context of Orchid, exploitation stemmed from the slave trade under Tomo Wolfe’s regime, which ends up being what kick starts the narrative as Orchid and Simon meet after being grabbed by these very slave traders. Interestingly, the Bridge People had something other than their product of labor that Wolfe desired, the mask. The mask is the only object, and idea for that matter, that could lead to the degradation of this capitalistic system. Wolfe’s desire for the mask made him vulnerable, while the Bridge Peoples hope in the mask made them strong. In the series’ final issue, we see a society that has gone from capitalistic to socialist. Exploitation is eradicated, and the war leader, Orchid, is not crowned as emperor, rather she lives in a quite life amongst the people. Morello portrays everyone as equal and is even featured in this issue, as Hepburn drew him in to a panel holding a guitar wearing his signature hat.
In his 2011 interview at Comic-Con International, in response to being asked about his thoughts on writing a female protagonist, Morello comments, “The most radical member of the Morello family is my mom, she was very involved in the civil rights movement, and her politics are two or three steps to my already very left leaning politics.” He also mentions upon moving to Los Angeles that, “The first community that accepted me was this kind of community of drug addicts and prostitutes who turned out to be very open, hearted, and lovely.”[6] These life experiences certainly influenced the narrative of Orchid that holds the mother and female mentors in high esteem. One of the features of this series is masculine women and feminine men. In her study of matriarchy, Heide Gottner-Abendroth characterizes matriarchal societies as not opposite of patriarchy, but rather fully egalitarian, where “Hierarchies, classes and the domination of one gender by the other are unknown to them.”[7] This equality ideal is exemplified in the acceptance of Simon and Anzio as a gay couple. Gottner-Abendroth further analyzed matriarchal societies on four levels: economic, social, political, and cultural.[8] Each of these sectors conclude that women control the means of production, maintain social positions and political titles through female line, political decisions get approved by matriarchal kinship, and women are given the utmost respect for their ability to give birth. Morello’s narrative elements fall in line with the ideas presented by Gottner-Abendroth. His protagonist, Orchid, was the primary source of money and food for her family, which was parented by only a mother. Her role as daughter, provider, and her mothers role as chief matriarch form a household that Gottner-Abendroth would designate as a matriarchal kinship; multilayered female hierarchy. Morello’s most striking example of female political dominance is Madam Helah. In Tomo Wolfe’s time on the cannibalistic and post apacolyptic barges, it was Madam Helah who resided over all proceedings. It was said that she was the law creator and was a respected leader amidst all the chaos. There is no explanation as to how she earned this role, but I feel that serves Morello’s purposes more adequately, she is just there no questions asked. Lastly, the role of Opal as Orchid’s mentor and the real General China, which at the surface qualifies as one of the most matriarchal characters, actually contradicts a key point in Gottner-Abendroth’s study. Gottner-Abendroth explains that clan name is held in high regard and is the namesake of all matriarchal kinships present in these cultures. The narrative twist that surrounds Opal is that she is the real General China. We presumed General China was her lover, China, because of the namesake. Rather it was Opal who chose to take on the name of her lover in battle. It is this matriarchal fallacy that adds to Morello’s narrative, it rises above all norms.
The track entitled “Which Side Are You On?” off of his 2011 EP, Union Town, lyrically adds another element of matriarchal ascendancy. The interesting component to this song is that it is the only one out of the entirety of the two works that was written by a woman; he covered Florence Reece’s 1931 version. The track consists of a series of questions such as, “Across this great old nation, tell me what you gonna do, when there’s one law for the rulers, and one law for the ruled?” Each prompt leads to the chorus that repeats, “Which side are you on, boys?” Reading these lyrics, knowing that a woman wrote it, I see a female confidence. She isn’t questioning her own merits, but rather the boys’; this sense of assurance emulates what Orchid wears so boldly on her arm, “know you role”.
The similarities between Orchid and Tomo Wolfe create a blurred line defining each of their roles as hero or villain. In her research on this idea, Andrea Kuszewski comes to a similar blurred conclusion.[9] Kuszewski defines heroes as “Extreme Altruists” with their only difference from sociopaths being empathy; sociopaths are detached emotionally, while Extreme Altruists can temporarily detach themselves to adapt to the situation. Kuszewski comments that an Extreme Altruist can become a sociopath if something “spectacularly horrendous” were to happen at a vulnerable time, this is undoubtedly the case with Wolfe when his caretaker, Madam Helah, was killed and he used his science and reason to rise to power for power’s sake. The sudden betrayal of the explosives expert, Westin, speaks to a point that also gets explicitly mentioned during Tomo Wolfe’s time on the barges, the idea of doing what is necessary to survive. Westin’s character is a likeable one, and as a reader, I did not fault him for making the decision to side with Wolfe. This notion of survival makes you question if you should paint certain characters as villains and others as heroes. The story implies that we are to believe Orchid is the force of good seeking to destroy Wolfe who is the force of evil. What if these two are purely out for survival? I do not believe this is the case. Although, I do believe they are seeking the same thing, progress. Tomo Wolfe’s progress stems from the science of the “old world”, which he studied on the barges that led him to power. He sees the Bridge People as a threat to this intellectual progress so he seeks to eradicate them. Orchid is out for social progress. Orchid sees Wolfe’s action as oppressive and seeks to end his regime. In an ideal world, we would want both social and intellectual progress. In the world of Orchid, these two goals seem to be pitted against each other. In his study of terrorism, historian Walter Laqueur states, “But if the moralists are wrong, does it not follow that, as the relativists argue, “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”? Of all the observations on terrorism this is surely on of the tritest. There is no unanimity on any subject under the sun, and it is perfectly true that terrorists do have well-wishers. But such support does not tell us anything about the justice of their cause; in 1941 Hitler and Mussolini had many fanatical followers. Does it follow that they fought for a just cause (pg. 7)?[10] Lacqueur’s words bring my point back it its origins, who’s cause is more just? No person and no idea should condone genocide; this is the sentiment of Morello in Orchid.
The thematic elements Tom Morello was able to represent in his series, Orchid, go well beyond the scope of a traditional comic book. Morello’s strong views on class-consciousness, matriarchal society, and good versus evil are expressed passionately in the mediums of comic books and music; this is the reason for his massive following and why he’s never going to be a politician. Through Orchid, Morello shows how the lowest of the low can rise above their circumstances and lead positive revolution. At the same time, Morello is able to temper his emotions and question the blurred line that divides good and evil. Through deeper analysis, with the aid of scholarly works, we are able to see intricacies of a story that has been four years in the making.
[3] Lott, Bernice. “The Social Psychology Of Class And Classism.” American Psychologist 67.8 (2012): 650-658. PsycARTICLES. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
[5] Pincus, Fred L., and Natalie J. Sokoloff. “Does “Classism” Help Us To Understand Class Oppression?.” Race, Gender & Class 15.1/2 (2008): 9-23. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
[7] Goettner-Abendroth, Heide. “MATRIARCHIES AS SOCIETIES OF PEACE: Re -Thinking Matriarchy.” Off Our Backs 38.1 (2008): 49. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
[8] Gottner-Abendroth, Heide. “The Structure Of Matriarchal Societies.” Revision 21.3 (1999): 31. OmniFile Full Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
[10] Laqueur, Walter. The Age of Terrorism. Boston: Little, Brown, 1987. Print.
Let me start by saying, O M G, this is the very last “school” thing I will be doing for my Fall 2013 semester at Trinity University. It is also the very last assignment I will be doing for this comic class. It feels like an end of an era. I love (loved?) this class. I love comics but this class really informed me on a lot of things about comics that I had no idea existed – Comics Code, underground comics, Dr. Delwiche’s obsession with tablets, independent comics and just a greater appreciation for the stuff that I did already know about. I normally read a bunch of novels during breaks – never enough time during school – but, this time, I have a huge pile of comics that I look forward to getting through this winter break (I just finished Sweet Tooth by Jeff Lemire last night)!
Comics Class 