Shadow Of The Torturer
 

I used to read this sci fi series by Gene Wolfe, first one being "Shadow Of The Torturer". Good read. The protagonist, Severin, was an expelled apprentice in the Guild of Torturers, who all wore cloaks of this material called "fuligin", which was described as "blacker than black".

I've always wondered what fuligin would be like and if it could exist, and now NASA has found it.

There is a bizarre planet out there that reflects <1% of light. It is, in fact, blacker than any black we know. NASA scientists are puzzled about what this planet is made of, but I know.

http://news.discovery.com/space/black-exoplanet-kepler-110811.html