Rose & Thorn One-Shot

Rose & Thorn 
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Neil Googe
Cover: Ryan Sook
DC Comics


I knew I was going to buy this comic as soon as I flipped through the first four pages.  The first page shows four solid panels: a star with streamers, green shapes, flowing red hair, and a mouth screaming.  It looks like something out of Sailor Moon.  Then, she wakes up in an incredibly pink, preppy room full of stuffed animals (Wonder Woman stuffie!), books, and pictures.  I was initially skeptical, to say the least.  But then, she throws off her blankets and discovers that her stomach and hands are covered in blood!

I was hooked.

 This comic is a page-turner.  It's tightly-written and drives you on to the next page and the next to find out what on earth is going on.  I was honestly disappointed to get to the last page and realize (again) that this is only a one-shot.  Christian was telling me that DC may turn it into a series depending on sales.  Here's hoping!

However, I'm not a fan of the art.  It has its moments; some panels look like they're right out of Joe Hill's Locke and Key, illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez.  Unfortunately, in other panels, their lips are bizarrely shaped and their square jaws make the girls look like men with long hair.  There are also a few hints of manga, like the over-exaggerated screaming and smiling mouths. 

I did expect Thorn to dress a lot differently from Rose, rather than just emphasizing the slutty school girl look.  That's really my only problem with this issue: Thorn uses her sexuality to get what she wants and she uses her sexuality just for the sake of proving she's a "bad" girl.  Granted, she is a villain in the original series, but why couldn't she have a real power (like the original) rather than just being sexy?  It just seems to perpetuate the idea that there is a bad girl inside every goody-two-shoes who wears a uniform to her prep school.

Still, I would be very curious to see how this would turn out in a series.  It could be really great, especially if Thorn does have a power, or if Rose does.  I'd like to see how Rose handles her other personality and whether she takes steps to restrain her, or disguise her, or if she just lets it ride.

I'd say, pick it up if you're curious!