Supreme Blue Rose #1 Review
Publisher: Image
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Tula Lotay
Lettering: Richard Starkings
Designer: John Roshell
Review by: Josh Gillam
Supreme Blue Rose is a comic that is full of mysteries and packed with some of the most gorgeous and unique artwork that I’ve seen. Warren Ellis and Tula Lotay create a fascinating world that will suck you in and leave you mystified.
Supreme Blue Rose follows the lead character, Diana Dane. It’s a name that you’d almost expect to be attached to a crime fighter, which is a joke that even made later in the book. The book starts with a dream sequence where Diana is warned not to trust someone. Diana Dane is a unemployed reporter that isn’t having any luck finding work. As the money in her bank dwindles and her desperation increases, she accepts the invitation from a man named Darius Dax. Darius offers Diana a large sum of money to investigate a what was believed to be a plane crash that happened a few months ago. However, there is more mystery surrounding the incident, and that is part of the hook.
Supreme Blue Rose is one of those opportunities to pick up a story that is a Warren Ellis original. We all know the man can write, but it’s a real treat when you get to read something that he created from scratch. Supreme Blue Rose doesn’t disappoint on any level with the writing. Warren Ellis adds in multiple layers of mystery that keeps the reader engaged in the story. He definitely will get you invested enough to want to read the next issue. There’s so much that you want to know, but as it’s supposed to be a mystery, you don’t get those answers up front and have to wait. There’s plenty in this story to keep you interested, and as the series continues it will just grow from there.
How can I describe the artwork for Supreme Blue Rose? It’s what Heaven would look like while you were tripping on acid. Tula Lotay’s artwork in this book is absolutely stunning. It’s some of the most unique work I’ve ever seen in a comic and I’m happy to see someone try something outside the norm. Throughout the book there is a static like effect that goes through all of the panels that adds this element of distance. Almost as if you were monitoring Diana’s life in a secret on a TV screen.
Another interesting artistic touch is a man that shows up briefly towards the end of the book whose face is distorted, it looks like a toddler drew all over it, and he says that it’s just a birth defect. That’s an example of how well the writing of Warren Ellis and artwork of Tula Lotay work together. Tula Lotay does such a great job of bringing this story to life that I can’t imagine another art style doing it justice.
Supreme Blue Rose is a mysterious and unique story that shows us more of the potential that comic books can have. Warren Ellis and Tula Lotay compliment each other incredibly well and have given us the start of something beautiful.
Story: 5/5
Artwork: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
Josh Gillam is a contributing writer for Drunk on Comics and the creator of the webcomic Cynical Stew. You can follow him on Twitter at @Cynical_Stew.