Way back in 1970, a new character appeared in a back up story in the Superman’s Girlfriend: Lois Lane comic- well, two new characters if you want to get specific- Rose and the Thorn. As the story was told then, Rose Forrest was a young woman who’s father- a police detective’s murder at the hands of a gang called the 100. Rose, non-violent by nature, found herself unable to do anything to avenge the death of her father. As a result, her mind fractured, creating a whole new personality: Thorn. Thorn emerged when Rose was asleep, and took up the mantle of a costumed crime fighter whose goal was the fall of the hundred.

For many of you, there should have been no doubt in your mind that I would eventually get to this new title here. I have made it pretty plain over the last year that Gail Simone is on a very short list of writers who I will read no matter what kind of book they put out. Though Rose and Thorn is quite different than anything she has written in the past, she continues to demonstrate her skill in weaving a story. The fact that she can jump from the wacky humor of Agent X and Deadpool to “kid’s stuff” in Gus Beezer, then on to something as dark and twisted as this makes me respect her all the more.

This new version, Rose and Thorn, is a much more down to earth and gritty than its Silver Age counterpart. So much so, that I wondered why it is not a Vertigo title. Sure. it takes place in Metropolis, and yes, it roughly based on a DC-Universe character, but so far Vertigo seems a better fit. Its quality of storytelling and style of art would fit very well among the titles there, and so far no current mainstream DC Universe characters have made an appearance. Perhaps that will change as time goes on.

Cast of Characters

Rhosyn Forrest was the daughter of a police detective who was brutally murdered, along with her mother, by a gang called the 100 when she was a child. The resulting temporary insanity (and an attempted homicide) landed her in Siamare Youth Care Facility, an asylum in Metropolis. As in the real world, very little in the way of productive therapy took place, and Rhosyn was prone to violent outbursts with a fascination for sharp objects.

Dr. Warren Chritlow is an experimental psychologist who took Rhosyn under his wing to test a new radical therapy he was developing. He trained her to take all of the violent impulses she felt and lock them away into a corner of her subconscious, and keep them there where they could not surface. The result was a fracturing of Rhosyn’s mind into two distinct personalities – Rose and Thorn.

Rose is generally the dominant personality, the one of the pair who has the ability to control and restrain the subordinate Thorn. Rose is a completely passive individual, unable to react violently to any situation. This makes her a classic victim, unable to defend herself under any circumstances. This was the price of her release from the asylum, and she could not be happier with the result.

Her counterpart, Thorn, began as a chaotic jumble of violent obsessions and tendencies, which Rose managed to completely lock away. Over time, Thorn matured along with Rose, becoming a more stable personality. Once unpredictable and irrational, Thorn developed into a more sound “person,” less apt to lash out in an unfocused manner. She remains violent and homicidal, but will kill randomly. Though she is almost completely trapped in Rose’s subconscious, in times of great stress she has proven that she can escape when need be.

Now that Rose is out of the asylum, Thorn has made it her goal to avenger the death of her parents. To accomplish that, she will have to hunt down and confront the 100.

Thoughts

Rose and Thorn is everything Epic should have been, and everything Marvel’s Ultimate Universe could be. On one hand, one of the most exciting things about Epic was its potential to re-introduce obscure characters back into the Marvel Universe with a more modern edge. On the other, the point of the Ultimate Universe is to retell the origins of decades old characters with a modern twist. DC has taken both of these goals to heart with this series, and Simone has taken the concepts and ran with them, making a truly unique title in the process.

The uninformed may look at this title as a blatant rip-off of the similar Daredevil character, Typhoid Mary. However, Typhoid first appeared nearly twenty years prior for the first time in Daredevil #254. One wonders if this obscure heroine at all inspired Ann Nocenti, as the characters have very similar foundations.

One quite radical difference between Typhoid Mary and Rose and the Thorn was the fact that Typhoid was very much the villain in the story, first becoming an assassin for the Kingpin. Though Rose Forrest was clearly suffering from a severe psychological condition, she was still very much a hero in the spirit of the time.

Today, with Gail Simone at the helm, the two characters are closer to one another, yet still miles apart. While Typhoid, the dominate of three personalities, is a bloodthirsty killer, Thorn is a calculated one, intent only on protecting Rose, and exacting revenge on the 100 for the loss of her parents. While Typhoid remains in control once she has surfaced, Rose continues to be the dominant personality once Thorn has taken control, and is eventually able to reel her back into the subconscious. Thorn is only able to surface in times of great stress, when Rose is unable to cope with the situation at hand. To this point, anyway.

In the end, Typhoid Mary remains very much a villain at heart, while the modern Rose and Thorn is more of a conflicted individual, on one hand pure and innocent, and on the other, a violent obsessive/compulsive that is less villain and more tragic antihero. In many ways, Rose and Thorn is by far the more complex and fascinating character of the two.

The art and presentation do a lot to make this story more tangible. The evolution of the “room” Rose keeps Thorn locked away in is particularly fascinating. It clearly develops as Rose matures, and it provided a very effective metaphor for the struggle Thorn endures when she tries to break free. There is also clear definition between the styles Adriana Melo uses between the real, outside world, and the place Rose has created in her mind. It makes the dialogue between the two much easier to understand when they are bouncing back and forth between two places nothing at all alike.

Bottom Line

This is only a six issue min-series, but that does not mean the character could not pop up again in the DC universe. One drawback of this is that Gail has a pretty distict style of writing that kind of “brands” a character, which makes her a tough act to follow. The writer who followed her on Agent X could not pull it off, and though there are no plans for a creative change on Birds of Prey anytime soon, you could almost envision a rough transition on that book as well if the right writer isn’t selected to follow her. This may not be a problem, however, as Simone has an exclusive contract with DC at this point, and judging by the work she is doing for them so far, I doubt they will be looking to let that contract lapse any time soon. In any case, if this title does well, you can bet that a second mini could be considered in the future.

Rose and Thorn issues #1 and #2 are already available- issue #3 is set to be released on February 18th. It should not be too difficult to scrounge up the first to issues to get up to speed- I highly recommend it. This mini series would make an ideal trade paperback, but that is never a certainty, so I would not simply wait- this book is too good a read anyway!

Credit Where Credit is Due –

Rose and Thorn is
Written by Gail Simone,
Pencilled by Adriana Melo,
Inked by Dan Green,
Colored by Alex Bleyrert,
and Lettered by Jared Fletcher.

Well, I have dropped a few hints about an “upcoming contest” over the last few weeks. I don’t know how many of you were really pacing in anticipation over what I could mean- but trust me, you should have been! The wait will be over next week, as I announce the “contest” to celebrate my first year writing Still on the Shelf. I have some really awesome prizes lined up for the winners (trust me, they really are), so please be sure to check back next week for ALL of the details, and how to enter! Thanks for reading, and see you next Monday!

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