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arkham's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Gorgeous art. Hard to follow without previous understanding of the character and universe
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
'Supreme: Blue Rose' by Warren Ellis and art by Tula Lotay collects the first 7 issues of the character reboot of the Image Comics character Supreme. I'm familiar with this character, and this, at least so far, is a pretty drastic departure.
This is a high concept SF story about undulating timelines. There are some recurring characters or different versions of those characters. It's hard to stay locked on to the story, but I think it's worth it. The character trying to figure out what is going on is Diana Dane, a reported hired to find out what happened to a town called Littlehaven and who or what is "Supreme." That she's hired by Darius Dax (and told at numerous times not to trust him) is ominous. Also ominous are the strange resets that time seems to take. The blue roses in the title refer to a pattern in background radiation which seems to deal with the timestream. Just to keep you further off your feet, there is a television series in the book called Professor Night that keeps showing up with what looks like ads, but might actually be clues.
Supreme has had an odd history, so having a book about multiple timestreams that reset themselves seems to be an interesting way to kind of reconcile Supreme's past. I really liked the artwork in this book and Warren Ellis' writing is topnotch. It's a strange series, but I quite liked it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
This is a high concept SF story about undulating timelines. There are some recurring characters or different versions of those characters. It's hard to stay locked on to the story, but I think it's worth it. The character trying to figure out what is going on is Diana Dane, a reported hired to find out what happened to a town called Littlehaven and who or what is "Supreme." That she's hired by Darius Dax (and told at numerous times not to trust him) is ominous. Also ominous are the strange resets that time seems to take. The blue roses in the title refer to a pattern in background radiation which seems to deal with the timestream. Just to keep you further off your feet, there is a television series in the book called Professor Night that keeps showing up with what looks like ads, but might actually be clues.
Supreme has had an odd history, so having a book about multiple timestreams that reset themselves seems to be an interesting way to kind of reconcile Supreme's past. I really liked the artwork in this book and Warren Ellis' writing is topnotch. It's a strange series, but I quite liked it.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Image Comics, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
abookabookabook's review against another edition
3.0
A literal reboot.
Not knowing much about Supreme may have tainted my reading of this. I may come back to it later. The art was fantastic.
Not knowing much about Supreme may have tainted my reading of this. I may come back to it later. The art was fantastic.
agar312's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
soph97's review against another edition
3.0
Beautiful and compelling, but confusing. If you're looking for answers do not look here.
adru's review against another edition
Ilu oli siin palju ja mitte ainult tegelaste nägudes, suur lugu oli segane kyll, aga yksikud seigad olid omaette terviklikud ja lõpuks sai neist suur lugu ka kokku ja milline rõõm, et nähtavasti saab siis ka skifikoomiksis yhe raamatu jooksul kogu loo ära rääkida.
lizardgoats's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to be 100% honest here: I don't know what to make of this graphic novel. I read it. I enjoyed it. Do I have any idea what it was about or what happened in it? NOPE.
Why not?
This is where my honest uncertainty comes into play. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The illustrations were amazing and the storyline was engaging. And I'm pretty sure it had something to do with time travel.
I'm just going to say it: I need to read this again. It stuck with me. It confused the dickens out of me, too. Time travel (but also not quite?) is one of those sci-fi topics that I just love, but also loathe, because it can be so easy to lose your way plot-wise. What's happening now? When is now? Can time both exist and not exist?
Also, just going to put it our there, I'm not good with time. I have an awful perception of it, can't keep track of it, and if it's anything other than an analog watch, I can't read it for the life of me. Maybe that's why I'm so intrigued by it? The wanting to understand, but feeling like I just don't.
I dunno. Let's not get philosophical about this.
Instead, let me tell you a little story about how I bought this graphic novel. I was on a little trip to visit a friend and was browsing through the local bookstore there. This was once my old bookstore and it was a fun trip down memory lane. Anyhow, I found the single issues of "Supreme: Blue Rose" there and was immediately pulled into the story.
Only I was reading issue #2 and not all of them were available. Which was a bummer, considering they were on sale for a dollar each. So I did the only sane option open to me: I called my local comic book store and ordered the bound copy. Yeah, it cost more, and I'd have to wait until I got home to read it, but I prefer bound copies for my library and I'll always be a proponent of shopping local whenever possible.
So that's a fun story.
But the story in "Supreme: Blue Rose" is good as well. I loved the characters and the fluid way time moved throughout the story. And there's even a quote or two that has stuck with me, that I can't get out of my head.
So I definitely need to re-read this graphic novel. Maybe dig around and see if there are any more by this author, in this world. Read it, love it, not understand it again.
Why not?
This is where my honest uncertainty comes into play. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. The illustrations were amazing and the storyline was engaging. And I'm pretty sure it had something to do with time travel.
I'm just going to say it: I need to read this again. It stuck with me. It confused the dickens out of me, too. Time travel (but also not quite?) is one of those sci-fi topics that I just love, but also loathe, because it can be so easy to lose your way plot-wise. What's happening now? When is now? Can time both exist and not exist?
Also, just going to put it our there, I'm not good with time. I have an awful perception of it, can't keep track of it, and if it's anything other than an analog watch, I can't read it for the life of me. Maybe that's why I'm so intrigued by it? The wanting to understand, but feeling like I just don't.
I dunno. Let's not get philosophical about this.
Instead, let me tell you a little story about how I bought this graphic novel. I was on a little trip to visit a friend and was browsing through the local bookstore there. This was once my old bookstore and it was a fun trip down memory lane. Anyhow, I found the single issues of "Supreme: Blue Rose" there and was immediately pulled into the story.
Only I was reading issue #2 and not all of them were available. Which was a bummer, considering they were on sale for a dollar each. So I did the only sane option open to me: I called my local comic book store and ordered the bound copy. Yeah, it cost more, and I'd have to wait until I got home to read it, but I prefer bound copies for my library and I'll always be a proponent of shopping local whenever possible.
So that's a fun story.
But the story in "Supreme: Blue Rose" is good as well. I loved the characters and the fluid way time moved throughout the story. And there's even a quote or two that has stuck with me, that I can't get out of my head.
So I definitely need to re-read this graphic novel. Maybe dig around and see if there are any more by this author, in this world. Read it, love it, not understand it again.
iffer's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars, most of which are for Tula Lotay's fantastic art, which is a cross between pop-art style comics and fashion design in a way that's evocatively atmospheric. While Tula Lotay's ethereal art is a good fit for a trippy title like Supreme: Blue Rose, especially with the inclusion of recurring motifs, the story was Warren Ellis when he's annoyingly esoteric. For the most part, the story is weird and just doesn't make sense, and is sprinkled with a couple of pseudo-intellectual ideas. At the end, I kind of knew what the heck was supposed to be going on, but it wasn't satisfying. Then again, maybe this just describes Warren Ellis when he's not good.
I wouldn't recommend this for the story, and I'm not inclined to read any more. I am, however, inclined to flip through the issues to see more of Lotay's art.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free digital eARC.
I wouldn't recommend this for the story, and I'm not inclined to read any more. I am, however, inclined to flip through the issues to see more of Lotay's art.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free digital eARC.
ericawrites's review against another edition
3.0
The story was a bit messy and the ending flopped for me. But Tula Lotay's art is some of the most beautiful in the comic book industry.