Rose and Thorn is a pretty obscure Superman villain. Well, technically Thorn is the villainous alter ego of Rose, and when I first saw her on the cover of a Superman comic, I thought she was a discount Poison Ivy. Fun fact, she actually appeared first. Obviously didn’t get as popular but still.

However, when I saw on wiki that Gail Simone wrote a mini-series for the character, and I had enjoyed her work on Birds of Prey, I decided to check it out.

She starts off strong by introducing us to Rosalyn Forrest being restrained by four guards as she threatens to kill them all.

She’s been in a psychiatric ward since she was 12, and witnessed her parents’ murder. Apparently, the trauma developed into a multiple personality disorder with the violent Thorn taking hold of her most of the time. But there is hope when the avant-garde psychiatrist offers a new psychological treatment that will help her manage her Thorn personality, so she might have a normal life.

Like any experimental treatment, the cracks in the cure begin to show up quickly. But Rosalyn denies the violent outbursts because she doesn’t want to go back. Thorn still lurks in the locked parts of her mind, waiting for her chance to permanently take over and take revenge on the mob that killed her family.

I’ll admit, most of the content gave me strong V.C. Andrews vibes with the well-meaning yet narcissistic Dr. Chitlow. The unstable roommate that try to kill her. Sleazy men looking to take advantage of the vulnerable, mentally unwell girl only to meet a scythe to the head. That saying, it’s the over the top gothic drama that makes it such a compelling read. The luridness keeps piling on and you feel for Rose who has no allies on her corner.

Sure, there’s her Uncle Curtis and the detective assigned to her parents’ murder case, but they don’t know the depths of her mental illness and don’t take much of an active role in role in her life. Like they’ll help when she calls, but they could have prevented some of the events if they had visited Rose more.

Then again, they have their own shady secrets, and Rose’s co-dependent crush on the detective is a soap opera on its own. He doesn’t want to lead her on, so Thorn tries to kill him when he rejects her.

And despite the near murder, they do get together in the end which feels unethical and moreover, unsafe for him. Hey, his funeral.

Despite the soap opera plotlines, Simone retains some heartfelt emotion centered around Rosalyn like her seeing the Thorn personality as a curse, but also coming to accept her presence in her life and able to find a common ground with her alter personality.

She finds a moment of compassion for Ashleigh, her arsonist roommate that tries to kill her and is ultimately able to talk her down. It’s a story about a girl coming to accept her trauma and maybe even find a way to depend on herself.

Plus there are quite a few twists like the reason why Rosalyn was sent to the psych ward (no, it’s not for the Jekyll and Hyde personalities. That spawned during her stay), her hunt for the crime family known as the 100 and her Uncle Curtis’ sins.

As with any superhero comic, there is plenty of action and blood. I mentioned that it gets lurid. I believe this cover is the best demonstration of that with the bright colors juxtaposed with the visceral creepiness and violence Thorn wrecks and Rosalyn feels helpless to stop, trapped in her own mind. There’s a sense of chaotic confusion that allow readers to feel like they’re also trapped in Rosalyn’s unstable mind and insane surroundings.

I’d be remissed to mention the sex that is also dripping from the pages. As mentioned Thorn has a crush on the detective and does try to seduce him to bed. But there’s more. Melo’s work is very pointed toward the male gaze.

When Ashleigh is trying to burn Rosalyn, the gasoline dripping over her exposed calf seems more like she is being sexily oiled up. Her shirt burns off, leaving her in just her bra and panties, you get the idea. Her body twists to show off her busts and butt as she she scrambles for her life, it feels predatory almost since Rosalyn is in such a vulnerable position throughout.

Not that Thorn is much better as she’s a male gaze, domintrix-murderess fantasy (see above). Maybe it’s because I’m a woman but I don’t get the appeal. All I can think is her chest must hurt her back and her bikini must be cutting off circulation, so that took me out of the story.

Of course, one can argue the sex combined with the violence is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable. All of the story deals with being on the edge of sanity, and there are no rules or norms to follow in this situation and the art reflects that.

Then again, Rosalyn supposedly turned 18 in this story yet she looks like she’s in her late 20s. I don’t know if that makes it better or worse.

Art aside, Simone’s work is strong as usual, depicting a gritty, psychological revenge tale. A combination of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jekyll and Hyde and Kill Bill which I guess means it’s not too original but it’s one entertaining ride.