Supreme Blue Rose

 

TITLE-Supreme Blue Rose

PUBLISHER-Image

Supreme is an oddity when it comes to 90s boom creations. Sure he got 40+ issues before Alan Moore took over and revamped the title into a critical success. I read maybe the first 3 issues of that run. Skipped the Moore run. Then  finally in 2009 or 2010 thanks to Inter Library Loan I got the two TPBs from Checker Books that reprinted all of Moore's Supreme run. 

I was surprised at how good it was. Having read most of Moore's previous work at Image,and only really enjoying 1963,Supreme was a love letter to Silver Age Superman. And  much better one that the IMO Highly over rated All Star Superman.

Thanks to no one wanting them and their reputation of being total crap,plus the early stuff having huge print runs,over the course of about 5 years I managed to get a full run of the pre Moore Supreme.

It was not long after finishing that run that I saw the solicits for the Supreme Blue Rose mini series. My plan at the tiime was to just get scans of each issue. Then  grab the TPB once that was out. Got the scans read and loved it. Then  forgot to grab the TPB until sometime in summer of 2023.

Written by Warren  Ellis and with amazing art from Tula Lotay. And that art. Pastels and this chalk or crayon like texture to most of the colors. The art fits the odd nature of the story.

An out of work reporter is hired to find out about a plane crash in Littlehaven. Hired by a man with the same name as Supreme's lead villain,a Lex Luthor like mad scientist.

Using the Supremacy idea that Alan Moore created(The Supremacy is a pocket dimension where all the previous versions of Supreme live.) Warren Ellis creates a story that reads like David Lynch and Jordorosky teamed up. And Vince Mcmahon/Hulk Hogan No Holds Barred style spent a weekend in a  hotel with a typewriter and possibly some chemical help and created this insane story.

A story that not only keeps all the previous Supreme stuff in cannon but adds to the concepts Alan Moore came up with in the other Extreme/Awesome comics he wrote.

Being only 7 issues, and having not read it since it was coming out monthly,I had forgotten how unlike most modern comics this isn't a fast read. Even with more than a few pages that are either double page splashes,that look amazing. Or sometimes 3 or 4 pages of no dialogue,just gorgeous art that tells the story.

From what I can see as of writing this is the newest Supreme stuff. One good thing about how Warren Ellis wraps up this mini is the next creative team can take what happens here and build on it. Or just ignore it and either way works.

Now I am not sure how well this reads to anyone that at least doesnt know the basics about Alan Moore's Supreme run. This re-read,which I did in  a doctor's waiting room one cold rainy day,I noticed how much stuff from the pre Moore run is referenced.

Looked and unless you just gotta have the issues it is much much cheaper and easier to order this as a TPB.

Supreme Blue Rose gets a B+.

2016 Comic Challenge 128 Supreme #06

 TITLE-Supreme #06
PUBLISHER-Image/Extreme Comics

Yeah been a while since I read more of Liefeld's anti social version of Superman.

Last issue left us off with Supreme fighting Khrome near DC. Quickly Supreme realizes his punches are not effecting Khrome and uses his super vision and hearing to detect an energy signal. Seems Khrome is boosting his abilities using some kind of power source that happens to be in his ship. Supreme flies up destroys the ship. And comes back and traps Khrome in a wacky science fictiony gadget thingy.

Liefeld gets credit for story.Brian Murray gets credit for Pencils,story,script and colors. And Chris Ivy get Inks credit. The art looks like the last few issues so that is good. I kind of doubt Liefeld had more to do with this than saying "yeah Supreme figures out how to beat Khrome."

The fight between Supreme and who we are told is his arch-nemesis is kind of boring and flat. Only two things stand out from this issue.

Since Thor is public domain,Liefeld created his own version. Who looks like a Liefeld character but armed with a huge hammer. And the hammer IIRC hangs around for much longer than Thor does.

Look at the extreme gore in the page above. This is from right after Supreme defeats Khrome.I just double checked and this issue has no Comic Code Authority seal on the cover. I couldn't remember if Image bothered at all with the CCA.Thinking they might have at the beginning when you were finding Image stuff on newstands and in grocery stores. But nope. And really I doubt if even in 1993 if the CCA would have approved the above page.

Supreme #06 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 062 Supreme #05

TITLE-Supreme #05
PUBLISHER-Marvel

Well once again we got Liefeld listed for story,then Brian Murray listed for pencils,story,script and colors. Chris Ivy returns on the inks. I have heard that besides Liefeld giving 2 or 3 pages of story ideas Brian Murray did most of the writing on the early Supreme stuff.

The fight from last issue continues. Most of Heavy Mettle is either half dead or so damaged they can't do anything. Khrome starts a reaction that might destroy the world. And Supreme and Skyracker are prepared to sacrifice themselves to prevent this.

Wow this was just bad. The art looked dark and muddy. The story read way fast. Like I doubt it took me more than 5 minutes to read this comic.

Supreme #05 gets a pass.

2016 Comic Challenge 061 Supreme #04

TITLE-Supreme #04
PUBLISHER-Image

This issue we got Liefeld credited for plot. And then Brian Murray credited for pencils,co-plotting,script and colors. And finally Chris Ivy on inks.Oh wait Editor Eric Stephenson gets credited for script assists. So that means 3 people possibly writing this issue. Yeah I get the feeling I am in for some bad writing.

Supreme is heading to outer space. To confront Khrome. From various things said in the past 3 issues I have been lead to believe Khrome is Supreme's arch villain. His Darkseid/Lex Luthor/Joker.

But seems Khrome is on the Earth and Supreme waste a bunch of time and effort fighting a clone of Khrome.Heavy Mettle,yeah there was a group named that it was the early 90s,try to fight Khrome. But he decimates them. And then Supreme heads back to Earth after realizing he was fooled.

All the bad parts of early 90s comics is here. SO MANY DOUBLE PAGE SPREADS. Wonky anatomy,horrible names for the heroes and villains. And some especially bad dialogue. But I still enjoyed it. Sometimes I want a comic that doesn't require me to think much if at all. And Supreme #04 filled that need.

Supreme #04 gets a Buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 012 Supreme #3

TITLE-Supreme#03
PUBLISHER-Image

Supreme is now leader of Heavy Mettle. Hostage situation. Bloodstrike,remember Feel the Blood on issue #1?,are also brought in for what seems to be crowd control.

Supreme uses his eye power beams to microwave some bad guys head. And generally the art this time is Liefeld clone good.

I am actually kind of liking this series. Over the course of about 5 cons I built a set of whatever wasn't out in trades.Most of the issues costing me at most 50 cents.

I don't know or understand why.But I enjoy seeing Rob Liefeld being not only the Stan Lee  but also the Jack Kirby of his corner of the Image Universe. So who does that make Ditko and Heck? Chap Yaep and Mayrat Michaels?

Supreme #03 gets a buy,but don't pay more than a buck. Really try to find this for under 50 cents and know going in you are getting Liefeld's 3rd rate versions of silver age DC and Marvel characters.

2016 Comic Challenge 009 Supreme #2

TITLE-Supreme #2
PUBLISHER-Image

Once again Rob Liefeld is writing and Brian Murray is handling the art chores. Like with lots of the early Image stuff there is a 2 page spread to show the reader how vast and connected the titles of Image are.

Supreme goes to visit his arch villain Grizloc.Who is currently in jail.Grizloc keeps on taunting Supreme. Which just causes Supreme to try to kill Grizloc. Sadly he is stopped by the superhero team Heavy Mettle. And the rest of the issue is a big brawl between Supreme and Heavy Mettle.

Like lots of the early Image stuff there is way too many single and double page splashes. And this time the art has this weird muted colors thing going on.

And while I know the first issue had the highest print run of any issue of Supreme,issue 2 is the one I am always finding copies of. Since 1997 any time I have looked in the cheap bins,be it in a comic shop or at a con,I always seen piles of copies of Supreme #2.

Because of the muted colors and the very little story development in this issue,Supreme #2 gets a borrow.

2016 Comic Challenge 007 Supreme #1

TITLE-Supreme #1
PUBLISHER-Image

In fall of 92 Supreme started. Written by both Rob Liefeld and Brian Murray and with Murray doing the pencils and Liefeld doing the inks.

When it was coming out I grabbed the first 3 issues. Read them and that was it.While I did enjoy the series at the time I wasn't able to get to a comic shop that often,so I pretty much stopped reading most comics.

The premise is what if Superman was an asshole. Yeah that is pretty much the basic plot. Supreme is all powerful like Superman. But decades ago he left the Earth. And in this issue finally returns. And he is a total dick.

It wasn't until about 5 years ago that I started re-reading Supreme. I had just read most of the acclaimed Alan Moore run on the title. And wanted to see how bad the  pre-Moore stuff was. Cause every review I saw called this the worst of the Liefeld created early Image stuff. Between my local con and the late Torpedo online comic shop I managed to get an almost complete pre-Moore run for around 25 cents an issue.

Having now read the entire series it is kind of obvious that Liefeld was heavily influenced by Moore and Gaiman's runs on Miracleman.And that is what the pre-Moore issues of Supreme are. Miracleman for a younger audience.

Really the only bad parts of this comic are the same ones that were plaguing most of the early Image stuff. IE way too many single and double page splashes. And back up stories that have nothing to do with the main story. They mostly fill like they are there to fill up space.

Supreme #1 gets a buy.

2016 Comic Challenge 006 Supreme #0

TITLE-Supreme #0
PUBLISHER-Image

From the summer of 1995 here is Supreme issue zero.Even though it actually takes place between issues 30 and 31 of Supreme. Which means unlike most other zero issues,this one doesn't happen before the first issue of the series. So why is this issue zero instead of say issue 31? I am not really sure. Normally zero issues tell the past and/or the origin of the lead hero. And Supreme #0 does do both.

Written by Eric Stephenson with Todd Nauck doing the pencils and Norm Rapmond and 2 others handling the inking duties. All contained within a cover done by both Stephen Platt and Rob Liefeld.

In the issue we have the current Supreme being taken to an abandoned Army base. Where he is told the origin of Supreme as the general public knows it. Plus the real origin of Supreme. And while most people will tell you that Supreme wasn't worth reading until around issue 41,when Alan Moore took over writing it,for me the stuff before the Moore run is worth reading. Because of how oddball and out there the ideas are.

Supreme #0 gets a buy.