When all hope seems lost … this is when truest heroes are born.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Meredith Finch
Artwork: Ig Guara
Colors: Triona Farrell
Letters: Cardinal Rae
What They Say:
It all comes down to this! The future of Ttereve hangs in the balance. Don’t miss the epic final showdown between noble Guardian and evil queen.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
As the heated battle within the depths of Venta Belgarum continued between Drucilla and Dante, a lone spectator does not care for the outcome, instead Rose is grieving over her fallen khat companion, his life slowly ebbing from a limp form. She does not pay attention to the countless insults the two combatants hurl at each other, all her concern lies with how she can help this quickly fading feline, the one friend who she may be able to save. And yet as all of this morose sentimentality and unfettered anger emanates from the bowels of Ttereve, Prince Felix himself is consumed within an epic conflict of his own versus one of the minions who have plagued his sister, a servant of Balor. Even as it strives to tempt the determined sibling into joining their endeavor to create a new kingdom, the struggle to save another becomes ever more dangerous as Rose is increasingly desperate to rescue Thorne from the death itself. With newly found courage to deliver her protector from the cruelest fate of all, this Guardian will do anything to rescue her partner … even treading upon the forbidden.
However as the young girl grapples with this moral dilemma of attempting such a questionable act, the ones before her shamble from a place called the Chamber of the Fallen in an effort stop this current savior from committing the singular deed one must never undertake – bringing back the dead. While Rose is shocked to see rivals who served Drucilla now approach with no ill intent, their next statement is even more alarming … does she wishes to present Thorne with the same curse as they now are forced to serve, one of living without living and death without rest. It is now they reveal the truth of how the khat became lost on this path after taking the life of an innocent, and how he used the last of his essence to summon them from their fevered state in order to explain his wishes. If she truly loves Thorne so much as to sacrifice her own existence, would he want his Guardian to suffer the same destiny as the one she now witnesses with a tainted heart, the Queen of Ttereve? Which is the right choice … and is it worth the cost of losing a dear friend?
In Summary:
It has been almost two years since this fantastic adventure began and after seventeen thought provoking issues, one cannot but reflect upon the journey of Rose and how an amazing writer such as Meredith Finch brought us this introspective series, all as we contemplate the depth of this journey from innocence to emotional maturity. I still recall the first time we read of this young girl’s simple life: living happily in a remote hamlet with her mother, carelessly exploring her strange powers on her birthday against her parent’s warnings and then the unthinkable … the end of her joyful existence and thrust into the chaos of knowing. Drucilla, the tyrannical queen of Ttereve who outlawed all magic via threat of cleansing, and now this naive waif is caught up in the rebellion to stand up against the anarchy of this violence. You cannot but feel tinges of pain and regret as she tries to rush back into the pyre which was her village, to see her weep over the ebbing life of her mother as she told her to run, only to run into the ones would help the most – Ila, Will and the rebellion. This ragtag group seemed to fight more amongst themselves than accomplish anything, and yet it through them which Rose learns of her destiny to stand for the defenseless and become the Guardian which she was always meant to become.
Almost as if to reinforce this unwanted path Rose is pushed toward the Fallen, former Guardians who Dru murdered and turned for her own means, now serving the personification they were sworn to fight, all against their own will. And if that wasn’t bad enough this choice is further compressed due to the interference of Dante, the monstrous mammoth of a man and the queen’s most loyal servant, only to be betrayed by the woman he loved and would later become Rose’s most faithful protector due to an act of kindness. Finally the last of his kind, Thorne is a feline companion who has been imprisoned after the original Guardians were turned, a khat who seeks his partner only to be confronted by Simon, leaving for an uncertain girl to stand between these two masses of hulking muscle. All of these roadblocks have carefully molded this protector’s path, shaping her from a naive child who carelessly toyed with her magic into a young woman who is still hesitant to choose what is correct for all the proper reasons. However it is these excursions which allow the reader to understand life isn’t always straight forward, it produces bumps in the road which we either have to avoid or roll over hoping for the best. It is these choices which make Rose a relatable character, someone who we cannot but cheer for or shake our head in disappointment when we know she has made the wrong decision, but always understanding it is by these mistakes which make her either a stronger or weaker person.
However as we now reach the end of her monumental odyssey, we still can see Rose has not matured into the person which one would expect to protect Ttereve, a young lady who could shoulder the burden of protecting others without herself needy of guidance on how to do so effectively. It was from this perspective by which I wished our naive heroine could have showed more development, her emotional insecurities shed by the wayside and allowed her to mature into someone which one could admire, and yet Finch took the opposing side of this evolution by keeping Rose too dependent upon others. After the death of her mother and burning of the village, she looked to Ila as a grandmotherly figure in her vulnerable state to come to terms with the event and learn more about her destiny as the Guardian, but always rejected this fact so as to stay protected from responsibility; while this moment is believable since she was still emotionally raw, it is this tendency to grant her whims of not wanting to do something painful or frightening which kept her growth stunted until the very end. This propensity was further reinforced by Dante and Thorne always guarding her from the horrors of Dru’s Fallen and those who would do her harm, and while it is understandable for these two wanting to keep her safe, they never suggested she to step out from behind their shadows without some urging or an event which caused Rose to want to do so, thus giving her the stereotypical Damsel in Distress persona which was augmented her frail reactions. To see someone who was expected to stand up to this tyrant accept cowardice as the norm was tiresome at times, especially with the title being named after her, so you would think Rose would become more forthright in wanting to fight for what she believed in, especially when Thorne was taken away by Drucilla, but as she tried to urge her friends to rescue the khat she was still too frightened to vehemently voice her case and was overruled by those with more strength of will, only leading to her being kidnapped due to they fighting amongst themselves.
This leads to one of the most generalized moments of the title – Rose waiting to be rescued by Dante and never trying to help herself. And while the reader can accept this weakness due to companions sheltering her growth in resolve plus Dru and her minions on constant guard, this event also served as reinforcement for the Guardian to wallow in self pity, which one would never want from a hero. To see this young girl revert back to being weak may have stirred empathy for the story, but at the same time, it also reverses any progress she may have had in making herself strong by fighting for release instead of accepting her supposed death sentence. Although the queen may be a formidable woman and someone whose rage could quell any rejection, it still does not mean her prisoner could not at least attempt some weak resistance, thus making the series’ conclusion all the more in character as a follower by having Rose fighting to save Thorne by any means necessary; she cannot stand by and allow her friend to die and thus is willing commit a taboo, but as before within the title, Rose has become dependent on someone else to create a spark to move her in the right direction – thus the parade of the Fallen. Although this moment was necessary since we did not have a history as to how these pitiful abominations were created, it is due to this injection of motivational personalities which causes Rose to finally make the right choice, but again her own decision is guided by others. It is this blueprinted personality of the Guardian which projects someone who is not willing to take chances without either approval or counsel from another, and while this vulnerability makes our heroine endearing as a whole when you look on the title, all the audience can see is a promising young lady on the surface but you cannot help also noticing personality holes which need more development before we can acknowledge Rose as someone who can honestly shoulder the responsibilities as a true hero.
From the beginning Rose has kept readers infatuated via the dazzling allure of Ig Guara’s commanding illustrations, to fascinate us with the rapid descent of Rose’s journey from an idyllic world into a living nightmare, made all the more captivating due to the varied array of Triona Farrell’s engrossing palette which encapsulates the tonal richness of nature’s grandeur and the haunting beauty within the depths of terror. We have watched with grim determination as an innocent girl with flowing mane of auburn became a Guardian, her stunning transformation signalled by locks of pure white, made all the more romanticized due to her innocence. And while became we may have been beguiled by adventures within the troubled land of Ttereve, it is the horror which surrounds Rose which keeps us glued to the page, made all the more believable due to the striking realism of artistic synergy; you are drawn into each panel due to exacting details of every image, their sensational drama made all the more appealing due to the skillful usage of light and shadow combined with nuanced gradients of color which allow our eyes to focus without effort, jumping from each panel and allowing the transition of the story to communicate without effort. However it is the concerted effort of creating a tapestry of unique characters which allows the title to express itself with such audacity whereby the reader cannot ignore the excellence of the narrative.
While we admire the innocence of Rose, her story could not be told without contrasting actors of equal or greater fervor, and of course her nemesis would have to empower an ambition which threatens to swallow the world due to her overwhelming greed for power, all while balanced with a haunting allure of forbidden beauty – namely Drucilla. You cannot but become mesmerized when we first see her upon the page, those stunning curves highlighted by cruel shadows and those piercing sapphire eyes topped by a shock of purple hair, all encapsulating a woman whose rapturous appearance is a polar opposite of her dark plans. But how can you despise someone who looks like that even as her personality is as toxic as the venomous words spewed forth by her luscious lips? This is one villain who you are forced to hate, even as your eyes cannot fathom how such a physical wonder can be so poisonous. And even as our minds are reeling from this imbalance, the one who was once by her side tries to counter this impracticality with an equally accepting heart – namely Dante. This imposing man may be disfigured by a menacing sneer imparted by his scar, but his loyalty and dedication are as grand as his size, never questioning his decision to leave the one he once loved. For a man who towers over his charge this talented pair display his presence with someone akin to a big brother cloaked in shadows, his bulging muscles present a disproportionate gentleness which you cannot but liken to a teddy bear who would tear anyone apart if they challenge those he protects. To watch as two who were once partners now separated due to one small girl seems impossible, and yet this explosive triangle works on many levels, allowing for the visuals to express themselves by creating a brilliant display of graphic melodrama which we will miss once the series ends.
Even within all of this self imposed darkness, Guara and Farrell still manage to dazzle us with a stunning tapestry to encompass the finale of this epic story. Perhaps it is the white framing which separates panels which allows for a tale which does not seem as suffocating, but even within the ebony tinged pictures there is a sense of hope spread within the issue, even as a supposedly grisly end nears. The malice expressed through the remarkable images is almost too much to bear, you can feel a tentative build up within hauntingly detailed illustrations all magnified by supremely sinister tones which communicate the intentions of the characters so marvelously, words are barely needed. And yet it is the battle between Drucilla and Dante which strikes your attention, all as Rose whimpers in a secluded corner, almost as if she is a frightened child hiding from her mommy and daddy fighting. However as the battle rises in intensity within this pit of darkness, it is the Guardian who shows the way with illumination which seems almost angelic, portraying her not as the sheltered girl who was too frightened to fight for herself, but now as a heroine who cannot fail as long as she has determination in her heart. This is the way a momentous odyssey should end, but as we bathe within this stunning display, you cannot but shed a tear the title we have adored now ends in this fashion.
Rose concludes with an ending which feels somewhat hollow due to actions which were once again guided and not gleaned from our heroine’s own experience and a wish to persevere, instead she was instructed in how to succeed. While the story does have a moral satisfaction in ending the tyrannical rule over the land, the manner by which Drucilla was punished didn’t have the worthwhile impact her actions deserved for such cruel abominations by allowing her to escape justice. As such, the reward for our protagonists appeared rushed and seemed to allow a convenient plot device to take hold all to end the series on a hopeful manner, but if this insures us for a meaningful sequel, then I am all in favor to see how Rose will overcome her lack of moral strength and become the heroine we all know she can become if given meaningful time.
Grade: A-
Series Grade: A++ (Undeniably Remarkable and Fulfilling)
Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Image Comics
Release Date: February 27, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
