No One's Rose #3 Review

by Nick Devonald on July 07, 2020

Writers: Zac Thompson & Emily Horn
Artist: Alberto Alburquerque
Colours: Raὐl Angulo
Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

There is a very clear message being delivered with this Solar-Punk comic about the importance of living in harmony with mother nature. At first glance it appears that in this desolate wasteland of the future, that the surviving humans have learned to do just that. Living in a green biome, surrounded by natural advancements, it seems that is exactly what is happening. But its not. Nature is still sustaining humanity, who are still using and abusing it to their own advantage. And if that wasn’t enough, we have two opposing factions who both claim to want to live in sustainable harmony with mother nature, but in reality that is far from the truth. Both sides have their own agenda and neither are putting the natural world first.

That’s the predicament our two siblings, Seren & Tenn, find themselves in. Both are being manipulated by either side, and both are still young and idealistic. They believe that they are doing the right thing but the reader can see how they are being misled. It makes this futuristic society an incredibly morally grey area, making it hard to root for either the Drasil or the Council. Instead we find ourselves rooting for the two Gavrillo siblings. It’s still unclear what direction this series will take or how it’ll end, or what the moral of the story will be, all we can do as the reader is hope that the Gavrillo’s will be able to get through to the population and make a positive change.

But if you're worried that this comic is preaching to the reader, it isn’t. It lays the points out for the reader to make their own mind up about. Not only that, it makes for an interesting story, and while the message isn’t overly subtle it doesn’t overwhelm the reader. It’s clear that Thompson & Horn have an important message they want to get to the reader, and this sci-fi setting they’ve chosen as the forum for their message is ideal. It lets them, and by extension the reader, explore these themes all the while telling an entertaining story with morally grey area’s.

Alberto Alburquerque was a great choice as artist. He manages to seamlessly blend nature with science, creating the bio-metallic fusion technology which makes the backdrop of so much of this series. This blend of futuristic sci-fi and nature gives this series its own unique look and style. And in this issue both siblings find themselves torn between right and wrong, and this indecision and doubt is really well captured by Alburquerque.

Then we have Raὐl Angulo’s colours. Considering this is a sci-fi world fused with nature the range of colours on show is quite staggering, from the more exotic plants to the different futuristic designs. And if that wasn’t enough Angulo also has the usual comic colouring to do as well. Angulo and Alburquerque make a great team.

It’s still too early to tell where this Solar-Punk tale will take us, and while Thompson & Horn have a clear message to tell, and dire warning for the future, it also makes for an entertaining story as well. Their vision of the future is well realised and beautifully brought to life by Alburquerque. A morally grey tale which has divided two siblings and has readers unsure who to root for. A highly recommended read.

Our Score:

8/10

A Look Inside