The Rose of Versailles Volume 5

Simply one of the best comics ever drawn

I realized that I rated every individual volume of ‘The Rose of Versailles' 4 out of 5 stars, yet I'd consider this to be a 5 star series. Weird.

Anyways, the main narrative of ‘The Rose of Versailles' ended last volume and this last omnibus is a collection of side stories starring Lady Oscar's crime-solving niece. Admittedly, that does sound like a joke, but it works surprisingly well! These stories manage to carry on with the main series' themes about classism, mainly how the aristocracy preys on the common folk, as well as Oscar's choice to rebel against them once she realizes justice within the system is impossible since the government is designed to protect nobles. I don't think any of these stories are as good as the main narrative, but they're a good excuse to spend more time with these characters. I also think this is probably the best looking book of the bunch. Ikeda's linework is beautiful and these are probably the best renditions of Oscar and Andre.

Overall, I loved the time I spent with this series. Lady Oscar is such a cool and inspiring and relatable character. Recommending a series in the review of its last book seems kinda dumb, but I highly recommend this series to anyone reading this and think it sounds even remotely interesting. It's a seminal work in the medium for a reason!