Serenity Rose

"Serenity Rose" is a comic created by Aaron Alexovich (credited as "Aaron A.") and published by Slave Labor Graphics. It's the story of one of the few witches in the world, trying to make her way through everyday life while dealing with her own social phobia even with all the attention her powers attract.

The story is told in the first person by Serenity Rose in the form of a comic-diary. There are 5 issues out in stores, and one graphic novel, "Working Through the Negativity," collecting them. A web-comic sequel entitled "Goodbye, Crestfallen" was launched in March, 2008, with a print compilation due in 2009.

Characters

erenity Rose

The main character who writes a diary in comic book form. But while in the comics themselves it says this is all Serenity's doing, the book states that the author of the series (Aaron A.) was actually given these pages by her (fictionally, of course).

Serenity "Sera" Rose is one of America's most famous witches, but very reclusive and shy, despising the attention. Her parents are both dead. When her mother passed away from sickness when she was a small child, Sera froze a part of Lake Michigan. After that the mayor had offered to put her on display in a local museum, which her father harshly refused to do. Her father died in a car accident (he tried to avoid crashing into a goblin) when she was sixteen. Sera's family is composed of Zoe Mirolette, her stepmother, and Mary Ann, her eight-year old half-sister. She dresses in goth attire, but her make-up and blue hair are both put in place by shapeshifting. She is known as Zero in Kelton's magazine, where she acts as a comic artist. She is, to her disgust, idolized by Crestfallen and refuses every year any invitation to have her join the Halloween parade. Her closest friend is Contessa "Tess" Rubikov, but they seem to have an odd like/dislike relationship. Former fan of Rivet Hed, she now is a fan of Vicious Whisper's music and ideas, and becomes her "apprentice" at the end of the series.

She is most famous for hijacking the school bus she was riding when she was sixteen, an event she doesn't like talking about at all. After the hijacking and a very large scandal and court trial, she was given a court-appointed psychologist. Sera has problems with her identity as a witch, her future, and is unsure of her sexuality (and is quite embarrassed by it).

Contessa Rubikov

Tess is Serenity Rose's best friend. She is six feet tall and has dyed red hair (real hair color is unknown) and thick eyebrows, three tattoos and six piercings. The most noticeable tattoo is that of a happy sun on her shoulder. She has two earrings on each ear and a nose stud; the sixth piercing is a hole she has in her head due to a screwdriver-related "accident". She lives with Grandpa Rubikov (real first name unknown).

She enjoys anything related to violence and taunting (and claims to be the town's resident annoyance). She especially likes taunting Tiphané, a goth vampire wannabe. She once stole holy water from St. Tedius to use as fuel for her holy water cannon, which was used --ineffectively-- against a real vampire. She had also once made Sera sit through the local Halloween parade, until a large goblin parade-float came to her home after she heavily denied several gobins candy (and she fought back as a large ectoplasm bunny). Tess is also quite hyperactive and silly, and is not a fan of 'spooky-cute' stuff, almost the complete opposite of her best friend. Tess is Sera's only means of vehicle transportation, since Tess has a driver's license. Her car has flames painted on it.

Vicious Whisper

An Anglo-Asian witch and singer sometimes known as V, her real name being Victoria Whisper. Her songs have strong anti-business sentiments attached to them (i.e. "Napalm on Wall Street"; these songs seem quite the opposite of her personality) and she normally floats around a stadium with her on tour. Tutored by Ms. Thorpp, another famous English witch, V has had a chance to fully explore what it's like to be a witch and uses her abilities to their full potential. She has met every known witch in the world, including supposedly mythological ones such as Baba Yaga. When she's not on tour she sits and thinks at her secluded home on ectoplasm clouds while drinking peppermint tea. Her hair is a hot pink and almost always up in pigtails. She is the only witch Sera has met, and they gain a master-apprentice relationship by the end of the series.

She is very kind and quite intelligent, and is often referred to as a perkigoff. V has many philosophies and opinions on life, and hates little. She also has little desire for materialistic things.

She also stars in her own webcomic/advice column [http://www.heartshapedskull.com/vicious.html "Vicious Whispers"]

Dewey Dwayne Kelton

A bassist for a pop punk garage band and publisher for a college zine. He's referred to as Kelton and is one of Sera's closer friends, as well as the publisher of her anonymous comics. Often viewed as a a "worry-wart" by his acquaintances, Kelton is cautious and not very aggressive. He often comes to Sera's side when she needs it most as a shoulder to cry on and as the worried friend. First introduced in "Working Through the Negativity", Kelton has consistently been the comforting guy friend to Sera all the way through the comic's history.

Rivet Hed

Performer juggernaut formerly known as Marvin Garden and possibly America's most famous witch. He was discovered by Skarsdayle several years after being kicked out onto the streets by his hardcore-Christian parents due to an incident with young Marvin playing with corpses in the graveyard they owned, and fashioned by her into the giant that tours the world today. He has the most "controversial and overblown" show known that features him killing ectoplasmic monsters he created himself with chainsaws and saving ectoplasm female "dolls". He is addicted to "the Curse", a dangerous and addictive drug made from vampire blood, that is provided to him by Skarsdayle.

karsdayle

Once a hardcore punk singer for the band Nyarlathotep, she is Rivet Hed's manager. She is mysterious, eloquent, manipulative and a heavy smoker. Rivet Hed is provided with Curse and girls by her, and thus she calls herself the 'Candy Man'. She is very interested in using Serenity's creativity to improve Rivet Hed's show which she feels has become stagnant, but Sera denied the offer, leaving Skarsdayle quite disappointed.

tilletta

Not much is known about this witch, except that she is quite aggressive and almost heartless. Her name is never mentioned in the series, but was on the Serenity Rose homepage. She can be easily distinguished by the scars/stitches on her body and the neon yellow hair that covers her right eye. Stilletta attacked Sera in a public bathroom at one point, and is believed to have given "the Curse" to the singer of a band, which caused the vampire incident in the Darkroom.

Magic creatures

Witches

Witches are rare genetic accidents of nature. They are people born with the ability to float and control energy and matter, even capable of shape-shifting. They can create ectoplasm, a malleable goo, that they use essentially to create whatever comes to their mind at the time. Sera used this ability of creating ectoplasm once to make a pony which ate a vampire.

The Church of Right Thinking is opposed to witches, believing them to be evil. Members of secular society such as Chuck St. Hardwell of "Bare Knuckles" argue that witches are dangerous and may not even be considered human.

Some witches include:
*Serenity Rose (USA; university student, amateur painter and known recluse)
*Vicious Whisper a.k.a. Victoria Whisper (UK; rock star)
*Rivethed a.k.a. Marvin Garden (USA; performer)
*Atlan Samuel (American)
*Emily Ash (American; hardcore Christian homemaker; has never used her powers)
*Michael Fulmouth (American; went on a killing spree in the 50s; currently in a coma after being shot in the head)
*Dame Glaurie Thorpp (UK; children's books author and former tutor of Vicious Whisper)
*Baba Yaga (Russian)
*Stilletta (Unknown)

At the time of the series, there were 52 witches in all.

Vampires

Blood-sucking creatures whose origins are left to speculation. One rumor is that vampires were created by the Order of Silver --a breakaway sect from the Knights of Templar-- and a Slavic warlock in the 13th century. Their intent was to create a plague that only they, with their sacred armaments, could cure.

Vampires have great strength and agility, and heal quickly of any wounds not inflicted by silver or flame. They can be hurt by blessed objects and are sensitive to sunlight. When deprived of blood they are reduced to a primal state, trembling with a need known to only the most pathological of drug addicts.

The diluted blood of vampires- mixed with that of humans- is used to create a powerful drug called "The Curse" in order to recreate the orgasmic feel of bloodlust. Some countries in Central and South America keep vampires captive in order to produce Curse, as it sells for a high price on the black market. Undiluted Curse can turn the user into a full-blown blood-lusting monster.

Goblins

Small creatures native to Crestfallen and two other towns. They usually cluster around trolls or tourists and beg for food. They were brought to Crestfallen by the founding coven of witches to act as jesters. They appear to have no lower lip and large teeth.

Ogres

Large, dim-witted giants that were once used to move heavy stones to aid in building. Now they sit and stare, not having much use, and Crestfallen's children enjoy climbing on them.

Trolls

Aggressive creatures that guard the forest around Crestfallen and supposedly only attack non-witches. They have big hairy bodies and a mask-like face.

External links

* [http://www.heartshapedskull.com/ heartshapedskull.com] , Aaron Alexovich's website, including the "Goodbye Crestfallen" webcomic.