ベルサイユのばら [Berusaiyu no Bara / The Rose of Versailles / La Rose de Versailles] #1

The cover of this first volume from Shueisha's Margaret Comics line sets a breathtaking tone: a blue-eyed, crown-wearing young woman with golden curls gazes out from a lush surround of pink roses, her expression poised between grace and quiet intensity. The subtitle promises "a new whirlwind of fate," and the elegant jeweled crown, blue choker, and gilded costume detail hint at the aristocratic world of Versailles waiting within. Riyoko Ikeda's name graces the cover, and this opening chapter of her celebrated shōjo series announces itself with all the romance and drama its title — The Rose of Versailles — implies.