Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #105
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeSuperman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #105 marks the debut of Rhosyn 'Rose' Forrest and her vigilante alter ego the Thorn — a new, Bronze Age-era take on a split-personality heroine who would go on to anchor the title's backup feature for the better part of three years. The issue signals the formal turn of the Lois Lane series away from Silver Age romantic comedy toward grittier, street-level storytelling: Rose Forrest's trauma-driven dissociation and her war against the criminal syndicate known as the 100 brought a darker psychological register to a book that had previously revolved around Lois's attempts to marry Superman. Because it also directly precedes the famous (and much-debated) 'I Am Curious (Black)!' story in #106, this issue represents the precise hinge point at which the series committed to socially conscious, Bronze Age storytelling — making it a meaningful marker in both the history of the title and of DC's early 1970s creative pivot.
In "Death House Honeymoon!", Lois Lane finds herself at the center of a shocking twist when Johnny Adonis, a death row inmate, makes a last-minute marriage proposal. As the mysterious Thorn launches her first strike against the 100, a dominant gang in Metropolis, Lois is drawn into a tense web of danger and unexpected connections. Written by Robert Kanigher and illustrated by Art Saaf, Ross Andru, and Mike Esposito, with a striking cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson, this 1970 classic blends romance, suspense, and the early pulse of a new threat in the heart of Metropolis.
Lois Lane finds herself caught between a death row confession and a city on the edge when Johnny Adonis, a condemned man, asks her to marry him as his final wish. Meanwhile, the Thorn, a relentless force in the shadows, launches a fierce campaign against The 100, a dominant gang in Metropolis, while Superman watches from the sidelines—his dual identity tested as both Clark Kent and the Man of Steel.
In "Night of the Thorn," Rose Forrest, haunted by the murder of her father—police sergeant Phil Forrest—awakens one night to find her mind fractured, her grief birthing a shadowy alter ego. As the vengeful Black Thorn, she begins a secret crusade against the criminal syndicate known as The 100, while Detective Daniel Stone and the enigmatic Vince Dennis close in on her trail.
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Writer Robert Kanigher — one of DC's most prolific editors and writers, with credits ranging from Sgt. Rock to the Metal Men — reunited with longtime artistic partner Ross Andru to create the Silver/Bronze Age Rose and the Thorn, consciously reinventing a split-personality character Kanigher had first written as a Flash villainess in the late 1940s, now recast as a sympathetic heroine motivated by revenge. The issue was edited by E. Nelson Bridwell and carried a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson, the premier Superman art team of the era. The backup format — 'Night of the Thorn' running behind the main Lois Lane lead story 'Death House Honeymoon!' — was part of DC's broader strategy at this moment to diversify its anthology-style page counts and retain readers for solo-character titles that were feeling competitive pressure.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance and origin of the Silver/Bronze Age Rose Forrest and her vigilante alter ego the Thorn, created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru.
- The issue contains two stories: the lead 'Death House Honeymoon!' (featuring Lois Lane, Superman, and the 100) and the backup 'Night of the Thorn,' which establishes Rose Forrest's origin — her police-detective father is killed by the criminal syndicate the 100, triggering her dissociative second personality.
- Cover art by Curt Swan (pencils) and Murphy Anderson (inks); the lead story was penciled by Art Saaf and Ross Andru, inked by Mike Esposito; the backup was penciled by Andru and inked by Esposito.
- Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell; cover date October 1970, on-sale August 13, 1970.
- The Rose and the Thorn backup feature launched here and ran continuously through Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #130, making it one of the longer-running backup serials in the title's history.
- The new Rose and the Thorn is a deliberate reinvention of Kanigher's own Golden Age creation — a villain named Thorn (Rose Canton) who had opposed the Flash in Flash Comics beginning in 1947 — now reimagined as an Earth-One heroine with no superpowers, relying on athleticism and vigilante cunning.
- The issue sits immediately before #106's 'I Am Curious (Black)!' — widely discussed as one of DC's earliest attempts at overt racial-justice commentary — placing #105 at the precise editorial transition point when the series shifted toward socially engaged Bronze Age storytelling.
- The character of Rose Forrest/Thorn has been revisited and relaunched multiple times, including a 2004 miniseries by Gail Simone and a 2012 New 52-era one-shot written by Tom Taylor and drawn by Neil Googe as part of DC's National Comics line.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Stålmannen #3/1971 (1971), Supermann #2/1971 (1971), Superman #6/1971 (1971), Supermann #3/1971 (1971)
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