Ink of the Week: Colorverse Supernova
I really feel like Colorverse Supernova is a classic in the fountain pen hobby. It was part of the Season 2 release of Colorverse and I remember it wowing everyone with the variety of colors and sheens. Supernova, Andromeda, and Quasar were probably the top three talked about. I had a sample once upon a time and then later purchased a mini bottle, but more on that later.
The Ink
Supernova is a light blue with a pink sheen. This sheen will show up on most papers, but is especially prevalent on sheen friendly papers like Tomoe River or Cosmo Air Light. The ink flow is on the wetter side, which prevents drying out for a good amount of time if holding the pen uncapped and also for getting good sheen on the paper. It’s beautiful and it provides such a delightful pop of color, especially on white papers.
The biggest inconvenience with this ink is probably the cleanup. Supernova is not alone in the crowd of sheening blues that require quite a lot of rinsing before water runs clear through the nib. It’s not staining or anything, it just clings a little more thanks to the sheening property.
The Presentation
In full size, this ink comes in a set with one 65 mL bottle and a 15 mL bottle of the same. The early Colorverse sets were the same color in both bottles. I think the idea is that you could trade the smaller bottles with others. The set retails at around $38. It’s also available in the size I have it, the 5 mL mini size which goes for about $7. Are the mini ink bottles practical? Absolutely not. Are they adorable? Absolutely.
Colorverse family portrait, they forgot to invite 30 mL round bottle, haha!
I have a few inks in the mini size simply because often that was the only way to be able to try the secondary ink from later releases. Every mini bottle comes with a pipette, since it is impossible to stick any pen in the tiny little neck. I use an ink syringe to fill up my pens from these cute little bottles.
Ink Siblings
Being an early sheener, Supernova is no longer unique, although it was pretty special at the time of its release.
Diamine Jack Frost is probably the closest to the base color, albeit with added blue shimmer.
Diamine Polar Glow is a little bit darker, but it’s only really noticeable in a direct comparison.
Diamine x Cult Pens Maureen is much darker and leans towards a royal blue.
Colorverse Pulsar Pulse has a similar sheen but a greener undertone.
Colorverse Sungrazing Comet (from the 2025 Colorvent) is also really close, but similar to Polar Glow is a bit darker.
Spread and swatches on Tomoe River paper.
Overall
This is a great ink and the space theming really sells it for me. I have a soft spot for this ink because it was one of my early experiences with Colorverse. While there are similar inks with a lower cost/mL ratio, Supernova will probably always be up there for me.
