The Marquise — My Favourite Pen from the Ferris Wheel Press range

There are pens that simply write well — and then there are the ones you reach for without even thinking. The Marquise by Ferris Wheel Press definitely belongs to the latter.

It’s one of those pens that sparked a lot of excitement from the very beginning: first as a Kickstarter project, and later as a more “premium” offering from a brand best known for its beautiful inks and carefully crafted design. But does the quality live up to the looks?

After spending a good amount of time with it, I can say one thing — it’s my favourite pen from the Ferris Wheel Press range. In this post, I’ll explain why, how it performs in everyday writing, and whether it’s actually worth the price.

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This model was first introduced during a Kickstarter campaign that launched in the second half of 2024. The pens only reached backers (after a few bumps along the way) around Holidays. The minor delays and logistical hiccups were quickly forgotten, though — because the pen itself was absolutely stunning. Now, over a year later, I didn’t even remember that anything went wrong with shipping. All I think about when I look at it is just how beautiful it is.

“My stash”

I currently have three of these pens in my collection: the pearlescent Kickstarter version, a black one I bought after the global release, and a red edition created in collaboration with Warner Bros. for the Superman collection. And yes, I’ll be ordering another one soon, because I won’t be able to resist the purple-and-green Joker variant. After that… I’ll just be hoping they release something in a bright, sunny colour — I would love it in yellow, but can accept orange as well.

And yes, these pens are quite expensive — especially in Europe. Collecting points on the Ferris Wheel Press website helps a lot, though. If you have the option, it’s best to import them from across the Atlantic.

(Price in Europe: €190. Price in the US: $165)

The Marquise fountain pen

The Marquise currently sits in the upper mid-range of Ferris Wheel Press’s lineup. In terms of pricing, it falls neatly between The Joule (their most expensive model) and The Bijou (a smaller sibling to The Joule).

In my opinion, it’s their most distinctive pen — one that balances comfort, elegance, and a slightly more modern design. It’s made from high-quality materials and leans towards the larger side, though thanks to its aluminium construction, it doesn’t feel overly heavy.

Appearance

Let’s start with the shape. Unlike Ferris Wheel Press’s other higher-end pens — The Bijou and The Joule — this one isn’t fully rounded, or at least not entirely. The barrel has one of FWP’s most distinctive design elements: a hexagonal cross-section. The same shape you’ll find on the caps of their beautiful inks.

This makes it far from an ordinary pen, and its design feels like a perfect blend of modern aesthetics and classic elegance — at least in my opinion. Given my love for the TWSBI Eco and the more angular Caran d’Ache pens, I definitely lean more towards modern forms rather than traditional “classic” designs. Quietly speaking, I do find those a bit visually boring…

The section of The Marquise features subtle engravings, which in the case of The Voice of Metropolis edition form a stylised city skyline. You can see outlines of towering skyscrapers characteristic of that world.

The nib, in size M, is gold-plated and decorated with the Superman logo. The nib and feed system uses the standard JoWo #6 format, which means it can be swapped out for nibs from the The Adventurers Nib set or third-party manufacturers.

Personally, I’m happy with the M nib. I enjoy a more defined ink line on paper and a steady ink flow, even with my relatively small handwriting.

Packaging

The packaging for The Marquise differs noticeably between licensed editions and the standard release. In this case, we get a sturdy, well-designed box themed accordingly. Alongside the securely mounted pen, there’s also a bottle of ink included. In my case, it’s Scarlet Metropolis — a red ink with blue shimmer, in a 20 ml bottle. Don’t worry though — despite the bottle format, it’s still fountain pen ink, not a calligraphy one.

For the standalone pen (not the set), The Marquise comes in a much simpler box matching the barrel colour, with a small window so you can peek inside — similar to the packaging of The Carousel series.

Long-term experience

Every one of my pen reviews will probably include a similar note: because of the way I hold my pens, quite a few of them end up feeling uncomfortable. I rest the pen on my ring finger while pressing it down onto the paper with my middle finger. Because of that, comfort is very important to me — and more than once, I’ve had pens that simply irritated my grip and made writing harder.

Even Ferris Wheel Press themselves caused me a bit of frustration with The Brush, since I would sometimes catch my nail on the engraved section. With other pens (for example the Gravitas Sentry), the section-to-barrel join ended up exactly where I naturally wanted to rest the pen my finger — which made writing quite uncomfortable.

In this case, however (finally), I don’t have any issues at all. The pen is very comfortable, even during longer writing sessions (yes, I do mean journaling), and it’s also well balanced — although it’s not particularly light.

After filling it with ink, I did need to clean the nib slightly, as some shimmer particles got temporarily clogged inside (which is completely normal), but after that I didn’t run into any further issues.

The nib leans towards the stiffer side, but it writes very smoothly and is easy to control. On Leuchtturm notebook paper, you’ll hear a slight scratchy feedback. And honestly — is there anyone who doesn’t enjoy that satisfying sound?

Technical specifications

Body material: lacquered aluminium with gold-plated brass details
Nib material: chrome-plated stainless steel

Available nibs: M (0.7 mm) – with the option for user replacement

Additional information: standard converter included with the pen

Important: The cap of The Marquise should not be posted on the back of the pen. It is balanced to perform well without the added weight. Additionally, the brass ring may scratch the lacquer finish if posted.

Differences between the “classic” The Marquise and the licensed edition

There are actually a few noticeable differences between the standard version and the licensed editions.

The licensed pen comes in a rigid, presentation-style box, and the set also includes a matching 20 ml bottle of ink.

The licensed Marquise features unique engravings on the grip section, which are themed according to the collaboration.

In the Superman edition, the pen body has a more matte finish, complemented by gold-toned details.

The classic version, on the other hand, comes with a two-tone nib.

Both versions support interchangeable nibs (Jowo #6) and use the same standard converter system. So the differences are purely visual rather than functional.

The price also differs, of course, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the licensed version is only sold as a set with ink included.

Is The Marquise worth buying?

In my opinion — yes.

And you didn’t need to ask me that, I suppose. I already mentioned at the beginning that this is my favourite pen. At this point, I’m just waiting for new colour variants so I can expand my collection even further.

If you’re looking for hexagonal pens, The Marquise feels like a great next step after the Caran d’Ache 849, or another option for those who like Y Studio pens. The hexagonal shape is softened here with rounded edges, which I think makes the pen feel lighter and creates a nice balance between classic form and modern design.

The Marquise vs other pens

I have to be honest here. I’m only starting my journey into more expensive pens. For the past couple of years I’ve been mostly using Lamy Safari and Al-Star, moved to TWSBI Eco after that. The Brush was my first “expensive” pen, and now I know it’s not really even considered an expensive pen.

Most of my experience here is with Ferris Wheel Press pens. I have all of their fountain pen models (and other pens too, ha). I own a Gravitas Sentry, had a Moonman M2 (but hated it) and I’m only now slowly thinking about an Esterbrook pen.

My heart still lies with “cheaper” pen, as I prefer to spend my money on a good notebook or an ink, instead of just the tool. In that sense, The Marquise is perfect for me. Beautiful, universal and most importantly sturdy.

So, with all that in mind, I can’t tell you if it writes better than that expensive capless Pilot or your Montblancs. I don’t know, and I probably won’t ever know. But you can change the nib here, right? So maybe all that’s important, really important, is if you like its body. And I do. It’s so comfortable! And pretty, too.

Where to buy

You can find The Marquise, both in the standard version and the Superman-licensed edition, on the official Ferris Wheel Press website.

Prices range from around €190 (approximately €170 with discount code) up to around €280 for the licensed set with ink included (about €240 with a discount code).

Keep in mind that for the past few months, PaperLovers has been an official Ferris Wheel Press ambassador. That means we also have a discount code for you — JA-PAPERLOVER — which gives you 15% off your order. It works on both the European and global stores.