Last Wednesday saw the digital and comic book store release of the first issue of the highly anticipated Bloodborne comic series. The comic book series is a brand-new series spinning out of FromSoftware / Hidetaka Miyazaki’s critically acclaimed, bestselling video game. This series is being written by Aleš Kot and published by Titan Comics. This is our comic book review of Bloodborne #1.
Just so we’re all on the same page let me start by saying that I’ve never played the Bloodborne game… yet. My reasons for that deal mostly with my age and diminished reflexes. On the flipside, I do consider myself a comic book connoisseur as I have a weekly pull list at my local comic book store that includes many issues from the main publishers, including Titan Comics and this Bloodborne series. So, going into this series I had very little background surrounding the Bloodborne mythos, so I went into this experience eyes wide open.
This limited series is subtitled “The Death of Sleep” and is approximately twenty-two pages long retailing at the standard $3.99 USD. Titan Comics’ published overview of the series is as quoted:
“Awakening in an ancient city plagued by a twisted epidemic – where horrific beasts stalk the shadows and the streets run slick with the blood of the damned – a nameless Hunter embarks on a dangerous quest in search of Paleblood.”
And that my friends is pretty much what we know by the end of issue #1. This issue is a pretty vague start on what’s happening, which may or may not be considered a con as it leaves you wanting to read the second issue. This issue is light on dialogue but is full of action panels showing plenty of beast slayings, beheadings, and blood spatterings. It’s a lot of action to initially take in as you try to figure out what in Hell is going on and why should I care.
Piotr Kowalski’s lightly drawn outline renderings and Brad Simpsons’ color palette keep the issue from coming off as cheesy or too gory. The coloring throughout the book is pale greys, reds and browns which gives the issue a very gothic horror style, almost like watching a vintage Frankenstein movie. I didn’t feel like I lost anything by not playing the game, other than one page where our nameless Hunter encounters someone or something he recognizes as he’s quoted as saying “…You. …again?”. I’m assuming if I had played the game this scene would have been more obvious to me but given the context and art on the page, I can make a pretty educated guess.
The physical edition is printed on a nice high quality, glossy thick paper which is a nice touch compared to paper used by some of Titan Comics’ competitors. The main story is also not interrupted by ads which keep the flow going. The physical edition also comes in four different covers for you variant collectors out there.
Overall, this issue came off as a great start to the series. It’ll leave you with several questions as Aleš Kot seems to be leaving us breadcrumbs here, but that heightens the anticipation of the arrival of Issue #2 in March. For the value versus money, compared to other titles on the market, you’ll get your money’s worth here. This issue appears to be the start of a series worth reading, we can only guess what Aleš has in store for us next!
PROS:
- Quick read, plenty of action
- Graphically true to the video game
- Lots of beasts
CONS:
- Vague beginning
Note: Our review copy was a self-purchased physical magazine copy.
