For the past four months or so I have been playing “Bloodborne.” I’m no expert who can beat these games wearing no armor and not get hit once (in fact, I suck at these games to the point I over-level. Yeah, I know.) So it comes as no surprise that I found out there were four Bloodborne comic books, all written by Ales Kott with artists Piotr Kowalski and Brad Simpson, and I had to read them.
The first one, “The Death of Sleep,” is about an unnamed hunter who has to escort a pale child out of Yharnam. It’s a decent story that has an open-ended ending. It does make you want to know more about these two characters but that never happens. We do see the “you died” screen and the Hunter’s Dream which are the comic’s biggest plusses.
“The Healing Thirst” is the best of the bunch. Doctor Alfredius and Priest Clement are trying to figure out what is causing the breakout of the disease pale blood in Yharnam. If you know anything about the game’s lore, you know the answer. It’s nice to see what happens to the everyday people of Yharnam and not just the hunters, the Healing Church and all the rest of the messed-up cast.
“A Song of Crows,” the only comic to feature a major character from the game, sees Eileen the Crow…I have no idea what’s happening in this comic. It’s a stream-of-consciousness story where Eileen is confused about where are when she is. Maybe? There’s also one character she meets and…fights? Talks to? It’s confusing. The worst of the four. Read it only if you’re a completionist.
Finally, there’s “The Veil, Torn Asunder.” An unnamed war vet who traveled to Yharnam to seek the forbidden knowledge of the world. This comic feels the most like a Lovecraft story which “Bloodborne” is heavily influenced by. It’s another decent one that has scenes from the other three comics which is a plus.
The best thing about all these comics is the art. The artists make whatever giant boss from the game look great. The art gets kicked up many notches in “A Song of Crows” and The Veil, Torm Asunder” by using SIXTEEN panels per page to tell a story by using visuals only. It’s a feast for the eyes. Yes, the art is the only positive thing about “A Song of Crows” which, adding the fact that it’s about Eileen, makes the bad writing even more infuriating.
If you’re a fan of “Bloodborne” and want to see more of the lore, these comics are a decent choice despite one of them being less than stellar. The art is the biggest selling point of the comics so there’s that.
Categories: Comics, Video Games
Tags: Bloodborne, comic-books, comics, fromsoftware, gaming, reviews, video games
Sanrock Reviews 