Bloodborne #1 Review

Tags

Ales Kot, Bloodborne, Bloodborne #1, Bloodborne #1 review, Bloodborne The Old Hunters, Bloodborne Titan Comics, Brad Simpson, comics, Horror, NCBD, Piotr Kowalski, Titan Comics, Yharnam

Bloodborne #1

Review by Paul Bowler

Get ready to delve into the dark world of Yharnam once more in Bloodborne #1: The Death of Sleep, from Titan Comics, written by Ales Kot (Generation Gone, Zero), with art by Piotr Kowalski (Wolfenstein, Dark Souls).

A nameless Hunter awakens in a foreboding, ancient, city, a place gripped by a horrifying epidemic. Here, terrifying monsters are waiting to strike at every turn and the streets are awash with blood. Into this nightmare the Hunter seeks a way to escape the seemingly endless Night of the Hunt that has damned Yharnam There is only one hope left and the Hunter must set out on a gruesome, blood-soaked quest to bring this nightmare to an end once and for all…

Based on the best selling videogame world of Bloodborne and its expansion DLC content The Old Hunters, Bloodborne #1: The Death of Sleep will mark a welcome return to Yharnam for fans of the gory, tough-as-nails game. Indeed, writer Ales Kot ensures this first issue includes all the familiar Bloodborne tropes – and then some! From the lone Hunters introduction to his initial encounters with the beastly horrors stalking Yharnam’s shadows, Kot quickly sets the scene. One particular narrative thread – the pale blood – is a mystery that was never really fully explained in videogame itself, and as such it provides a rich vein of drama for Kot to tap and facilitate key plot developments in the issue.

Piotr Kowalski’s artwork brings every visceral, blood-drenched moment of Kot’s intense script to life while the gorgeous colors by Brad Simpson adds vivid clarity to the flesh-rending carnage. If you’ve played the game, you’ll know how hideous and grotesque the monsters in Bloodborne are, and Kowalski’s art impressively recreates the distinctive look and feel of these monstrous creatures. As you’d expect, the action is slick and brutal too, and like the games unforgiving nature that all-too familiar “You Died” moment is something that surprisingly feels almost serene here – rather than the almost throwing the controller across the room rage that the Bloodborne game often made you feel when your Hunter met a grisly end.

While obviously aimed at fans of the Bloodborne game, there’s plenty of mystery and terror for horror fans to enjoy as well without any prior knowledge of the game. Boasting a striking cover by Jeff Stokley, along with a choice of three variant covers, the strong story and impressive art in Bloodborne #1 gets this new Titan Comics book off to a great start and I’m eager to see where the Hunter’s quest takes him next.

Publisher: Titan Comics.

Writer: Ales Kot / Art: Piotr Kowalski.

Colors: Brad Simpson / Lettering: Aditya Bidikar

Cover: A Jeff Stokley, Cover B: Game Cover, Cover C: Potr Kowalski & Brad Simpson, Cover D: Andre Lima Arujo & Chris O’Halloran.

Follow @paul_bowler

Advertisements

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1 Review

Tags

Brian Williamson, comics, Doctor Who, Doctor Who 4th #1, Doctor Who Comcis, Doctor Who The Fourth Doctor #1, Emma Beeby, Gordon Rennie, HI-FI Color, Sarah Jane Smith, TARDIS, The 4th Doctor, Titan Comics

Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1

Review by Paul Bowler

The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith return for a new adventure in Titan Comics Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1 (of 5), and this time the TARDIS has brought them to Victorian London in 1887, but their presence has not gone unnoticed. A sinister woman resides in a mansion of the blind, Scryclops scour the streets at night, and the insatiable hunger of a dark alien power is rising. The Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane will have to uncover the mystery of Lady Carstairs house, encountering new friends and enemies along the way, as they face a horror lurking in the heart of Victorian London in this all-new-adventure: Gaze of the Medusa.

From its dark, sinister opening moments in a shadow mansion, where blind servants tend to their black veiled mistress, writers Gordon Rennie & Emma Beeby skilfully build the brooding atmosphere, before we catch up with the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane as they enjoy a show. Gaze of the Medusa: Part 1 is a glorious throwback to the Hinchcliffe / Holmes era of the classic TV series, from the dark foggy streets, to the gothic tone, its an issue that’s sure to induce pang or two of nostalgia for many, the characterization of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane is also spot on, and you will find yourself completely swept along by the riveting story.

After the lumbering Scryclops capture Sarah, the Doctor finds some new allies in the form of Professor Odysseus and his daughter Athena. These scenes as the Professor fills the Doctor in on everything that’s been happening are also beautifully written, especially when the conversation turns to the field of chrononautology, and as the Doctor responds you’d swear you could almost hear Tom Baker delivering these lines word for word in your mind.

Brian Williamson’s artwork for this issue perfectly captures the look and tone from this period during the Fourth Doctor’s era, all the familiar tropes are here, dark gothic themes, horses and carriages trundling down foggy streets, weird looking monsters, and a spooky old mansion filled with horror and mystery. The panel layouts are concise enough, there are some bold full pages that cleverly punctuate key moments in the story, Williamson’s has done a superb job capturing the likenesses of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane – there’s even a nice take on the Doctor’s deerstalker outfit from The Talons of Weng-Chiang – and the vivid colors by HI-FI stylishly enhance the tone of the story and make every detail leap from the page.

As the Doctor, Professor Odysseus, and his daughter Athena set off to rescue Sarah from the creatures lair in a mansion in Chiswick, time might already be running out for Sarah after she meets Lady Emily Carstairs and discovers that something horrible awaits for her in the mansions eerie gallery of treasures… Doctor Who: The Fourth Doctor #1 provides an excellent beginning for this new Titan Comics mini-series, with its exciting story by Gordon Rennie & Emma Beeby, great art by Brian Williamson, colors by HI-FI, and a wealth of impressive variant covers to choose from, there is lots to recommend here, especially if, like me, you are a big fan of the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane.

Publisher: Titan Comics / Writers: Gordon Rennie & Emma Beeby

Art: Brian Williamson / Colors: HI-FI

Letters Richard Starkings & Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt

Follow @paul_bowler