The Bloodborne Comic – A Match Made in Hell
Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware has created some of the greatest games to ever exist. From Sekiro to Elden Ring, the games, although intensely challenging, seem to resonate with gamers like no other; Dark Souls only recently received the ‘Ultimate Game of All Time’, representing just how influential Miyazaki’s unbound creativity and often twisted imagination is.
This has never been truer than with Bloodborne though. This horrifying, gothic-inspired RPG is so immersive and atmospheric that it mimics the gruesome pages between a horror manga. It is very known that Miyazaki is heavily inspired by Manga such as Berserk, so it only makes sense how there is a graphical novel series inspired by the narrative behind Bloodborne.
The comic series runs in line with the game, featuring multiple stories such as following a hunter struggling to survive the hunt of the night as and searching for a paleblood to unveil the mystery behind the healing church, the source of the magical blood. Even Eileen the Crow, the Hunter of Hunters and fan-favourite NPC of fans has her own dedicated comic. The series is a real love letter to the game and is clear that the creators, Alex Kot [Author] and Piotr Kowalsk [main illustrator] heavily researched the source material. Piotr also has illustrated other game-inspired comic books such as Dark Souls and The Witcher.
The illustrations in the comic are as gory and gruesome as you can imagine, featuring bloody, flesh-torn beasts and glorified blood-splattering action. Anyone familiar with the scenes of the game will feel right at home as they watch the hunter carve through hordes of blood-crazed enemies with his saw-blade. The comic also features illustrations from the one and only Japanese manga artist, Q Hayashida [best known for her work on Dorohedro], creating special edition covers.
Raw and ominous, we could only imagine what a full-fledged Bloodborne manga would be like, but for now, we are content with its graphical novel cousin. If you have yet to play the games due to their difficulty, the comics are an easy read and a great way to explore the melancholic universe of one of Miyazaki’s greatest creations.
