Review by C.J. Bunce
Writer Aleš Kot and artist Piotr Kowalski pull no punches in their monster story Bloodborne. They get readers right into the action in a mixture of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in their book Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep – Deluxe Edition, a hardcover graphic novel from Titan Comics now available at comic shops everywhere and here at Amazon. Collecting the first four issues of the comic book series based on the Bloodborne video game, it follows the Victorian-era Germany hunter, a nameless warrior who is stuck between the ugly plague-infested real world and an equally real dream state. This is a world of beasts and monsters that has the vibe of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter with the supernatural mechanics of the Jason Isaacs Awake TV series. The use of vivid colors to evoke such darkness by colorists Brad Simpson and Kevin Enhart also may conjure the dark tales of H.P. Lovecraft. It’s a good read to get you ready for Halloween season this month.
The hunter of this tale is told he must seek something called the Paleblood in order to make his torment “The Night of the Hunt” finally stop. When he is introduced to a young child like no other, it seems that it may explain what the strange people in his dream state are telling him.
Fans of the video game will recognize Easter eggs placed in the corners–and front in center–throughout the book. This deluxe edition features exclusive new behind the scenes content from the comic series, including a cover gallery, creator interview, never-before-seen artwork, and the original script, all collected in a shiny hardcover format.
Why are there chains on the coffins?
The story has the action and combat of Seth Grahame-Smith’s horror mash-ups. The artwork brings in the historicity of Lovecraft and Washington Irving. The horror is at the bloody violent level of The Nightmare on Elm Street. And that change of reference between the waking world and the real world is reminiscent of the cinematography of Awake. It’s an intriguing mix of interesting supernatural tropes. The Germanic mythology of the story makes for a new chapter straight out of Grimm’s fairy tales.
Resident Evil and the Bloodborne video game in a Lone Wolf and Cub-esque tale with Ichabod Crane from the Sleepy Hollow TV series in the lead? If that sounds good to you then you’ll want to add Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep – Deluxe Edition to your pull list at Elite Comics or your comic shop — or grab a copy for Halloween reading now here at Amazon.
