BLOODBORNE: THE LADY OF THE LANTERNS #1, from Titan Comics on July 27th, 2022, follows a Hunter, Barnabas Cade, who barely escapes the siren song of the Lady of the Lanterns. A song that threatens to woo any hearer in the city of Yharnam into the cold embrace of death.
The Details
- Written by: Cullen Bunn
- Art by: Piotr Kowalski
- Colors by: Brad Simpson
- Letters by: AndWorld Designs
- Cover art by: Jung-Geun Yoon (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: July 27, 2022
Is It Good?
Okay, not bad. Not bad at all. Whenever you encounter comics as adaptations of other properties such as video games, you’d naturally wonder if you have to be well-versed in the video game to understand what’s going on and enjoy the read. The answer for BLOODBORNE: THE LADY OF THE LANTERNS #1 is ‘no.’
Cullen Bunn is one of the best supernatural horror writers in comicdom at the moment, and this issue demonstrates why. With the help of an efficient preface page, readers are dropped into the Bloodborne world, and you immediately get everything that’s happening. Readers are introduced to two children who hold out hope for their family’s survival, the Hunter, and the monsters stalking the gloomy streets of Yharnam. Not a single bit of this issue is unexplained, out of place, or feels confusing without a background in the video game that inspired it.
Bunn brings all the characters into the readers’ sphere with excellent plot progression and transitions, natural-sounding dialog, and steady pacing. There’s plenty of gruesome monster-killing action, a fair bit of supernatural tension, and a surprising amount of emotional depth when one of the characters meets an untimely end.
Kowalski’s art is above average in this comic the character designs and sets have a worn, gloomy lived-in feel that matches the material well. However, there are a few panels where the composition looks flat (read: lacks depth and dimension). Simpson’s coloring execution is solid, and the lettering is spot-on.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Lucien and Vivian patiently wait and keep watch at their window for the father to return from a food search. The city of Yharnam is overrun with the diseased and the monstrous, but the children hold out hope their father will return. As the days pass and the food dwindles, hope wanes.
One evening, Vivan spots a shadowy figure approaching their door.
Assuming it’s their father, Vivan rushes to let the man in. The man is not their father but one of the chosen Hunters tasked with ridding the streets of monsters. As he begins to collapse inside their door, a werewolf charges through the door, forcing the Hunter, Barnabas Cade, to fight one more time before his strength gives out.
When the monster is no more, the children tend to Cade’s wounds as he tells him how became injured after becoming entranced by the hypnotic song of the Lady of the Lanterns. We conclude the issue with a lure into a trap, an infection, a hard choice, and a warning.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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BLOODBORNE: THE LADY OF THE LANTERNS #1 is a strong start to a horror series and well above-average for a video game adaptation. The star of this inaugural issue is Bunn’s brutally efficient and effective writing that brings readers into the Bloodborne world without the need for foreknowledge of the video game or extensive setup. The art team’s work is good albeit weak in a few spots.
Related Information
Is Bloodborne good for beginners?
Yes, but Bloodborne is more challenging than most games, and becoming proficient will take time, practice, and dedication. You will die at first. You will need to make multiple attempts at certain challenges. You will be frustrated in the beginning. Don’t give up!
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