‘Return to the nightmare’ with Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep – Deluxe Edition
It may be a decade since FromSoftware released Bloodborne, but this Soulslike was so popular it’s spawned a line of comic books. From Titan Comics, the Bloodborne series expands on the dark and bewildering universe created in the game, bringing a fresh narrative filled with horrific beasts, deadly shadows and a quest-hungry Hunter.
The series, which has been running since 2018, is made up of 24 individual issues, broken down into several volumes. The first volume, The Death of Sleep, has just been re-released in a gorgeous hardback edition, and if you’re yet to jump into this comic series, this is a great place to start.
Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep – Deluxe Edition contains not only the first four issues of the comic series, but also a wealth of extras and behind-the-scenes content. The standout feature here is the full script for issue one, which has never been released to the public before. If you’re interested in comic books, it’s a fantastic look behind the scenes of comic creation, complete with full panel descriptions and early artwork.
Flip to the back of the book and you’ll also see a breakdown of the cover art process, presenting an intriguing look at how the covers of each individual issue have come together, from thumbnail concept to the glossy finished product. You’ll also find a similar breakdown of some of the series’ most standout works of art, and seeing the rough pencil sketches of these really is a treat.
The hardback book features 144 pages, gorgeous endpapers and a front cover embossed with gold detailing. Inside the book is just as beautiful: if you’ve read a Bloodborne comic before, you’ll already know what to expect in terms of art quality. Its pages are glossy and full-colour, with cells that pop off the page. Given the subject matter, most of the colours here dark, dull colours — the world of Bloodborne is far from bright and vivid, after all. But the sparing pops of colour — orange fires and red explosions stand out spectacularly.
The famous FromSoft ‘You Died’ makes an appearance here. Image: GameSpew
The never-before-seen script makes this edition a worthwhile purchase. Image: GameSpew
This deluxe edition features stunning endpapers. Image: GameSpew
Full-page artwork is simply stunning. Image: GameSpew
Whether you’re new to the Bloodborne comic series, then, or just want to pick up a collector’s item filled with extra content, you’re going to love Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep – Deluxe Edition. This really is a premium, indulgent way to consume a comic book, and it’s something we’re proud to have on our shelves.
Thanks to Titan Comics for supplying us with a copy of this book for the purposes of this coverage.
