Comic Review: Dark Souls #1

I don’t play Dark Souls for its story. Yes, I am well aware of the elaborate lore hidden within the series’ medieval world – along with the many YouTube channels dedicated to deciphering their vagueness –  but what drives me to the next laborious battle isn’t seeing a new cutscene; it’s discovering the wonders of the land firsthand. Narrowly escaping death from a gargantuan ogre outside my skill level; witnessing hordes of undeads marching towards my path; delivering the final blow to a powerful knight that bested me many times before. Exhilarating moments like those are why I play Dark Souls.

Despite the video games containing rich ingredients to tell an entertaining tale, a straightforward Dark Souls story could never match what a player creates for himself during his unique experience. This is why I was so hesitant about Dark Souls being adapted into a comic book series. The minimalistic storytelling is one of Dark Souls’ greatest strength and I would hate to see that taken away with a dull comic book interpretation of the games. Dark Souls #1 from Titan Comics alleviates some of those fears, while additionally proving others right.

Written by George Mann (Doctor Who) and illustrated by Alan Quah (Godzilla), Dark Souls #1 is an intriguing peek into the lives of Fira, a spirited knight haunted by her past, and Aldrich, a questionable prophet serving as Fira’s guide. Together they are on a quest to restore the once beautiful land of Ishra from the death and decay it has become.

Issue one opens up with Fira and Aldrich approaching the Crystalline Labyrinth in search of a Dragon’s Tooth to aid them on their quest. Retrieving the Dragon’s Tooth will not be easy, as the duo – well, Fira to state it more accurately, since Aldrich proclaims he is not a fighter – will have to face undead soldiers, terrifying illusions, and the dreaded Dragon Augerer at the end of the road. Amongst all this, Fira is slowly succumbing to the illness that plagued her people; forgetting her memories and retaining nightmarish ones.

Fira and Aldrich are a bit generic when it comes to their personality, but the satisfying action throughout the comic makes up for it. While it may not be as engaging to look at dramatic action sequences than participating in the game, there’s no denying their beauty. Gorgeous and horrific at the same time, Quah’s artwork fits the eeriness of Dark Souls, while capturing its intensity. The disjointed panels featured in a two-spread page embodies the jumbled feeling of Fira being overpowered by her opponent. Also worth praising are the colorist, Komikaki Studio and Norah Khor TCS, for the vibrantly warm color palette. Mann’s story is thrilling, despite the predictability, and filled with nods for longtime fans to sink their teeth into.

References aside, Dark Souls #1 doesn’t really capture the uniqueness of the gaming series; giving off a common medieval fantasy instead. The uniqueness will surely come when more of the game’s inspired characters and monsters show up, but what kills it is that the best parts of Dark Souls come from playing the game yourself and that’s just hard to duplicate on paper. 

Don’t let my discouraging words near the end scare you away from this comic. For the first outing, Dark Souls #1 does its best to stay true to the games, as much as it possibly could. If you want to expose yourself to the derange and punishing world of Dark Souls minus the punishing part, this is a good gateway to the series.