Staff Picks (February): Dark Souls #1

PREPARE TO DIE.  When I picked up the first Dark Souls video game, I laughed out loud at those words printed in bold lettering across the back of the box.  Dark Souls is considered one of the most difficult games ever made, and for good reason.  Behind the expansive fantasy world of Lordran there is a singular message: you can’t take it with you.  Unlike most games, Dark Souls omits checkpoints or an in-game save menu, instead only allowing you to save your game at a handful of bonfires which are often hard to locate.  In other words, when you die -- and you will die -- you lose all your progress, resurrecting as an undead warrior at the last bonfire visited, totally stripped of all goodies and experience points.  This loss of time and energy means the stakes are higher than pretty much any other game you’re likely to find and that taunt, “Prepare to die,” hangs over your head as equal parts promise and warning.

This April, in conjunction with the release of the third installment in the franchise, Titan is releasing a Dark Souls comic series with a fresh story by George Mann (Doctor Who), art by Alan Quah (Orphan Black), and covers featuring art from the new game.  With so much of this world remaining mysterious due to the game’s sparse use of dialogue, this is a chance to explore Lordran in a way that was previously only possible by taking reading the backstory of all the items you find in the game. 

Perhaps most exciting of all is the idea of a comic about an undead hero fighting his way back to life, able to die again in any issue, who can lose it all but keeps on going.  In other words, this is a comic that brings to life all the highs and lows gamers felt while playing Dark Souls.

—Trevor Richardson

Publisher: Titan Comics Item Code: FEB161792 Release Date: 04/06/16 SRP: $3.99