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Posted in: Comics, Review, Titan | Tagged: anton kokarev, Dark Souls, dark souls: the age of fire, fantasy, FromSoftware, Ryan O'Sullivan, Titan comics
Dark Souls: The Age of Fire #1 Review – Deep Lore Cuts with the Soldiers of Gwyn
Our story focuses on a member of Lord Gwyn's Silver Knights, Arkon. He was present for the battle between the Lords and dragons in the Unformed World. He became known as a Dragonslayer, though the feat for which he is known was actually performed by Knight Artorias. In the present, Arkon and a retinue of Silver Knights to retrieve a handmaiden from the Duke's Grand Archives, overlooked by the traitor dragon and supposed ally of Gwyn, Seeth the Scaleless.
Dark Souls: Age of Fire #1, unlike the recent Bloodborne comic from Titan, seems more laser-focused on fans of the source material than new arrivals. That's definitely a drawback, but it's more forgivable considering how this isn't the first Dark Souls comic series published by Titan.
For the fan of Dark Souls, like myself, it does offer some cool lore expansion on the FromSoftware franchise. It focuses on the Silver Knights and their role in Lord Gwyn's kingdom.
It does feel oddly removed from Dark Souls as a franchise despite the presence of iconic characters like Gwyn and Artorias. This is likely because the story focuses on a small cog in the Age of Fire, and the themes of cycles and decay aren't yet apparent.
That's not to say that it's a bad start, as there is a lot to enjoy. The focus upon a false hero is a compelling focal point.
Anton Kokarev's artwork is perfectly suited to Dark Souls. The world is faded, ashy, and cold. The detailing is exquisite enough to get me to use that word, and it looks like you could get lost in the depth of field. The color art is similarly cold and even a bit obfuscating, but it adds to the atmosphere of a world malformed and doomed to die.
Dark Souls: Age of Fire #1 is an interesting and darkly gorgeous introduction to this story set in the famed age of the gods. The main character is an interesting figure, and the conflict holds a lot of promise. This one earns a recommendation. Check it out.
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