The Decay/Expansion Of A Mind In Bloodborne #11
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Eileen the Crow’s mind continues to degrade. She sees visions of her past, visions of other crows, and visions of the Blood Moon hanging low over Yarnham. Among all of this is Rom, the Vacuous Spider. The many-eyed beast seems to consort with Eileen, providing her with knowledge and vision. Perhaps, Rom can also give clarity, but there is no guarantee there. A crow’s eye rots in its skull, a cult dances in the viscera of a slaughtered cow, and Eileen continues to see the same child over and over.
As you may be able to guess from that description, Bloodborne #11 is very esoteric and, much like the original game, very open to interpretation.
I can’t say with certainty what actually happens in this issue; I can only say what the comic shows you. It is a cacophony of images that yet share similar themes. Eileen’s ego seems to be dying on the page, but, also like the original game, you’re left to wonder if she is actually achieving enlightenment.
The inclusion of Rom the Vacuous Spider and the plain white and misty landscape the creature inhabits is a treat for fans of the FromSoftware game. Through these images, you can infer what is happening to Eileen as well as what is passing through her mind. There is definitely self-doubt and a tragedy locked in her past. Rom may or may not be there, and it may be the one feeding her these images. That part is more up to interpretation.
There actually is only one line of dialogue in the whole comic, and it is a line familiar to the Bloodborne fan.
Piotr Kowalski’s art works overtime in this issue. His already-gorgeous style is taken to a whole new level in this bizarre yet absorbing journey through what may very well be a decaying mind. His rendition of Rom is especially brilliant. Brad Simpson’s color work adds texture and tone to it all, and Kowalski and Simpson really make for an artistic power team.
Bloodborne #11 brings us to a strange fever dream-like narrative even more ambiguous and detached than much of Bloodborne itself. It’s a strange comic, but it grabs you with its imagery and what it seems to be saying. This one definitely gets a recommendation. Check it out.
Bloodborne #11 comes to us from writer Ales Kot, artist Piotr Kowalski, color artist Brad Simpson, letterer Aditya Bidikar, cover artist Yoshioka, and variant cover artist Ivan Shavrin.