The Metaphysical Is Literal In Bloodborne #12
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Eileen the Crow is well and truly lost in time. Her past, present, and future collide before her eyes along with Yarnham, Byrgenwerth, and the lands that surround them. She knows this is all due to an inability to cope with a loss in her past, but can she escape it? Or is her only option to lay down and accept her fate, whatever it may be? Is this all the doing of Rom, the Vacuous Spider?
Bloodborne #12 rounds out the third tale from Titan Comics’ Bloodborne adaptation series. Like the rest of the “Song of Crows” arc, #12 is esoteric, metaphysical, and hard to follow.
Dialogue or text of any kind is sparse, and what we get is largely Eileen repeatedly asking “When am I?”. The narrative is wholly experiential and stream-of-consciousness on the part of Eileen.
What we do see is presumably metaphorical, but, given Yarnham, the Great Ones, and the monsters that orbit both, it’s entirely possible that Eileen’s grief has manifested into something living and literal. She could be dying, going mad, or literally coming under attack from her grief.
In truth, Rom the Vacuous Spider isn’t even referenced in this issue, but he and his recent appearance in this comic represent the literal monsters that accompany the metaphorical in Bloodborne. Though he may have nothing to do with any of this anymore, he could just as easily be behind it or part of it all.
Naturally, the ending is tragic, as are all things in Yarnham.
Piotr Kowalski and Brad Simpson once again excel at rendering this mad and brutal world for the reader. While the text gives us little indication as to what is happening, Kowalski’s linework and Simpson’s color art give us the portrait of what is transpiring within Eileen’s mind. Imagery is everything and the text is lying to you in Bloodborne.
Bloodborne #12 is at times frustrating to follow, but that oddly makes the experience even more enticing. This series once again earns a recommendation. Check this comic out.
Bloodborne #12 comes to us from writer Ales Kot, artist Piotr Kowalski, color artist Brad Simpson, letterer Aditya Bidikar, cover artist Damien Worm and variant cover artist Yoshioka.