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Dark Souls #2
Kareem Ali 4

Dark Souls #2

 

  • The good

    Stunning artwork and action sequences. Conclusion creates a ton of potential for next issue.

  • The bad

    Start of issue rehashes synopsis given in first issue

  • The ugly

  • Dark Souls #2 continues with Fire and Scryer searching for the Everlord in order to acquire his sword, which is made from Dragon Bone. This issue opens up with Scryer performing a ritual in order to gain insight about the relics they need to acquire to complete their overall mission. He tells Fira that the tooth they acquired from the Baron won’t be enough to succeed and he tells her to recall the story of Baron Karamas. He explains how the Baron was able to beat back the legions of the dead by uniting a great army so the land of the living would be free from them. However, that wasn’t enough as a plague overtook the land killing scores of people and almost killed the Baron. His plan was to kill the dragon Andolus so the last breath of the dragon could restore life to the land. Since this plan ultimately didn’t work either, Fira and Scryer’s goal is to collect the relics forged from the dragon’s bones so they can restore the dragon to life, and hopefully Fira’s order. But with Fira’s memory fading fast can she truly trust Scryer’s plan?

    Dark Souls #2

    The way last issue started by throwing the reader into its world after a brief synopsis was a good touch, and reminiscent of how the game could be for players. Obviously a comic book can’t rely on engrossing game play to maintain interest until the story reveals itself but Fira’s flashback of her family was enough to give the current story the potential to be engrossing and not impersonal. This issue didn’t undo that but I was surprised that the first 8 pages repeated what was covered in the synopsis prior to the first issue. However, the action that would follow this opening would carry the reminder of the issue and it was good to be able to sit back and enjoy this.

     

    I complimented Alan Quah’s artwork last year but the remarkable details stood out even more this issue with the various fights. The colors were outstanding but still seemed somewhat too vibrant for a Dark Souls story. However, Quah’s artwork still shined, and whether it was Fira’s deliberate movements in combat or capturing the frightening nature of the huge spiders after her and Scryer, I felt immersed in it. And when the Everlord was shown I immediately thought this would have been an interesting boss battle in the game. So the action this issue was definitely top-notched and intense.

    Dark Souls 3
    Despite being an action-packed issue there was still some character development and story advancement outside of the first 8 pages. The character development was more subtle this issue focusing solely on the relationship between Fira and Scryer. Yes, it was mainly in the form of concern about the other’s well-being in the midst of action but there were certain reveals such as the importance Scryer plays in Fira’s life considering she can’t remember much else. And it was also an added bonus to see how tenacious Fira could be against stunning odds. And with the way the issue ended it seems almost certain that things will become clearer either in terms of Fira’s true nature or the relics they’re hunting.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Dark Souls #2 is an adrenaline-filled issue that is able to build on the first issue with its intense action and shocking conclusion. The first 8 pages’ focus on rehashing the synopsis given last issue is somewhat surprising, and doesn’t add anything new to the overall story. However, Alan Quah’s artwork carries the action sequences making them visually captivating so its easy to get lost in the world in these pages. And now I can’t wait to see how next issue starts considering the remarkable ending here.

     

     Release Date: 6/1/16
    Writer: George Mann
    Artist: Alan Quah
  • Rating ( 8.25 )
  • Total score 8.3

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