Assassin's Creed Bloodstone

Assassin's Creed Bloodstone 

Bloodstone is a comic book in two volumes, which takes place in the world of Assassin's Creed. It proposes a totally new story, aiming to develop a little more the mythology of the license. Our opinion on a well-crafted diptych.

More than just games:

Assassin's Creed is a transmedia universe for a long time already: besides a large number of video games that follow its road against all odds, leaving aside some screenwriting frames when it suits, it is possible to enjoy a license in the form novels or comics. Ubisoft is quite active on this side, and it is through its house publishing house, The Two Kingdoms, that the studio offers from time to time a series dedicated to Assassin's Creed. The first, spread from 2009 to 2014, allowed to learn more about some key characters of video games (even if not canon). Subsequently, it was mainly spin-offs that came out, staging characters related to Assassins or Templars, but having nothing to do with the plot of games

This is the case of Bloodstone, a story in two volumes, the second of which has just been released. Bloodstone recounts the stalking of the Apple of Eden by a group of Assassins, including Tomo, a vengeful young man whose skills on the ground are limited. Hacker an
d rather sleuthing, he manages to go back a track allowing him to put his finger on a cell of Assassins seeking to materialize a project from the heart of the Vietnam War. In search of clues, Tomo will use a modified Animus to scrutinize the memory of an Assassin of this group, but all this will not be without consequences for him.

Passion Conspiracy:

At the helm of this comic book scenario is Guillaume Dorison, a regular franchisee who has worked on several Assassin's Creed albums. There is therefore a frankly pleasant mastery of the subject, even if this kind of transmedia content is inevitably enough to confuse fans of video games that seek to prolong the pleasure. Fortunately, the landmarks are there, starting with the Animus, but also the eternal rivalry between the Knights Templar and the Assassins. The historical period chosen, namely the Vietnam War, is also unprecedented in the franchise: although it seems rather obvious that this is part of the specifications, it is rather well thought out.

However, the proposed plot does not really get out of the nails of what we can finally see in the games. Even if some surprises are at the rendezvous, a good old conspiracy is finally always effective. This does not detract from the pleasure of reading, and the two volumes are pleasant to read and even rather dense, despite a number of standard pages, around fifty.

Everything is (graphically) allowed

The beautiful covers illustrated by Thibaud de Rochebrune immediately catch the eye, so much so that by opening the volumes, it is possible to be a little disconcerted by the line of Ennio Bufi, who took charge of all the pages of the comic strip. Less detailed and more nervous, the style of Bufi however sticks rather well to the dynamics of history and in particular the boards that leave room for action: the designer offers a beautiful staging of the movement, and even splits full pages really successful. The line is even more assured in Volume 2, which focuses more on the action while Volume 1 tends to set the scene.

However, without lying: Assassin's Creed Bloodstone does not change the game in the universe of the franchise. It is above all a way to make the saga live through another branch, to show that the arc that any player knows is not the only one involving the Assassins, Templars, Animus or the apple of Eden. No thunderous revelation here, but a good time to spend in a universe that has, decidedly, a lot of stories to tell.