With its distinctive art style, Cult of the Lamb is a natural fit to be adapted into other media. And that’s exactly what’s happening with Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse, a new graphic novel that serves as an adaptation and expansion of the original game’s lore.
Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse is a collaboration between comic book publisher Oni Press, game publisher Devolver Digital and development studio Massive Monster. The comic is written by Alex Paknadel (Red Goblin) and drawn by Troy Little (Rick and Morty vs. Cthulu).
Check out the slideshow gallery below to see covers and teaser art for Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse:
You can also check out the official trailer for Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse. Here’s the official description for the book:
In a land pervaded by cruelty and evil, the most innocent among us – young Lamb, the last of their kind – was selected to become a final dark sacrifice. Their death would forever seal the darkest of the Old Gods from our realm and usher in a new age ruled by the four eldritch Bishops of the Old Faith. So Lamb died… then forged a deal of their own.
At the crossroads of eternity, Lamb was met by the imprisoned deity known as The One Who Waits, who revealed the lies and distortions of the false prophets who rule the world above. And so, Lamb was bequeathed the power and responsibilities of the Red Crown and returned to the land of living with unholy powers to exact vengeance and deliver a new cult unto the Earth.
The Bishops of the Old Faith must fall. The disbelievers must be destroyed. And, as Lamb assembles their flock, a new master shall reign over creation. Praise be to the Cult of the Lamb!
“Let me just clear the air here: I’m not a gamer. At least, I thought I wasn’t until this extraordinary story landed in my lap,” Paknadel tells IGN. “A perfect innocent – a sacrificial lamb – is given the means to avenge themselves against the tyrannical system that threw them under the bus for a paltry superstition. It’s a classic revenge fantasy, but it also contains the seeds of truly epic tragedy.Get ready to experience the events of the game from the Lamb’s perspective – their fall and rise and fall – and see why the tragedy of The One Who Waits’ anointed avenger only began with their death.”
“Like most people, I’ve always dreamed of joining a cult, but never found a good fit. Who knew my salvation would arrive in the form of a fluffy little lamb wielding strange and terrible Eldrich powers?” says Little. “Cult of the Lamb is right up my alley – I love the contrast of these cute little characters blissfully existing in a dark and twisted fraternity. Playing the game, I was a kind and benevolent provider for my flock (never mind the occasional blood sacrifice) but the comic takes us deeper into the very nature and consequences of these dark acts. What seems a clever game mechanic for collecting power takes on a much more visceral reality and well… things are going to get very, very messy. Alas, I am but the humble scribe of this illuminated manuscript on behalf of our cherished leader and it’s not for me to question their methods. All Hail the Lamb!”
Cult of the Lamb: The First Verse is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter. The campaign includes a “Day One” discount for fans who preorder during the first 24 hours. Backers are expected to receive their items by December 2024.
IGN’s Tom Marks gave Cult of the Lamb an 8 out of 10, writing, “Cult of the Lamb is as adorable as it is unsettling, an eclectic mix of genres and themes that come together extremely well. Its combat is immensely satisfying even if its short runs and the relative lack of variety between them doesn’t give it the lasting appeal of other action roguelikes, and building my very own cult base and tending to a flock of followers was just as fun as any swing of the axe. I may not revisit it now that the credits have rolled, but Cult of the Lamb is something altogether different that I had an absolute blast playing.”
Cult of the Lamb was recently updated in January 2024 with the release of the DLC expansion Sins of the Flesh.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
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