Capturing Character Complexity from Page to Collectible
Kentaro Miura's Berserk has horrified and delighted manga and anime fanatics since 1989, creating an international legion of hardcore devotees and inspiring a plethora of TV series, feature films, collectable merchandise, video games, and more! Dark Horse Comics has had the distinct pleasure to be the English language publisher of Berserk since 2003. The Berserk program includes 41 single paperback volumes and has evolved to include a highly regarded line of deluxe hardcover volumes. Over the course of the 20-year publishing partnership with Dark Horse, more than five-million English-language copies of Kentaro Miura's Berserk have been sold world-wide.
The world of manga was devastated by the death of Berserk creator, Kentaro Miura, in May 2021. But Miura-sensei left behind one final volume to cap his 30-plus-year commitment to his signature vision: a fitting curtain call for the beloved series, filled with joy, sadness, and laughter, that is collected in the Berserk Deluxe Edition Volume 14 due out later this year.
In celebration of the longstanding publishing relationship, Dark Horse Direct was given the opportunity to release our first set of Berserk Bookends in 2020 featuring Guts' monstrous sword, Dragon Slayer, to the delight of fans everywhere. Limited to 1000 units, it quickly sold out and has become a highly sought after collector's piece.
This is what makes us so excited to present our newest offering to fans, the Berserk: Guts & Griffith Bookends. Essentially two figural busts that also function as a way to display your manga collection, these were crafted with the upmost attention to detail based on the manga reference shown below.
Guts' design was inspired by how he is portrayed in the manga during the time after the Eclipse, prior to him receiving the Berserker Armor. For the majority of this time Guts was a storm of murderous intent that cared little besides survival and his ruthless quest for blood and retribution. Guts is often seen smiling devilishly at the thought of finding and enacting vengeance on any apostle that is unfortunate enough to cross paths with him. Panels from the Black Swordsman story arc, Conviction arc, and the Falcon Of The Millennium Empire arc (also referred to as the Millennium Falcon arc) were provided as reference for this sculpt and paint.
We were inspired to showcase Griffith in his resplendent armor during the millennium arc of the manga. Griffith's stoic and angelic appearance and expression are meant to mimic the duality of how he appeared versus the actions he took toward ultimate evil in the manga. Panels from the Conviction and Falcon Of The Millennium Empire arc were provided as reference for this sculpt and paint.
We hope you enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look at what we hope will become a favorite set of two highly detailed character sculpts that also offer you an opportunity to show off your beloved Berserk manga (or anime!) collection. But don't delay, pre-orders end May 9, 2023.
Praise for Berserk:
"Berserk's longevity proves that it's not a one-trick pony; there's depth to its universe and staying power to its story."—CBR.com
"For those with darker tastes, there is nothing greater than relishing in Miura's dark fantasy."—Grimdark Magazine
“Berserk is as shocking and unique as ever this far into the series. There are few titles out there that can sustain the level of intensity and relevance as this.”—Anime On DVD
"Miura's illustration captures the primal fear of the dark with forms that are chilling when masked in darkness and horrifying when revealed."—Ain't It Cool News
"Berserk redefines what is considered a well-written fantasy manga. There are few manga that come anywhere close to creating a complex tale that includes medieval warfare, magic, and horror."—Pop Culture Shock
