Dark Horse Publishing Tomb Raider Prequel Comic

Sarah LeBoeuf

New member
Apr 28, 2011
2,084
0
0
Dark Horse Publishing Tomb Raider Prequel Comic



A six-issue Tomb Raider comic written by Rhianna Pratchett will be made available early to Best Buy pre-order customers.

It's a big year for Lara Croft; she's getting a new look and origin story in Tomb Raider, due out in just a few weeks, and making a return to comic books. Dark Horse has announced that it is teaming up with Crystal Dynamics to publish Tomb Raider: The Beginning, a six-issue series that will serve as a prequel to the events of the upcoming game. Written by lead game writer Rhianna Pratchett, this will be the first time Lara Croft has appeared in comics since 2005, when Top Cow ended its Tomb Raider series.

Pratchett stated that the comic allowed her to "flesh out the world of Tomb Raider and work with the talented team at Dark Horse to bring Lara Croft back to comics." The Beginning reveals the start of Lara's first big archeological adventure and explains how the game's crew came together on a mission to find a lost Japanese kingdom.

According to Dark Horse's press release, fans who pre-order Tomb Raider at Best Buy will receive the full 48-page hardcover omnibus early, though Tomb Raider: The Beginning doesn't have a release date yet. The press release refers to this as the "first series," but there's no word on Tomb Raider's future in comics after The Beginning. More information about the comic will be available after the game is released in March.

Permalink
 

Queen Michael

has read 4,010 manga books
Jun 9, 2009
10,400
0
0
I remember those old Top Cow comics. I'm guessing these will be better. They're backed up with Pratchett power, after all.
 

Frontastic

New member
Aug 3, 2010
318
0
0
Wait, I don't understand. So it's a prquel to a prequel? So it'll just be people on a boat for six issues with nothing happening? Because nothing happens until they crash on the island and it would a tad absurd if they had a full adventure on the boat-ride before they even get to the island. Hey I still want to read it but I just think it's hilarious calling it the 'The Beginning' when it's before what surely is the beginning anyway...
 

Kenjitsuka

New member
Sep 10, 2009
3,051
0
0
Loved the original comics, especially crossing over with Witchblade and The Darkness!
 

PunkRex

New member
Feb 19, 2010
2,533
0
0
DVS BSTrD said:
Sarah LeBoeuf said:
Dark Horse Publishing Tomb Raider Prequel Comic
Dark Horse Publishing

Great! Now all I can think about is a Laura Croft/Hellboy crossover, and how I'll never get to see it :(
Im hopeing more for a Tom Raider x Empowered cross over... whew, did it just get hot in here?
 

Hero in a half shell

It's not easy being green
Dec 30, 2009
4,286
0
0
Mcoffey said:
What is there to read about? Issue One - 5: Laura goes to college. Issue Six: Laura gets on the boat.
Issue 2. Lara and the cosmetic surgeon.

I can imagine this getting just totally ridiculous as a whole pile of insane things happen on the boat that are of course never alluded to in the game despite their world changing revelations.
 

Bucht

New member
Apr 22, 2010
315
0
0
Not a big fan of comics that tie-in to other media, but if the reviews are good I'll probably pick it up.

But to be honest, the only way they can make this work is if they focus the story on the antagonists.
 

elvor0

New member
Sep 8, 2008
2,320
0
0
Frontastic said:
Wait, I don't understand. So it's a prquel to a prequel? So it'll just be people on a boat for six issues with nothing happening? Because nothing happens until they crash on the island and it would a tad absurd if they had a full adventure on the boat-ride before they even get to the island. Hey I still want to read it but I just think it's hilarious calling it the 'The Beginning' when it's before what surely is the beginning anyway...
Well I suppose it adds another layer of characterization, lets you get to know the crew (ha!) before it crashes. Plus it's free so I guess it's a nice little bonus. Bit more backstory on how the voyage started, new Laras beginnings hopefully, etc etc.

OT: I guess I'll wait until they publish a collected version, not a big fan of digital comics. But I am really looking forward to the new Tomb Raider, the only thing I don't "like" is Lara's face. It's too.... soft and girly. If that makes sense, I know this is her first trip so I'm not expecting her character to be hard, but I always imagined Lara as having a bit more toughness to her face, structure wise. It's a petty complaint I know.
 
Aug 31, 2012
1,774
0
0
Frontastic said:
Wait, I don't understand. So it's a prquel to a prequel? So it'll just be people on a boat for six issues with nothing happening? Because nothing happens until they crash on the island and it would a tad absurd if they had a full adventure on the boat-ride before they even get to the island. Hey I still want to read it but I just think it's hilarious calling it the 'The Beginning' when it's before what surely is the beginning anyway...
Probably Lara travelling on the London underground to get to Heathrow. A harrowing journey for anyone.
 

Warachia

New member
Aug 11, 2009
1,116
0
0
Frontastic said:
Wait, I don't understand. So it's a prequel to a prequel? So it'll just be people on a boat for six issues with nothing happening? Because nothing happens until they crash on the island and it would a tad absurd if they had a full adventure on the boat-ride before they even get to the island. Hey I still want to read it but I just think it's hilarious calling it the 'The Beginning' when it's before what surely is the beginning anyway...
This was my thought too, so we just get to see setup for the game, which you could just play instead of reading about nothing, at least it's a different way to hype something up IF people get it early enough before the game, it's just a shame it's not going to be able to show anything.
 

Frontastic

New member
Aug 3, 2010
318
0
0
elvor0 said:
Well I suppose it adds another layer of characterization, lets you get to know the crew (ha!) before it crashes. Plus it's free so I guess it's a nice little bonus. Bit more backstory on how the voyage started, new Laras beginnings hopefully, etc etc.
Well actually, thinking about it more this could all depend on timelines. Do we know if they're wiping the previous Crystal Dynamics timeline? I'm going to assume they are (sadly) so either it'll be a totally new timeline or they'll go for the original CORE timeline, in which case we could get 6 issue of Lara having an aristocratic screaming match with her parents over her life choices before she storms out with an "I'll show you!" attitude only to be reported missing-presumed-dead within days of leaving. At which point we cut to the final panel as Lord and Lady Croft take tea in the study and look suitably proven right.
 

elvor0

New member
Sep 8, 2008
2,320
0
0
Frontastic said:
elvor0 said:
Well I suppose it adds another layer of characterization, lets you get to know the crew (ha!) before it crashes. Plus it's free so I guess it's a nice little bonus. Bit more backstory on how the voyage started, new Laras beginnings hopefully, etc etc.
Well actually, thinking about it more this could all depend on timelines. Do we know if they're wiping the previous Crystal Dynamics timeline? I'm going to assume they are (sadly) so either it'll be a totally new timeline or they'll go for the original CORE timeline, in which case we could get 6 issue of Lara having an aristocratic screaming match with her parents over her life choices before she storms out with an "I'll show you!" attitude only to be reported missing-presumed-dead within days of leaving. At which point we cut to the final panel as Lord and Lady Croft take tea in the study and look suitably proven right.
I believe it's going to be an all new timeline, as this is stated as being her first expedition, which doesn't fit in with the CORE timeline, as she went with Von Croy to cambodia at 16. There is mention of a plane crash and Lara having to use her wits and instinct to survive when she was 21, so I'm assuming this one will take influence from the plane crash story.

I'd like to see Von Croy make an appearance in New TR 2 though, like say, as a result of this, she takes an interest in Archeology, reads up on Von Croy and goes off on an expedition with him as the first act of the game, works nicely as developing her into THE Lara Croft and is a good throwback to ye olde games.
 

Frontastic

New member
Aug 3, 2010
318
0
0
elvor0 said:
I believe it's going to be an all new timeline, as this is stated as being her first expedition, which doesn't fit in with the CORE timeline, as she went with Von Croy to cambodia at 16. There is mention of a plane crash and Lara having to use her wits and instinct to survive when she was 21, so I'm assuming this one will take influence from the plane crash story.

I'd like to see Von Croy make an appearance in New TR 2 though, like say, as a result of this, she takes an interest in Archeology, reads up on Von Croy and goes off on an expedition with him as the first act of the game, works nicely as developing her into THE Lara Croft and is a good throwback to ye olde games.
Oh did they mention a plane crash? At 21? So that's more in line with the Core timeline (aside from Von Croy as you say). Damn, so the whole Atlantean/Avalon/Norse stuff is definitely out then. I forget what age she was (8 or 9?) in the CD plane crash but it wasn't 21. So her parents are probably still alive in this timeline, I would quite like to see them show up and be a force of conflict. I loved the CD trilogy but her parents were just bland, all-round good people who all died off-screen. (I would love to have seen Natla killing her father.)

Now that you say it, it would be great to see him come back. I'm still holding out for a novelised (or something) completion of the AoD storyline but what you just said about showing up the sequel would be fantastic. Hmm, co-op in the sequel?? :p (Seriously, no. Just no.)
 

elvor0

New member
Sep 8, 2008
2,320
0
0
Frontastic said:
elvor0 said:
I believe it's going to be an all new timeline, as this is stated as being her first expedition, which doesn't fit in with the CORE timeline, as she went with Von Croy to cambodia at 16. There is mention of a plane crash and Lara having to use her wits and instinct to survive when she was 21, so I'm assuming this one will take influence from the plane crash story.

I'd like to see Von Croy make an appearance in New TR 2 though, like say, as a result of this, she takes an interest in Archeology, reads up on Von Croy and goes off on an expedition with him as the first act of the game, works nicely as developing her into THE Lara Croft and is a good throwback to ye olde games.
Oh did they mention a plane crash? At 21? So that's more in line with the Core timeline (aside from Von Croy as you say). Damn, so the whole Atlantean/Avalon/Norse stuff is definitely out then. I forget what age she was (8 or 9?) in the CD plane crash but it wasn't 21. So her parents are probably still alive in this timeline, I would quite like to see them show up and be a force of conflict. I loved the CD trilogy but her parents were just bland, all-round good people who all died off-screen. (I would love to have seen Natla killing her father.)

Now that you say it, it would be great to see him come back. I'm still holding out for a novelised (or something) completion of the AoD storyline but what you just said about showing up the sequel would be fantastic. Hmm, co-op in the sequel?? :p (Seriously, no. Just no.)
Ah by the plane crash I meant the one that was mentioned in the original(1996) TR booklet, so was sort of guessing that the boat crash in TR-2013 took inspiration from that snippet, not that it happens in this new Timeline. (as the snippet says she gains her confidence from the events of having to survive in the wild for 2 weeks) Not too hot on the CD timeline, me and Lara were having a... "break" then.

But from what I can gather this is a whole new time line, anything could've happened, all we know for certain is this is her first expedition and she gets shipwrecked. But I'll be looking forward to it for sure. Hopefully this comic book can shed some light on some more of her backstory, beyond what they'll tell us in the game.