Master Chief returns in a new edition of the first Halo comic. After a decade, the original graphic novel that began Halo's journey into the world of comics is being reprinted. What started as a single video game has grown into a massive multimedia franchise. This is a great opportunity for original fans to revisit the world of Halo and for new fans to see some of the earlier days of the franchise's multimedia foray.
The first Halo game (Halo: Combat Evolved) released on the XBOX in 2001. Since then, there have been ten sequel games, a remaster, a mobile game, and an arcade game. Halo also spawned a novel series, several different comic series, animated short films, and an upcoming television series. The main character of the franchise, Master Chief, has become an icon. So far, the franchise shows no signs of slowing down.
Now, Dark Horse has announced that it will re-publish the original Halo graphic novel, in a press release. Coming in August 2021, this graphic novel was the very first comic for the Halo franchise. Halo: The Graphic Novel first released in 2006. Fifteen years later, it is making a comeback for fans new and old to enjoy. The graphic novel features four stories that "expand the deep lore of the Halo universe." These stories include "The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor", "Breaking Quarantine", "Armor Testing", and "Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa". Each of these stories were written by major comic creators, including Jay Faerber, Simon Bisley, Ed Lee, and Moebius.
"The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor" is written by Lee Hammock with art by Simon Bisley. This is the main story in the book, taking place during the previously mentioned very first game, Halo: Combat Evolved. "Breaking Quarantine" is written by Tsutomu Nihei, a mangaka who wrote Blame! and the comic series, Wolverine: Snikt! This story is about Sergeant Johnson escaping the Flood, in a manga-like style. "Armor Testing" - created by the team of Ed Lee, Andrew Robinson, and Jay Faerber - tells the story of the first person to test out the infamous MJOLNIR Mark VI armor, before it was given to Master Chief himself. Lastly, "Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa" - written by Brett Lewis with art by Moebius - relates the invasion of the Covenant from a civilian perspective (the first Halo comic story to use this perspective).
This collection is a must-have for Halo fans, as it helped set the precedent for how to tell Halo stories outside of the video games. It made the leap from screen to visual page storytelling, expanding the ways in which stories in the same universe could be told from different, but still compelling, viewpoints. The book is currently available for pre-order and will be $19.99. At first publication, this book succeeded in shifting up the way that the Halo franchise presented stories and proved that there was a market for video game stories to transfer to comics. It allowed for other comics like Halo: Uprising, Halo Wars: Genesis, Halo: Helljumper, Halo: Fall of Reach, and Halo: Escalation. Fans can get their hands on this volume of Halo stories and learn more about the world of Master Chief on August 11, 2021.