Author(s): Anne Toole Artist(s): Ann Maulina Cover A: PEACH MOMOKO Cover B: GAME ART WRAPAROUND Cover C: LOISH Cover D: STANLEY ARTGERM LAU GREEN VIRGIN VARIANT
A brand-new comic series based on the award-winning game by Guerrilla. Aloy and Talanah return in a new story set after the events of the game! Nature has reclaimed the planet. Awe-inspiring machines dominate the land, as humanity fights for survival on this new earth. Co-created by one of the writers of Horizon Zero Dawn game Anne Toole.
Writer: Anne Toole Artist: Ann Maulina FC, 32pp, $3.99, On Sale: September 2, 2020 Cover Artists: Junggeun Yoon (Cover A), Game Art Wraparound (Cover B), Loish (Cover C), Artgerm B&W Variant (Cover D), Peach Momoko (FOC VARIANT)
A brand-new comic sequel story to the award-winning game by Guerrilla. Aloy and Talanah return! Nature has reclaimed the planet. Awe-inspiring machines dominate the land, as humanity fights for survival on this new Earth. Co-created by one of the writers of the Horizon Zero Dawn game.
When Horizon: Zero Dawncame out on the Playstation 4 back in 2017, I remember feeling a sense of wonder and relief. It was a post-apocalyptic game of sorts, but it wasn’t the dreary and bleak world we’d grown accustomed to as gamers post-Last of Us. Instead, Guerilla Games gave us a lush and living environment with impressive vistas and mechanical beasts that played with both prehistoric and high-tech notions of life. It made for an unforgettable gaming and storytelling experience.
Now, Titan Comics has brought the Horizon universe to the comics world and I’m happy to say the transition is not only successful but also comes off as an obvious next step for the franchise.
Written by Anne Toole, who worked on the game’s script and counts among her writing credits the Assassin’s Creed: Origins “Cursed of the Pharaohs” DLC, and illustrated by Ann Maulina (who has worked as a video game and environment artist), the new Horizon comic centers on Talanah Khane Padish and her hunt for a single machine as per a contract she accepted. Talanah gets injured, but she fights through the pain to continue in her quest even as she meets new characters that might hint at a coming conflict between tribes.
While previous knowledge of the game’s story isn’t a requirement, having at least one playthrough completed will enrich the reading experience considerably. In the game, Talanah is a potential ally for Aloy (Horizon’s main character) and is crucial to the Hunter’s Lodge missions in the story. She becomes Aloy’s sponsor in the Lodge and even helps out during the final battle of the main story.
Having that background helps readers jump straight into the comic. A familiar face is easy to get excited about and foregoes a lot of the trappings of heavy exposition commonly found in first issues. Toole does a phenomenal job in this front, keeping as much as possible up to the reader to figure out. Nothing is spelled out, but all the narrative elements are there for readers to piece together what the story’s world is about. Thankfully, new readers can also follow Talanah’s story with minimal understanding of the universe. This is where Maulina’s art comes in.
Horizon’s world is nothing short of breathtaking. The contrast between mechanical dinosaurs and human characters designed like they come from a high tech Stone Age is very unique to the PS4 game and Maulina has captured it faithfully in the comic book page. That same sense of wonder and danger that one gets while playing the game transfers over to the comic, with vibrant colors and deadly machines inhabiting a blossoming natural word. Having played the game, I felt as if the story’s energy mimicked that of the game’s. The thrill of the hunt and the adrenaline rush that comes with hunting robo-dinos is as present here as it is in the game.
Titan Comics
Toole’s scripting, on the other hand, also finds ways to incorporate video game winks into the overall design of the story with panels showing characters doing things player can do in-game. Whether it’s Talanah throwing a rock to distract the machines or walking on a tight-rope to cross a river, these instances bring players back to the game if only briefly to link up both experiences.
Whether the Horizon comic will continue to expand upon the game’s universe or simply follow within the lines of an extended side quest remains to be seen. Aloy is a part of the story, but it feels as if Talanah’s the lead. Fortunately, Talanah is well-crafted and can help fans bridge both comic and gaming experiences into a cohesive whole. In all honesty, any excuse to venture back into the world of Horizon is good enough for me–and with Horizon 2 already confirmed for the Playstation 5–this comic does a wonderful job of giving fans enough reasons to continue the journey.
Story: Anne Toole Art: Ann Maulina Color: Bryan Valenza Letterer: Jim Campbell Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Replay Horizon and make sure to finish the Frozen Wilds DLC
Titan Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Author(s): Anne Toole Artist(s): Ann Maulina Cover Artist(s): Stanley ‘Artgerm’ Lau (CVR A), Game Art (CVR B), Loish (CVR C), Ann Maulina (CVR D), Peach Momoko (CVR E), Blue Line Sketch Variant (CVR F)
A brand-new comic series based on the award-winning game by Guerrilla. Aloy and Talanah return in a new story set after the events of the game! Nature has reclaimed the planet. Awe-inspiring machines dominate the land, as humanity fights for survival on this new earth. Co-created by one of the writers of Horizon Zero Dawn game Anne Toole. Horizon Zero Dawn FCBD #0 ties into this brand-new #1!
This August, Titan Comics and Guerrilla will embark on an exciting adventure together, as the first original comic book series set in the world of the global smash-hit PS4 game Horizon Zero Dawn comes to comics. This new series takes place after the events of the game as Talanah, a strong and determined hunter, struggles to find purpose after her trusted friend Aloy disappears. When a mysterious threat emerges in the wilds, she sets out to hunt and to defeat it, only to learn that a whole new breed of killer machines stalk the land!
You can join the story too at this year’s Horizon Zero Dawn Comic SDCC@Home panel, where the creative team behind this hotly-anticipated comic book launch — writer Anne Toole, artist Ann Maulina, Guerrilla narrative director Ben McCaw, principal artist Gilbert Sanders, and Guerrilla studio director/art director Jan-Bart van Beek — discuss bringing the critically-acclaimed Horizon world to this illustrated medium. Follow this link on Thursday July 23 to watch the panel live and learn more about Horizon Zero Dawn: The Comic Series.
To celebrate SDCC 2020, Titan Comics has revealed a never-before-seen issue #1 cover by Peach Momoko! The U.K. and Europe can purchase it here. U.S., Canada, and the rest of the world can purchase it here.
Horizon Zero Dawn #1 is set to debut in comic stores on August 5, 2020.
Titan Comics’ new Horizon Zero Dawncomic book series – co-created by Anne Toole, one of the writers of Horizon Zero Dawn, with artwork by fan-favorite artist Ann Maulina – takes place after the events of the game as Talanah, a strong and determined hunter, struggles to find purpose after her trusted friend Aloy disappears. When a mysterious threat emerges in the wilds, she sets out to hunt and to defeat it, only to learn that a whole new breed of killer machines stalk the land!
Horizon Zero Dawn #1 features fantastic covers for fans to collect including Stanley ‘Artgerm’ Lau, Peach Momoko, and Loish!
Set on a far-future Earth, where nature has reclaimed the planet but massive, animal-like machines now rule the land, Horizon Zero Dawn follows the story of Aloy, an extraordinary young woman whose quest to solve the riddle of her mysterious origins takes her deep into the ruins of the ancient past.
Horizon Zero Dawn #1 is set to debut at comic book retailers worldwide and digital devices on August 5, 2020.
Titan Comics and Guerrilla embark on an exciting adventure together with their first original comic book series set in the world of the global smash-hit PS4 game Horizon Zero Dawn. The hotly-anticipated debut issue is set to arrive in stores summer 2020 with a cover by superstar artist Stanley “Artgerm” Lau.
Set on a far future Earth, where nature has reclaimed the planet but massive, animal-like machines now rule the land, Horizon Zero Dawn follows the story of Aloy, an extraordinary young woman whose quest to solve the riddle of her mysterious origins takes her deep into the ruins of the ancient past.
Released in 2017, Horizon Zero Dawn garnered praise from both fans and critics alike, receiving numerous awards including the 2018 Writers Guild of America Award for Achievement in Videogame Writing and the 2018 BAFTA Games Award for Original Property.
Titan’s new comic book series – co-created by Anne Toole, one of the writers of Horizon Zero Dawn, with artwork by fan-favorite artist Ann Maulina – takes place after the events of the game as Talanah, a strong and determined hunter, struggles to find purpose after her trusted friend Aloy disappears. When a mysterious threat emerges in the wilds, she sets out to hunt and to defeat it, only to learn that a whole new breed of killer machines stalk the land!
Issue #1 is set to debut in comic stores on July 22, 2020, with a range of amazing variant covers to collect, including artwork by superstar artist Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, fan-favorite digital illustrator Loish, Peach Momoko, original game art, plus much more! Fans of Horizon Zero Dawn can also look forward to a one-shot prequel comic book, which leads into this brand-new issue #1 to be released as part of Free Comic Book Day 2020
Horizon Zero Dawn #1 hits comic stores and digital devices on July 22, 2020.
For the past five years Dark Horse Comics and 343 Industries have worked together to bring fans exciting and intriguing stories to expand the Halo universe. Now we’re ready to deploy a new mission starring Blue Team’s Spartan Linda-058 in pursuit of a rogue UNSC scientist!
Halo: Lone Wolf follows Spartan Linda-058 alone on a covert mission. Her skills in infiltration and marksmanship make her perfect for the high-stakes mission to end the threat posed by a wanted scientist on a distant planet. With only an ONI assigned AI at her side, Linda must fight through both the dregs of the Covenant and the hostility of a lost human settlement to stop the rogue scientist in his tracks.
The newest entry in the Halo comics franchise is written by Anne Toole with art by Kieran McKeown and JL Straw, colors by Dan Jackson, and covers by Christian Ward.
Halo: Lone Wolf #1 (of four) goes on sale January 2, 2019.
Story Concept: Anne Toole, Anthony Del Col
Writer: Anthony Del Col
Story Consultant: Ann Lemay
Artist: PJ Kaiowa
Colorist: Dijjo Lima
Letterer: Comicraft
CVR A PJ Kaiowa
CVR B Toni Infante
Editor: Tom Williams
Senior Editor: Andrew James
Publisher: Titan Comics
32pp, $3.99, On sale: April 11, 2018
Egypt — the turbulent final years of the Ptoelemaic period.
Succeeding in their mission of vengeance, Bayek of Siwa and his wife Aya eliminated those responsible for the death of their son. But their quest for retribution led them to uncover the secretive Order of the Ancients, and its plans to control all of Egypt and beyond.
Aware of the magnitude of the threat the Order poses towards the freedom of all people, Bayek and Aya parted ways to dedicate their lives towards building a brotherhood to resist the power of the Order.
Known as the Hidden Ones, they work from the shadows to assassinate those who would seek to control the free will of the people.
With the city of Rome as her new base of operations, Aya has already enlisted the help of a number of like-minded individuals to her cause, including the senators Brutus and Cassius. But by assassinating the power-hungry dictator Julius Caesar in the hopes of freeing the city, Aya and her new allies may have plunged Rome into even further turmoil…
There is no safe haven in the Shadowlands! As Mystere and Jasmine escape each threat they find another more deadly one waiting for them. Every danger they encounter seems to be pushing them deeper into the cursed land and towards a foreboding structure called The Tower…a place where legends say no one has ever returned from alive.
The cave of ice has more danger in it they initially believed in Grimm Fairy Tales: Dance of the Dead #3. With sheer dumb luck, they manage to escape the cave, finding themselves on the outskirts of a desert city. Yet, with more danger then they know on their tale. How long will they survive in the Shadowlands? Writer Anne Toole ups the action for this entry in the series.
The art by Marcio Abreu does a solid job of rendering the magic in this issue, along with bringing in the past with the sepia color scheme seen in previous issues.
There is no safe haven in the Shadowlands! As Mystere and Jasmine escape each threat they find another more deadly one waiting for them. Every danger they encounter seems to be pushing them deeper into the cursed land and towards a foreboding structure called The Tower…a place where legends say no one has ever returned from alive.