Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Nicolás Daniel Selma
Release Date: 26th February 2014
Every week, we’re going to throw one of the latest releases open to the combined might of the BCP review team in order to get a wider perspective on just how good (or bad) a particular title is. Last week we looked at Undertow #1 from Image Comics, and this week we’re casting our collective eyes over the new Dark Horse Tomb Raider series from Gail Simone. Let’s take a look and see what our team made of this one;
Chris B Says…
I generally try to stay away from tie-in books as I feel a lot of them are merely a cheap cash grab, but thankfully, this book proved me wrong. Written by the pleasant as ever Gail Simone, the book follows a young Lara Croft after an adventure. While I found it a strange approach to jump in at what can only be described as an epilogue, it was a nice wee read that definitely grabbed my attention.
Simone’s approach to writing characters (not just female, as I find the distinction patronising, surely someone would just be classed as good at characterisation?) is well known and shines through here, with Lara being portrayed not as the strong lead were used to from previous iterations, but as the young, more inexperienced girl from the most recent game.
The art direction was positive, with Lara not having the pneumatic chest of old and featuring gorgeous backdrops. Nicolás Daniel Selma did a fantastic job of bringing the story to life.
I realise I’ve not mentioned the actual content of the book yet, and I don’t know how to without delving into spoiler territory. However, if you’re a fan of the series or a fan of supernatural/horror, then this won’t dissapoint.
Rating: 4/5.
Jules Says…
I’ve never read a Tomb Raider comic outside of the Fathom crossovers many years ago, neither have I ever played any of the games, but this relaunch was new reader-friendly enough that I didn’t feel lost.
Unfortunately, it didn’t have much more to recommend it.
If it didn’t have her name on the cover, I would never have known it was a Gail Simone script. Her normally sharp dialogue is nowhere to be seen, instead we have flat, lifeless exposition, scattered across a dull plot that struggles to make any sort of impact at all.
Nicolas Daniel Selma’s art is perfectly suited to the script, in that it does it job, no more no less. It’s not bad in any way, but neither is it memorable.
To be fair, Simone is just setting up her central mystery here, so there’s room for improvement, but a first issue should grab the reader’s attention from the off. As it stands, I’m in no hurry to read issue 2. Seriously disappointing.
Rating: 2/5.
Al Says…
The idea of Gail Simone writing Lara Croft, in a series spinning off of one of my favourite videogames of the last couple of years had me positively buzzing.
Not anymore.
It pains me to say it, but as a start to the series, this first issue has put me right off. Instead of Simone’s usual great characterisation and dialogue, we get a lot of “Oh, God!/Oh, no!/Oh, bollocks!”, combined with some of the flattest artwork this side of IDW’s ‘Star Trek’ ongoing series.
Clearly, the idea here is to create a little mystery, so Lara can go adventuring for answers, but everything here is so vague that it actually fails to pique any interest. This isn’t helped by the fact that any readers who didn’t play the last videogame won’t have a clue who anyone is or what anyone is talking about. A new story that didn’t necessarily have a strong connection to the game may have made this issue much more accessible, but the art would still be off-putting.
I really hate to tear into this book. I love Gail Simone’s work, but not here. ‘Tomb Raider’ really needs to live up to its potential fast. I’m a fan of the writer, and have always been a fan of the source material, but I don’t plan to buy this at all.
Rating: 1/5.
Chris N Says…
You all know Lara Croft, right? Tomb Raider, star of computer games and movies. Jiggles? Thats the one.
The front cover suggests a possible overemphasis on Lara’s rack, but this is refreshingly not present inside the comic, which is sadly otherwise unremarkable.
The plot tells of Lara’s survival guilt from a prior expedition, opening with a nightmare which is possibly the most fun part of the book.
We quickly meet a few people were supposed to care for because she does, all the while accompanied by some heavy handed exposition that doesn’t flow all that well – the kind of thing that might work in a movie as the character narrates their own thoughts while staring out the window of a train, but takes up valuable space in a comic.
A supernatural theme to the plot quickly becomes apparent, although the full details are not divulged in this issue and this promises some interesting possibilities, even if the examples in this episode are a bit silly.
The artwork is capable yet not exceptional, edging towards the sterile at times but doing the job.
Overall, this is okay for a first issue, but nothing more.
Rating: 3/5.
James Says…
The iconic Lara Croft is back with a whimper in this mediocre first issue. Twin pistols, labyrinthine tombs and isolated exploration are sadly replaced with bad dreams and poor melodrama. The dialogue is as bland as it gets which prevents the characters from ever being noteworthy which in turn robs any suspense from the action.
Some of Lara’s pointless inner thoughts are printed for whatever reason. They serve to spell out what is obviously going on and don’t feel natural in the slightest. It’s simple stuff and feels void of character. The same can be said about the art which is crystal clear but filled with vacant dolls. Going through the motions of reading this book is a testing affair.
Take away the Tomb Raider name and all that remains is a sad first issue with a thus far tedious cast and unremarkable heroine.
Rating: 2/5.
Joe Says…
Haunted by flashbacks and nightmares after her adventure in the recent Tomb Raider videogame reboot, Lara Croft is swept up into some mad quest for some mad reason on behalf of some mad guy, or something.
I’ll be frank, this is a poor comic. The artwork is stiff and lifeless, like mannequins forced into poses. The writing is comically clunky (‘every slumber brings a new nightmare’ – really?) and is a real disappointment considering how good Gail Simone usually is. It’s weirdly paced, with a baggy opening scene which is then followed by a meeting that spirals into chaos so quickly that it defies logic or believability. Things just lurch from one thing to another. I could go on but it’s not worth my time. Avoid.
Rating: 1/5.
Shane Says…
Some titles and characters just aren’t cut out for multiple media platforms. Tomb Raider, at least in this case, is one of those. In Dark Horse’s first issue of Tomb Raider there just wasn’t anything to grab my attention and get me interested in the story.
In an attempt to continue the story from the ending of the newest incarnation of the game, they – in my opinion – failed. The story was very monotone in its presentation and had no life jumping off the pages. The artwork was also quite plain and just didn’t grab the eye or have me turning pages feverishly. The dialogue was very drab and almost meant for child like readers. In fact, the book as a whole seemed very unintelligent and meant for a younger audience in a lot of ways.
If you played the game you were familiar of course with Lara, but also with Sam and Jonah. However, the newest addition, the driver that takes Lara to Jonah was a very off the wall character and came off like a creeper. But even the way his dialogue was handleddid not give the impression of a well-developed ‘creepy’ character. It was like on every level this book could have failed on it did. The artwork however, even though it was plain and not really eye popping, was still done well and in all fairness to the artist it fit the story he was given to illustrate.
In my opinion, leave this book on the shelf, just like they should have left this character and story to be played out on the gaming consoles. Moving pictures and interaction with the character provides a far more suitable medium for this as, sadly, it just doesn’t appear to work in the panel-by-panel format.
Rating: 2/5.
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