Creative Staff:
Story: Gail Simone & Rhianna Pratchett
Art: Nicolas Daniel Selma & Juan Gedeon
What They Say:
Chernobyl beckons Lara and her friends as they attempt to uncover the truth . . . a truth that could cost them their very lives. As frightening details come to light, they must fight to survive as they’re stalked by a killer!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
As the second arc of Tomb Raider gets underway, we got some decent back story in the first part of it as Lara’s past with Alex got explored and we understood why the two of them were as close as they were. With the news of Kaz having gone missing, it makes a lot of sense that Lara would move heaven and hell to try and find her, especially since Alex had saved her as well. That it’s taken her to Pripyat to try and find her is a surprise when you get down to it, because how many people would set up shop in a ghost city a couple of miles from Chernobyl, no matter how many years have passed. It’s probably the best location to shift the story to though after the Yamatai arc and its globe trotting as this is something that, creepy as it is, feels a little more cemented and real in a way.
While we got a bit of it established before, it was more in talking rather than showing when it comes to the relationship between Kaz, Alex and Lara. This issue brings us a bit more of that in the showing form at the start as we see Alex and Lara together on the ship that they were a part of for so long and some decent banter and interaction with others that really does show the family side that gets created when people spend time like this together. It’s also one of the rare times in the book that it feels like things are light and fun in a way that’s really needed to ease some of the tensions. But when it throws you into the present again, it works well to reinforce things as to why Lara is in this place and looking for her. Little does she know that there’s a group out there stalking her, thinking she’s part of some other organization there to kill them. While she’s good, she’s not always aware of rifles being aimed at her from a distance.
She’s also not aware when Kaz ends up behind her with a gun to Lara’s head, since Kaz isn’t exactly enamored with Lara after all that had happened with Alex and is surprised that she’s ended up there to find her. When Lara has to reveal that Alex has died, that takes a lot of the wind out of her sails and helps to ease the tensions, though that doesn’t last long as first there’s a tour group of all things coming through to see the area and then the mystery trio with weapons come to deal with Lara. That Kaz is involved with them isn’t a surprise as it unfolds, since it turns out there’s some family relations involved. There’s some mysteries starting to crop up with all of this as we learn Kaz came into this area and what’s going on there, but it feels so loosely defined that I’m hard pressed to put my finger on what this arc is about yet. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but there’s a lot of exposition and small details but nothing that in a way really cements where the story is going or what the larger objectives may be.
In Summary:
Tomb Raider continues on with this arc but what kept me interested in this issue is different than I expected. I rather liked the lighter toned flashback at the start and a feeling of getting the characters a bit more (though a few more names being tossed about would be welcome at times). I also liked Lara’s narration when she was alone or dealing with the deer she temporarily befriended while moving through the ghost city. But what I really liked was the exploration of the city itself in its reclaimed glory as nature has been taking it back. It’s well illustrated and has a stillness to it that definitely works well to provide the right kind of atmosphere to make it work. The book has its moments, but I’m still not invested in the arc itself outside of its very basic premise with Lara trying to find Kaz. Where it goes from here could be interesting, but I’m a bit wary.
Grade: B
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: September 24th, 2014
MSRP: $3.50
Trinity is actually mentioned in some of the logs you can collect in the 2013 game. Not much is seen but it’s clear that they were interested in Yamatai. The most telling log mentions Mathias and his attempt to acquire the “Star Phenomenon” (Himiko’s resurrection?). If I’m not making any sense, WikiRaider should have some more information at the link below. Just thought I’d clarify.
http://www.wikiraider.com/index.php/Trinity
Thanks for the heads-up. I figured it’s stuff that has occurred elsewhere, which is why I try to state that I’m only exposed to the comics so I may miss a few things like that.