| Lara Croft | |
|---|---|
Cover art of the final issue. |
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| Character information | |
| First appearance | Tomb Raider/Witchblade #1 (December 1997) |
| In-story information | |
| Full name | Lara Croft |
| Abilities | Skilled gymnast and martial artist Master with pistols |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Top Cow |
| Formats | Original material for the series has been published as a set of ongoing series, limited series, and one-shot comics. |
| Genre | Action/adventure Based on the video game Tomb Raider. |
| Publication date | November 1999 – March 2005 |
| Number of issues | 51 (plus #½) |
| Reprints | |
| Collected editions | |
| Tomb Raider Compendium | ISBN 1582408033 |
The Tomb Raider comic book series are based on the character of Lara Croft, from the games produced by Eidos Interactive and (at the time) Core Design.
Contents |
The series, which ran from 1999 to 2005 (in which the fiftieth and final issue was released), consisted of monthly issues published by Top Cow Productions, who secured the rights to producing comics after a long struggle. Preceding this series, French publisher Glenat got the green light from Eidos France to produce a comic series called Dark Eons based on the Tomb Raider games, which was taken off the market shortly after. Besides the monthly series, a parallel 12-part series called Journeys, which ran from 2001 to 2003, was also published.
The comics follow a different continuity compared to that of the games and the films. In the comics, the plane crash experienced by Lara kills both her parents as well as her fiancee, and takes place when she is an adult as opposed to being a young girl, as is the case with the game's continuity. Writers Dan Jurgens, John Nay Riber, and James Bonny worked on the series, which also featured the art of Andy Park, Michael Turner, Billy Tan, and Adam Hughes, amongst others.
There are one shots occasionally released and talk of the comic being reintroduced to tie-in to the Tomb Raider: Legend edited continuity. There have also been frequent crossovers with other Top Cow publications such as Fathom, The Darkness, Magdalena, and Witchblade. The debut issue of Tomb Raider was the number one-selling comic book of 1999.
In late 2006, Top Cow released the Tomb Raider Compendium. This was a large, single volume, collected edition of the Tomb Raider comic series; a hardcover version followed in 2008. The book encompasses all 50 issues (well over 1000 pages), as well as a cover gallery featuring select covers, most of them done by Adam Hughes. It is a full-size, full-color reproduction of all fifty issues on high-quality paper. This collection, however, does not include the various specials, minis, and one-shots from the series. This would probably explain why the compendium has "Volume One" written on the side.
Bandai Entertainment also published a "tankōbon" set of volumes, which reprints older stories in black-and-white in a smaller book.[1]
Tomb Raider comics were announced to return in late 2007;[2] however, it has been delayed due to licensing issues.[3]
The Tomb Raider comics have been collected into a number of trade paperbacks.
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