Tomb Raider (comics)

Lara Croft

Cover art of the final issue.
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
Publication date November 1999 – March 2005
Number of issues 51 (plus #½)
Reprints
Collected editions
Tomb Raider Compendium ISBN 1-58240-803-3

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.

Publication history

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 are primarily based on the same continuity as the games by Core Design, in which Lara's plane crashes when she is twenty-one years old (rather than the latter games by Crystal Dynamics, the plane crash happening when she was only nine years old), but the exact details are changed. In the comic, Lara is accompanied by both her parents and her fiancé, the plane trip taken to celebrate her impending marriage (in the game series, Lara plane is chartered to take on a skiing holiday). 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]

A new series based on the Reboot began publication in 2014, They are published by Dark Horse Comics, With Gail Simone as the lead writer.

Publications

Collected editions

Lara Croft's appearances have been collected into a number of trade paperbacks. Her own comic series was originally named starring Lara Croft as the Tomb Raider (#1-24), and then Lara Croft, Tomb Raider (#25-50) in 2002 due to the release of the movie of the same name in 2001.

Limited series

One-shots

Crossovers

Tankōbon

References

  1. ↑ "Bandai to Publish Top Cow Titles in Manga Format (press release)". Newsarama. February 14, 2006.
  2. ↑ "Tomb Raider Comics Back in Q3 2007!". Tomb Raider Comics. February 5, 2007.
  3. ↑ "New Tomb Raider Comics Series Delayed". Tomb Raider Comics. October 20, 2007.

External links

Interviews