Tomb Raider Volume 1: Season of the Witch TPB

Lara and the other survivors of the Endurance are experiencing horrific visions after their ordeal in the lost kingdom of Yamatai. But the visions lead to a darker fate . . . Can Lara survive the calamities that await her as she struggles to piece this new mystery, and her life, back together?

I would have to say a fairly good percentage of people, gamers or not, have some familiarity with the bigger video game characters.  Although not up there with the likes of Mario or Sonic, Lara Croft  or more likely “Tomb Raider” has a decent chance of ringing a bell.  Having actually played and thoroughly enjoying the recent prequel Tomb Raider title, I was really looking forward to reading Tomb Raider Volume 1: Season of the Witch.

For those who know Lara but haven’t checked it out, the last game release is a very different look at Lara.  Once you start this collection of the first six issues of the comic, you’ll see how literal I mean that.  Without ruining too much of the game or this book, this extension of the story sees Lara unexpectedly caught up in the aftermath of the game’s events.  Yet again she has to face off against a group of people up to no good in a quest for power, having to save those close to her in the midst of it.

Whenever you have to visually adapt work from one medium to another, there’s always going to be some level of expectation for the fans.  Knowing what Lara and her crew looked like in the game, I think the team pulled if off well here.  The line art in these comics is super clean, and although it doesn’t jump out at you, the color work is well done.

As you would think, playing the game does certainly help with familiarity and making this more of a continuation to the story.  Both the writing and the artwork were definitely successful in making it feel like a natural next chapter for the game.  Even if you don’t know anything about Lara and her most recent (or technically first) adventure, this is a fun one to newly experience.  Either way, this is a fun book for both Tomb Raider and comic fans alike.

For more on Tomb Raider Volume 1: Season of the Witch or other Dark Horse titles, check out Dark Horse Comics.

Tomb Raider Volume 1: Season of the Witch will be available 11/19

Geek-o-Rama received a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. All thoughts, comments and opinions are those of the individual reviewer.