Tomb Raider #9 Review


Is this a franchise on the rise? Or Read on to find out.

The official description from Dark Horse:

Roanoke: a desolate, cursed place, forgotten by history. Lara and her allies find themselves trapped in this terrifying lost colony as they try to escape the hired killer gunning for them. However . . . Lara will soon find out there are more terrifying things lurking in the dark than a trained hit man!

Tomb Raider 9_Preview CoverIt’s time for another rousing round of adventure in a rather familiar but nonetheless visceral video game world that’s been re-imagined by Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix. Once again the creative team behind this extension largely succeeds in building up a continuation the fills the void left between sequels, as they also muster just enough gumption to sell me on their own unique content.

Rhianna Pratchett and Gail Simone work together to give Lara Croft a considerable threat that’s born out of the established lore and their own imaginations. Along the way the script makes room for tender back story development while keeping it’s focus squarely on the task at hands. Nothing felt unnecessary but there were parts of the dialogue and plot where it all came off too over the top. Even so each capable scribe did just enough right to get and keep me invested in whatever cliffhanger finish was surely coming around the bend.

The visuals handed in by Derlis Santacruz offer up a simplistic body of work with few sensory details. Upon looking through the illustrations it’s clear that the talent had a specific vision that stayed within the established confines of the written word. There were hiccups, where a few of the facial formations seemed inconsistent. But when you add in the colors by Michael Atiyeh from beginning to end each pencil stroke and page was given enough resonance to legitimize the content.

Tomb Raider #9 may not be the perfect way to spend your Wednesday but it’s a comic that knows its audience and plays to the tune that they no doubt want to hear. In the end this outing earns a recommendation from me.

OUR RATING
7.5
  • + Solid visuals.
  • + Capable dialogue.
  • + Had an engaging plot.
  • - One or two silly moments...

S#!T Talking Central