Players can learn a lot more about their favorite video game characters and lore in other media, whether that be in television or movie adaptations. However, these are often costly, and time-consuming and run the risk of not always being very well-received. Novels and comic tie-ins can be a more beneficial route. Sometimes, they are even more creative than their digital counterparts, thanks to bending the limits of what can be done in-game through illustration.
Manycharacters from beloved franchises exclusive to Xboxhave starred in comic book adaptations, from Marvel’sHaloto DC’sGears of Warseries. Carrying their stories over to an illustrated format allows players to discover more about a particular character’s background, often much more than they would in the games.
6The Doom Slayer (Doom)
The Doom Slayer is renowned in theDoomgamesas being a silent protagonist, but that certainly wasn’t the case inDoom’scomic book adaptation. Published in 1996 by Marvel, three years after the first game’s release, the one-off issue follows the Doom Slayer on Earth as he deals absolute carnage to rampant demons.
There’s little to no plot, but the setting and monsters are taken from the first and second games. Featuring the Doom Slayer without his helmet, readers discover that he’s on a mission to collect special weapons to defeat a cyberdemon. As he forges an unbeatable arsenal, he regularly quips hilariously gory one-liners like “Rip and tear!” and shares his love affair with certain weapons.
5Master Chief (Halo)
Master Chief made his comic book debut in 2006 when Marvel publishedThe Halo Graphic Novel. Expanding theHalouniverse beyond the games and tie-in novels, the comic consists of four stories focusing onMaster Chief and other characters. In addition, it includes certain pieces of lore and backstory that hadn’t been mentioned in the video games before being published, providing an even more extensive insight into Master Chief as a character and the franchise as a whole.
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The success ofThe Halo Graphic Novelled tothe comic seriesHalo: Uprisingin 2007, which bridged the gap betweenHalo 2andHalo 3as it chronicled Master Chief’s return to Earth. When Dark Horse took over from Marvel, Master Chief shone in 2013’sHalo: Escalation,which followed the events ofHalo 4and expanded upon the story’s events.
4Liara T’Soni (Mass Effect)
Before theMass Effectfranchise went multiplatform in 2011, it was an Xbox exclusive. As such, the game’s many characters became a staple in the console’s canon, includingthe Asari researcher Liara T’Soniwho features heavily in the franchise. WhenMass Effectmade the jump to comics in 2010 withMass Effect: Redemption, it gave Liara a deeper storyline outside the games, providing more insight into her character. Picking off where the first game left off, it also serves as a prequel toMass Effect 2.
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Liara appears in other comics and graphic novels within theMass Effectuniverse, includingMass Effect: Homeworldsin 2012.Each issue of the series focuses on a specific character, with Liara being the main focus in issue 4, which ends just beforeMass Effect 3’sstoryline begins.
3Senua (Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice)
When the first game in theHellbladefranchise released in 2017, those who pre-ordered the game were given a digital comic. TitledHellblade: Senua’s Song, it focused onHellblade’sprotagonist Senua – a Pict warrior who experiences psychosis consisting of hallucinations, visions, and delusions. The comic is unique in that it doesn’t feature any panels or cohesive dialogue and instead paints a picture ofhow Senua’s psychosis affects her.
Senua’s experience is explored through a poem by Tameem Antoinades,Hellblade’sdirector and the co-founder of its developer Ninja Theory, accompanied by illustrations by Ben Templesmith. “We decided very early on, even though it’s a comic, to dispense with all the panel borders and have everything bleed into one,” Templesmith toldMashable. “So you’re not really sure where one part starts and another stops.”
2Jason Stratton (Gears of War)
First published in 2008 under DC’s Wildstorm imprint,Gears of Warran for 24 issues until 2012. There are five story arcs within theGears of Warcomic series, the first beingHollowwhich introduces the character Jayson Stratton. He briefly appeared inGears of War 2following his debut, followed by his first major appearance in the third game.
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When Jayson first appears inHollow, he’s just finished basic training. But as his character gained more traction and importancewithin theGears of Waruniverse, he was given a standalone issue titledGears of War: Midnight, published in 2010. The comic let Jayson prove his worth to readers and players before he became a significant part of the Delta Squad inGears of War 3, led by Marcus Fenix.
1Sir Arthur Pendragon (Sea of Thieves)
There are dozens of memorable characters in theSea of Thievesfranchise. Still, only a select few have been given a special origin story. One such character is Sir Arthur Pendragon, the ghostly captain of the shipwrecked Blackwyche, which players encounter during theSea of ThievesSeabound Soul Tall Tale.
In 2021, Titan Comics published the three-part digital comicChampion of Soulsas part of theirSea of Thieves Originseries. The comics take readers back to when Arthur was alive and named Champion of Souls by Madam Olivia after being given the ancient Sword of Souls. Arthur then encountersthe Skeleton Lord Greymarrow, who inevitably traps Arthur’s soul in a painting on Blackwyche following a fight.
