The Halo Graphic Novel
First Halo comic anthology, expanding the universe beyond the games.
The Halo Graphic Novel, released on July 19, 2006, is an anthology published by Marvel Comics in collaboration with Bungie. It marks the Halo franchise's first venture into sequential art, presenting elements of the universe previously unseen or undiscussed across any medium.
The book is primarily divided into four short stories, each crafted by different writers and artists from the video game and comic industries. These tales explore various facets of the Halo universe, focusing on narratives tangential to the main game plot. In addition to the stories, the collection includes an extensive art gallery featuring contributions from Bungie, Marvel, and independent sources.
The graphic novel was well-received, with critics praising both the overall cohesiveness of the work and the diversity of its individual pieces. Its success prompted Marvel to announce a new limited comic series, *Halo: Uprising*, and additional future Halo comic books.
**Background and publication**
The project originated from Microsoft and Bungie's exploration of media to expand the Halo franchise, with sequential art a particular interest. Microsoft's head of franchise development, Eric Trautmann, assembled a draft comic by writer John Ney Rieber and artist Adi Granov. Bungie disliked this comic and Trautmann's team, requesting instead to choose their own artists and writers. Bungie studio director Pete Parsons wanted to hire Alan Moore and Joe Kubert, though Trautmann doubted such high-profile figures would agree.
After unsuccessful negotiations, Bungie artist Lorraine McLees suggested the studio finance and edit the novel itself before seeking a publisher, allowing Bungie to maintain control and proceed without outside interference. Comic industry veteran and lead designer Maria Paz Cabardo helped Bungie connect with a "dream team" of writers and artists they admired. Bungie succeeded in approaching respected figures like British comic artist Simon Bisley and French artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud, describing the realization of their characters by these idols as a morale boost.
Story ideas came from the series' story bible, with Bungie viewing the graphic novel as a chance to fill "fictional gaps" and expand the context of larger narratives.
- Published
- July 19, 2006
- Publisher
- Marvel Comics (in partnership with Bungie)
- Pages
- 128 full-color pages
- Format
- Dust jacketed hardcover
- Stories
- 4 main short stories
- Art gallery
- 26-page art gallery
背景と経緯
The origins for the Halo Graphic Novel lay in Microsoft and Bungie's exploration of media into which they could expand the Halo video game franchise, with sequential art being an area of particular interest. Microsoft's head of franchise development, Eric Trautmann, assembled a draft comic written by John Ney Rieber and illustrated by Adi Granov. Bungie disliked the comic and Trautmann's team, and asked to choose their own artists and writers instead. Pete Parsons, the studio director of Bungie, wanted to hire Alan Moore and Joe Kubert for the graphic novel, though Trautmann was highly skeptical that such high-profile artists would agree to work on the project. After unsuccessful negotiation attempts, Bungie artist Lorraine McLees suggested that Bungie finance and edit the novel itself before pursuing a publisher, allowing the studio to maintain control over the content. Comic industry veteran and lead designer Maria Paz Cabardo helped Bungie connect with a 'dream team' roster of writers and artists Bungie admired, including British comic book artist Simon Bisley and French artist Jean 'Moebius' Giraud.
読者ガイド
The Halo Graphic Novel was well-received, with reviewers noting the cohesiveness of the work as a whole, as well as the diversity of the individual material. The success of the novel led to Marvel announcing a new limited comic series, Halo: Uprising, and other future Halo comic books. Ideas for the stories were drawn from the series' story bible, with Bungie seeing the graphic novel as an opportunity to fill in 'fictional gaps' and expand the context of their bigger stories. Executive producer Brian Jarrard explained that 'The stories that happen off camera, the parallel events to the arcs that our fans know from the existing mediums, are the stories we really wanted to tell.' The novel's four stories—'The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor,' 'Armor Testing,' 'Breaking Quarantine,' and 'Second Sunrise over New Mombasa'—each focused on different aspects of the Halo universe, revealing stories tangential to the main plot of the game. The book also contained an extensive art gallery compiled from contributions from Bungie, Marvel and independent sources. Dark Horse Comics released a new edition of the graphic novel in 2021.
豆知識
- The Halo Graphic Novel was the Halo franchise's first entry into the sequential art medium.
- The story 'Breaking Quarantine' contains no dialogue, only weapon sound effects rendered in Japanese.
- French artist Jean 'Moebius' Giraud contributed art to the story 'Second Sunrise over New Mombasa' after his son's enjoyment of the games compelled him to accept the invitation.