HALO GRAPHIC NOVEL

'''Halo Graphic Novel''' is a single issue graphic novel published by Marvel Comics in partnership with Bungie Studios, and was released on July 19, 2006.^[1] Created by a collaboration of various writers and artists from within both the computer game and comic industries, ''Halo Graphic Novel'' is the series' first entry into the sequential art medium.
The majority of the book is divided into four short stories set within the Halo universe featuring separate writers and artists. Alongside these stories is an extensive art gallery compiled of contributions from Bungie, Marvel and independent sources.

Contents

Background

Stories

The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor

Armor Testing

Breaking Quarantine

Second Sunrise over New Mombasa

Gallery

Reception

Other Materials

Footnotes and References

External links

Background

The original concept of expanding the ''Halo'' series into new media beyond that of video games began early in the development of the ''Halo'' franchise as a method of adding new stories to the ''Halo'' mythos outside of the main story line followed inside the games; sequential art being the main focus.^[2] Initially unsuccessful in their pursuit of finding a partner and an effective license agreement, Lorraine McLees - an art lead on the ''Halo'' development team - suggested that they finance and edit the novel themselves before pursuing a publisher, therefore maintaining control over the content and allowing them to pursue the venture unencumbered by outside intervention.² This also allowed the studio greater access to various artists whom they hoped to contribute; the novel’s executive producer Brian Jarrad noted the procedure of creating the novel independently and outside the “traditional comic process” would prevent the “conflicts of interest and politics and allegiances” that could potentially arise had they approached a publisher and partner first.^[3] What was described as a "dream team" roster of writers and artists Bungie admired was created by lead designer Maria Cabardo and through a period of negotiation Bungie were able to gain contributions from many of those named on the list.³
Buoyed by their success in approaching those in the medium that they respected and admired, including British comic book artist Simon Bisley and well-known French artist Jean “Moebius“ Giraud, the progress of ''Halo Graphic Novel'' was described as a “cool morale boost for our team to see their universe, their characters, realized by people that we idolize in the comic industry."^[4]
After a two year development cycle the novel's material was completed and Bungie sought out a publisher, eventually approaching Marvel Comics. Bungie cited their “passion for ''Halo''” and “reach in the comic and publishing industry” as the main draws to the company.² They worked alongside Marvel director of development Ruwan Jayatilleke, an early champion of the project, to assist in distribution and publication of the novel.^[5] Bungie announced the partnership on March 17, 2006.^[6]
The stories themselves were designed as glimpses into various facets of the ''Halo'' universe, including information on the inner workings of The Covenant as well as details regarding elements of the back-story that were hitherto undisclosed, such as Sergeant Johnson‘s escape from Halo in the original game; Jarrad 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” which would allow them to fill the overall fictional world while reserving major events for upcoming games; in particular ''Halo 3''.^[7] Jarrad further described this as an attempt to move away from the story of the Master Chief, the central character of the franchise, and focus instead on what they believed to be the core themes that lay behind the game universe, such as maintaining hope in the face of overwhelming odds and humanities struggle for survival; themes that extended beyond “…a genetically enhanced super soldier picking up two guns and kicking some alien butt.”^[7] Though Bungie created the story arcs present in the ''Halo Graphic Novel'' they described the importance of providing a framework for each story that the various artists and writers could tell without jeopardizing their own voice.^[5]

Stories

The novel is split into four main stories, each with an introduction by Bungie and preceded by a notes page that details the writer's or artist's thoughts on the creative process of their contribution to the novel and the task of working within the ''Halo'' medium.

The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor

Takes Place: During ''

A distress call brings the Elite Special Operations Commander, Rtas 'Vadumee to a Covenant supply craft hanging crippled in the outer reach of a star system. As he boards the seemingly abandoned agricultural ship, it becomes clear that the enemy here is not some enterprising human force, but something far more terrifying as The Flood begin to infect his fellow soldiers, forcing the commander to battle his former allies in an attempt to destroy the ship before it can spread the contagion; eventually succeeding in directing the ship into a nearby star.
Like ''Breaking Quarantine'', ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' expands on several plot points that featured in the ''Halo'' video games, including an appearance of the future Arbiter of the Elites, who would go on to play a significant role in the game, as well developing the background of Rtas’; including the cause of the missing mandibles that earned him the fan nickname of “Half-Jaw”. The central premise behind the story of ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' was described as being a showcase of both the true danger posed by the Flood and of the inner workings of the Covenant military machine to dispel the image they "simply stand around waiting for the chief to blast them".^[10]
The story was written by Lee Hammock with art provided by Simon Bisley. Lee Hammock described the process of writing the story as a "heady task", in particular the importance of respecting the ''Halo'' fanbases' active involvement in the storyline and that the "characters that they know as a part of themselves are portrayed aptly". These difficulties were diminished by the knowledge that fans were not as intimately connected to the history of the character of Rtas as they were to the likes of the Master Chief, and consequently this allowed ample room to expand his background in synch with the ''Halo'' canon and permit the writer to "bring something new to the table".^[11]

Armor Testing

Takes Place: Between '' and ''Halo 2''
A test run on SPARTAN II MJOLNIR Mark VI battle armor that proves to be a challenging endeavor for all involved as the limits of the armor's abilities are put to the test by both its SPARTAN user and UNSC special forces during an intense wargame exercise. The story's concept was inspired by ''Skunkworks'', a memoir of the testing of military projects at Lockheed:^[12] the rigorous experimentation the SPARTAN equipment goes through before it ends up in the hands of the Master Chief and the player was an idea that Bungie originally wanted to pursue at the beginning of ''Halo 2'' as a method of highlighting the amount of effort and manpower required to keep the SPARTAN program running, but opted instead to communicate this background information at a later time.^[13]
The story was written by Jay Faerber with pencils by W. Andrew Robinson and colors by Ed Lee.

Breaking Quarantine

Takes Place: During ''
This story follows the escape of Sgt. Johnson during the final events of the first game, showing his continuing battles with the Flood as he attempts to escape the construct before it is destroyed. Initially a minor, background character in the first game his expanded role in ''Halo 2'', as well as the questions raised as to how he survived, are specifically tackled in ''Breaking Quarantine'' and is an example of Bungie’s attempts to expand the story arcs of secondary characters that would have no opportunity to go explained in the main storyline. Unlike the other stories, ''Breaking Quarantine'' contains no dialogue, only weapon sound effects.
Both art and story was provided by Tsutomu Nihei a manga-ka and architect, who based his illustrations directly off the structures found within the game.^[14]

Second Sunrise over New Mombasa

Takes Place: During ''Halo 2''
Set during the Covenant assault of New Mombasa, the story is a human drama told through the eyes of a reporter and of the myriad of people - civilians and soldiers - caught up in the fighting. Bungie described ''Second Sunrise over New Mombasa'' as an attempt to put a human face on the conflict and the attempts of the citizens to fight the invading Covenant forces as well as flee the city before its ruin. As the city was essentially deserted during the opening levels of ''Halo 2'', Bungie asserted that this story was an attempt to state that this was not always the case and illustrate the effects of war on the common citizen.^[15]
The story was written by Brett Lewis with art provided by Jean "Moebius" Giraud. Jean Giraud explained his draw to the project was influenced by his son's enjoyment of the game series which ultimately compelled him to accept an invitation to contribute his art.^[16]

Gallery

Located after the main body of stories is a selection of art pieces created solely for the book that represent various visions of the ''Halo'' universe as interpreted from a wide range of artists within the comic book industry. These contributors include Doug Alexander, Rick Berry, Geof Darrow, and more than twenty-five others, both freelance and from Bungie Studios- including lead composer Martin O'Donnell.^[17]

Reception

Critical reaction from both the gaming community and the comic book community was positive, citing the wealth of contributions from recognized artists and the strength of the material in fleshing out the ''Halo'' fictional world.^[18][19] The material was also praised for the diverse range of storytelling and art styles that lent the novel the feel of an anthology yet still retaining a cohesive whole.^[20] Other areas that received particular attention included Tsutomu Nihei's work on ''Breaking Quarantine'' for its vivid imagery and its focus on visual storytelling in lieu of any dialogue.^[21]
Some reviewers expressed their disappointment at the novel's focus on lesser characters and events, with the presence of the Master Chief - the central character of the ''Halo'' series and its most iconic figure - limited to featuring in artwork and a brief appearance in the first story.^[22]
Due to the success of ''Halo Graphic Novel'', Marvel Comics and Bungie Studios announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2006, '' a four-issue monthly ''Halo'' comic book mini-series to launch Summer 2007.^[23]

Other Materials

A few promotional pieces were created to promote the ''Halo Graphic Novel'' prior to its release date, including a 16-page preview of the graphic novel that was released May 31 2006 and that contained the Bungie introductions to each short story along with preview pages of the material.^[24] A full-colour poster featuring the book's cover art was also released on June 28, 2006.^[25]

Footnotes and References

1. Halo Graphic Novel, , Various, , Marvel, 2006, ISBN 0785123725
2. IGN: Exploring the Halo Graphic Novel (Part I)
3. IGN: Exploring the Halo Graphic Novel (Part II)
4. Inside Bungie
5. Newsarama: Inside the Halo Graphic Novel
6. Bungie Official Announcement
7. "Newsarama: Inside the Halo Graphic Novel" newsarama.com (retrieved 19 February 2007)
8. "Newsarama: Inside the Halo Graphic Novel" newsarama.com (retrieved 19 February 2007)
9. Newsarama: Inside the Halo Graphic Novel
10. ''Halo Graphic Novel'', page 6 (ISBN 0785123725)
11. ''Halo Graphic Novel'', page 55 (ISBN 0785123725)
12. Skunkworks, , Ben R., Rich, Little, Brown and Company, 1996, ISBN 0316743003
13. ''Halo Graphic Novel'', page 56 (ISBN 0785123725)
14. ''Halo Graphic Novel'', page 83 (ISBN 0785123725)
15. ''Halo Graphic Novel'', page 84 (ISBN 0785123725)
16. ''Halo Graphic Novel'', page 99 (ISBN 0785123725)
17. "Halo Graphic Novel Preview": Front Cover
18. "UGO Review"
19. IGN Review
20. "Silver Bullet Comics Review"
21. "Moz La Punk review"
22. "Firingsquad Review"
23. "San Diego 2006 Comic-Con Announcement"
24. "Halo Graphic Novel Preview"
25. "Halo Graphic Novel Poster Preview"

External links

★ Bungie Studios

★ Marvel Comics

★ Halopedia page on Halo Graphic Novel