‘Tomb Raider’ #6

Cover art for ‘Tomb Raider’ #6 by Dan Scott

• Written by Gail Simone
• Pencils by Nicolás Daniel Selma
• Inks by Juan Gedeon
• Colours by Michael Atiyeh
• Cover by Dan Scott

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After several months of setting up the story and introducing comic readers to the characters laid out in the last game of the ‘Tomb Raider‘ franchise we’re now seeing Gail Simone and her crew get to the crux of our story to the stage where this issue has an air of finality about it.

We already know that this series is the bridge between franchise games ‘Tomb Raider‘ and follow-up ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider‘ due out sometime next year so by default there should be a fast pace to this series as Simone needs to wrap-up the conclusion of the last games story and segue into the setup of the next game and for me that has been lacking until recently.

I gave issue #5 4 stars (here) based on how the story was beginning to pick up speed and thankfully that continues here as Lara reaches the final climactic battle with the Solarii which takes up much of this issue.

Visually this issue packs more of a punch, with issue #5 I talked about how the visuals can be simplistic but shouldn’t be underestimated and here particularly the atmospherics have been dialled up a notch. Much of it is necessary due to the script but it’s still handled well and does make the series seem more visually dynamic.

Another contrast to previous issues in the series is the use of more of Lara’s inner monologue, there is still very little by way of descriptive text around the dialogue but we’re digging further into Lara’s head as the series continues which helps to elevate the story from simple adaption to a genuine, canonical part of a much loved franchise.

Interestingly Simone has chosen to add a coda to this issue which could almost serve as the end of this book. After the final battle with the Solarii there’s the usual escape from the collapsing cave that any fan would expect to see in a final vignette in one of the video games but instead of ending there we find a further double-cross and fight on the edge of a cliff just to maintain the pace. As if that wasn’t enough (and this is possibly too much for me) there’s a final scene which reinforces Lara’s strength of mind and also the sense of family that she has with her co-explorers.

The final panel of the book is too reminiscent of a freeze-frame from an 80s teen movie and feels a little out of place here but it doesn’t spoil the overall mood or impact the issue has.

Simone’s script calls for a lot of action which remains in line with expectations of the video games and Selma and Gedeon carry it off well with their artwork. Despite the static nature of comic art the sense that you are in the ‘Tomb Raider‘ universe is never lost and therefore the lines between print and game continue to be successfully blurred.

As I’ve said before ‘Tomb Raider‘ isn’t breaking any new ground but what it is doing is entertaining legions of fans clamouring for the release of ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider‘.

4 stars