Two big name video game franchises will be getting comic book adaptations alongside their new games this fall from Dark Horse Comics, among them a prequel story for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.
The Call of Duty tale will be coming from writer Larry Hama and artist Marcelo Ferreira two days before the release of the game on Nov. 4.
"A prequel to the highly-anticipated game, the Call of Duty®: Black Ops III comic book series follows an elite group of soldiers as they wage a secret war across a futuristic war-torn world transformed by technology," Dark Horse says in a press release. "In the bullet-ridden first issue, the team infiltrates Tashkent, Uzbekistan to take down a double agent . . . but as they close in, they uncover something much more sinister at hand."
Hama, who has previously worked on IDW's G.I. Joe series, says (via IGN) that a comic adaptation of the action-oriented video game gives him a chance to expand on elements of Black Ops 3 that players won't get in the game.
"We're talking character development and back-story, and a more involved personal interaction between the characters," Hama says. "Also, it's possible to really flesh out the story line, create running sub-plots, and explain technical details that aren't that easy to convey in the game environment."
Joining Call of Duty will be a new Tomb Raider mini-series titled Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen from writer Corinna Bechko and artist Randy Green. This particular comic will be set in the same universe as the top-down Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris video games.
"Lara is incredibly fun to write," Bechko tells Polygon. "She doesn't suffer fools, she's smart, and she's talented. She's always ready for action, but she's not afraid to think through a problem either. And she doesn't ever wait around for someone else to save her. There's a lot of satisfaction in writing a character like that."
Bechko's background as veterinarian tech and zookeeper, as well as her interest in anthropology and archaeology, helped attract her to the project, which she says will go back to classic Tomb Raider with more supernatural elements and non-human enemies.
The mini-series will run alongside Dark Horse's ongoing Tomb Raider series based on the 2013 reboot.
Fans can pick up the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 prequel on Nov. 4, ahead of the game's release on Nov. 6. Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen will be on sale starting Oct. 7.
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