Yep...that is EXACTLY what it COULD have meant.
Fortunately, the man tapped to write the series was none other than Dan Jurgens. The same Dan Jurgens who worked his magic on Superman and Thor, you ask? THAT DAN JURGENS?
Yep...THAT Dan Jurgens.
So out came the first issue with a myriad of covers featuring Laura in varying forms of undress and tight fitting garb. Before that premiere issue even got opened, fans were fearing the worst. Sure, the cover art by Andy Parks and Jonathan Sibal LOOKED tremendous, but would the story be able to match the art?
Remember this is Dan Jurgens...
Issue #1 begins with a pack of well armed Iranian natives running about looking for a woman; a specific woman. It takes them until page 3 to find her. She is Lara Croft-revealed in all her pendulous splendor. Soon it’s guns blazing, Iranians pursuing and Ms. Croft’s pectoral area is undulating as she races to meet with her faithful servant and lifelong family friend Hartford Compton, who rescues her just as she is about to go off a cliff.
Such is the nature of both the TOMB RAIDER game and comic book: the heroine always gets out just before her end is met.
Back on her yacht, Lara, dressed provocatively, of course, sips a cool drink while awaiting the arrival of the notorious Paris D’Arseine. D’Arseine wants Lara to go after the long lost Medusa Mask. Made from gold and containing the sorcery of the legendary she-creature, the vizard is alleged to give the wearer great powers including the Gaze of Death. D’Arseine, being the crippled yet demoniacal man he is, obviously wants it to further his own life goals. Despite Compton’s protests, the hunt begins.
If short order, Lara dives to the site of the sunken galleon which is believed to contain the treasure. She’s attacked by a knife wielding scuba diver who cuts her air hose, Then the yacht, with Compton on board, is blown to bits, as is the galleon, sending our hero to a seemingly watery grave.
Remember now: this IS Lara Croft so it is no surprise that she barely escapes her fate, fends off the invading scuba divers and a shark or two before swimming to the surface...just in time to see her decimated yacht sink to the bottom of the ocean. Has her faithful friend met the same untimely death that also claimed her fiancee, her mother and her father(Boy-talk about a hard life!)?
Of course not. Just as Lara surfaces, Compton arrives in the helicopter which, miraculously, got off the ship before it went down.
The next stop is Nepal where Compton and Lara seek out Chase Carver: Lara’s former lover and fellow treasure hunter. Soon all hell breaks loose with assassins trying to eliminate her, her contact being murdered and Compton suffering what appears to be a life ending arrow wound.
Remember: this IS Lara Croft and company; almost all of whom seem to have nine lives.
Rescued by Carver from hundreds of angry Ninjas, the two briefly relive old times and try to escape. The building catches fire, the pair run for their lives and they end up in the back of a truck filled with pigs. Back at the hotel, Carver reveals the secret of the galleon-a note in a bottle. There we discover that the mask didn’t go down with the ship, it was stolen by a man named Henri Triplette, who his it in the mountains of Tibet.
On the trail once more, the pair trudge on, finding the mask in the process. They also find Compton, who has a startling revelation for our young treasure hunter. Soon it’s more action and intrigue than you can handle as the tale races to an explosive climax.
Is this the LAST adventure for Lara Croft? Highly unlikely. This book has become THE sales hit of the past six months. With direct tie-in marketing by Eidos(who makes the TOMB RAIDER series of games), Tower Records(responsible for one of the most sought after variant versions of issue #1) and blurbs throughout the entertainment and gaming community, this book sold like blazes. Oh no, my friends: the legacy of Lara Croft is just beginning.
So, with all that going for it, just how good IS the book?
Well, it’s not WAR AND PEACE, but let’s be honest-we weren’t expecting that, were we? It’s a fun filled read, something Jurgens is very well known for. The book screams along at a fiery pace and, when it does take a breather, it fills you with enough history, back story and sub plots to further the tale along. The action sequences, specifically the various traps and predicaments Jurgens plops the good guys into, are great. Just when you think Croft and company are done for, they find an escape only to be hit with another problem right up ahead. It’s enough to make one get out of the treasure hunting game.
Andy Park and Jonathan Sibal turn in a killer art job which further cements the stable known as Top Cow. With books like THE DARKNESS, WITCHBLADE and FATHOM in their corner, all of which are known for having very competent art teams, this title just adds one more gem into the coffers. The women are sexy, the men are strong and athletic and the villains are ruly vile. Okay-so it’s eye candy. But even a good action movie has that!
But is it a good comic?
Define “good comic”. It is what it is: a $2.50 comic book featuring heroic heroes fighting evil while they maintain varying degrees of dress. It’s a cheap pulp novel come to life. It’s a “take the brain out of the head and veg” kind of read. Don’t expect new storytelling techniques here or shoot you out of the chair art. It’s a good rainy Saturday afternoon, curl up on the couch and have a ball kind of comic. While it doesn’t come with popcorn and a soda, you may want to get that before you start reading.
TOMB RAIDER is far better than a lot of books out there. While it isn’t the best read to come down the pike in many a year, it sure is a fun one. Do yourself a favor and add this one to your must have list. Not because it’ll be worth a fortune someday because, with the number of copies printed and sold, there are a ton of them out there. And don’t buy it because you’ve played ALL the video games and maybe, just maybe, this has some clue to help you solve that third adventure. It doesn’t. Buy it and read it because it has something you don’t get much of these days: it has a huge heart which pumps adventure all over the place.
So put that joystick down and grab THIS instead. It won’t take as long but at least your hand won’t get tired.