Marvel Comics, Bungie Studios, and Microsoft Game Studios are pleased to announce the creation of the Halo Graphic Novel. The Halo Graphic Novel (HGN) is an all-new hardcover anthology, consisting of one lengthy story and three shorter stories set within the Halo universe--all adding to the Halo mythos. In addition, there will be a collection of gallery pages featuring Halo inspired artwork from a variety of artists. By joining forces with an experienced industry veteran Marvel as the publisher and recruiting some of the comic industry's most talented artists and writers, Bungie Studios hopes not only to expand upon the incredibly popular Halo storyline but also to raise the bar and set a new standard for what a graphic novel can and should be.
Fans of Halo and newcomers alike can get a taste of what this groundbreaking graphic novel has in store for them 6 weeks early! A 16-page, full-color Halo Preview comic will arrive in stores May 31st available for only $.99. A full-color Halo poster showcasing the Phil Hale cover of the graphic novel will be in stores 6/28.
The Halo franchise, which includes Halo Combat Evolved, Halo 2, and Halo for Windows, has sold over 14 million copies worldwide. In 2004, Halo 2 broke video game industry sales records by grossing over $125 million within its first 24 hours of release. Halo: First Strike, Halo: Fall of the Reach, and Halo: The Flood prose novels have each sold over 400,000 copies worldwide since first printing. There is a feature film in pre-production eyeing a 2007 release with mega-filmmaker Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings trilogy) attached as Executive Producer.
The Talent
Merely telling a Halo story isn't in keeping with Bungie's tradition of setting new standards and being a pioneer in whatever medium is being used. To make the HGN the epitome of what a graphic novel should be, and to break out of the comic niche and propel this project into mainstream consciousness, we are working with some of the most prolific and exciting talent in the industry. Here is the current list of confirmed artists and writers working on the Halo Graphic Novel:
Cover:
o Phil Hale, artist
The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor
o Simon Bisley, artist
o Lee Hammock, writer
Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa:
o Jean "Moebius" Giraud, artist
o Brett Lewis, writer
Breaking Quarantine:
o Tsutomu Nihei, artist and writer
Armor Testing:
o Ed Lee & Andrew Robinson, artists
o Jay Faerber, writer
Gallery Pages:
o Doug Alexander
o Rick Berry
o Geof Darrow
o Glenn Fabry
o Scott Fisher
o Sterling Hundley
o George Pratt
o Greg Staples
o Justin Sweet
o Tsutomu Nihei
o John Van Fleet
o Kent Williams
o
and several Bungie artists
About Halo
The Master Chief, bred for combat and built for war, is humanity's last hope against the alien threat known as the Covenant. Together with his helpful AI Cortana and a band of UNSC allies, the Master Chief defends mankind, driving back the Covenant onslaught while racing to uncover the mysteries of the Halo ring structures and their Forerunner creators. As the Human-Covenant war rages on, a new threat has emerged the Flood. This parasitic lifeform threatens all known sentient life in the galaxy in its quest to assimilate living organisms and propagate its species. While these conflicts, characters and questions are fleshed out and revealed over the course of the video games and novels, even more questions and story remain.
The Halo saga was introduced to the world in November of 2001 with the release of the critically acclaimed "Halo: Combat Evolved" for the Xbox game console. Now, three years later, that game has established itself as one of the biggest franchises in gaming history with over 5.5 million copies sold world wide.
In November of 2004, Halo 2 was released to overwhelmingly positive reviews and record breaking sales figures. The game earned the highest amount of pre-orders in gaming history, generated over $125 million during the first 24 hours of sales and has already gone on to surpass 6.5 million units sold. Halo 2 has brought the Master Chief and the world of Halo into the mainstream with everyone from ABC World News Tonight to CNN covering the impact the game has had on the entertainment industry. The Halo universe is as rich as any other science fiction universe in recent memory. In fact, some have even dubbed Halo as "Star Wars for a new generation."
The HALO Graphic Novel HC (MAY061938)
Written by Jay Faerber, Brett Lewis, Lee Hammock, and Tsutomu Nihei
Illustrated by Simon Bisley, Ed Lee, Tsutomu Nihei, and Moebius
Gallery art by Rick Berry, Geof Darrow, Scott Fischer, Sterling Hundley, Craig Mullins, Tsutomu Nihei, George Pratt, Juan Ramirez, George Staples, Justin Sweet, John Van Fleet, and Kent Williams
Cover by Phil Hale
128 pages/Rated 17 and Up/$24.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2372-5
Trim size: Standard Marvel Premiere HC format
On Sale - 7/12/2006 FOC - 6/15/2006
Halo Graphic Novel PREVIEW COMIC (FEB068182)
16 PGS/Rated 17 and Up/$.99
On Sale - 5/31/06 FOC 5/11/06
Halo Poster (FEB068183)
Art by Phil Hale
24"x36" / FC
$6.99
On Sale 6/28/06 FOC 6/18/06
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