Review: Horizon Zero Dawn Vol 1 TP
My youngest kiddo just loves this Dutch-invented game so very much so when I found out a comic was made outta it, I had to have it!
Before I dig in, I wanna remind readers that you go out and buy this from your local comic book shop if anywayz possible. The local comic store industry really needs our help, now more than ever.
It is not always that I really read the foreword but in this case, I discovered the game-makers where Dutch and no, I have never played the game!!! But it was a fun surprise.
Game directors Jan-Bart van Beek, Angie Smets and Michiel van der Leeuw are quoted saying “From the beginning, we knew we didn’t want the first Horizon Zero Dawn comic book to be a by-the-numbers adaptation of the video game. Horizon fans are a curious and creative lot so we felt that it was more important to explore the world and the characters we’d introduced.” This POV makes me just all wiggly inside since this is the best POV there is, in my mind! KUDOS!!
Add to this additional behind- the-scene of all the worldbuilding and this project aka TPB is really worth the effort, for sure!
Now for the fucked-up part on my end! I have seen this lady in rags running around in the game, while my son was playing and since she is also on the cover, I just assumed ALOY would be the focus of this story as I really wanted to get to know her, not through my youngest son’s fav hobby , but via mine! But as with Avatar (movie vs comic) the writers took the B character (Talanah in this case) and make thát the main focus.
To be frank: this is the wisest choice since this gives for much more depth and worldbuilding to the entire franchise, so in hindsight: second kudos 🙂
Talana and Amadis are the center-point of this book/story but the evolving story digs deep into the HZD-lore, making it more clear for a noob like myself, making this not only a great read for noobs but also for gamers looking to know more!
Tribes are explained, the mecha’s are explained but also the new variations are introduced, the balance between tribes are put on the map and re-worked during this 5-issue story arc.
As much as the gaming and game-characters were set up in a deep loving manner in this completely odd post-apocalyptic, nature vs mecha world, the writer sets up this new medium with as much love! Add to this an artist who does a fine job adding facial expressions in various semi-normal situations as well as action sequences and well…. can you tell I had a good mood after reading this book?!
Horizon Zero Dawn Vol. 1: The Sunhawk
Publisher: Titan Comics
Writer: Anne Toole
Artist: Ann Maulina
Colours: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Release Date: 25th November 2020
TITAN COMICS and GUERRILLA GAMES are proud to announce an all-new graphic novel set after the events of the critically acclaimed, award-winning video game Horizon Zero Dawn! A new adventure with Talanah and Aloy awaits!
Horizon: a far-future Earth full of epic natural beauty and forgotten ruins, where awe-inspiring, animal-like machines are the dominant species and humans struggle to survive in pre-industrial tribes. In the aftermath of a titanic battle that almost laid waste to the capital city of Meridian, Talanah, one of the greatest machine-hunters in the land, struggles to find her place in the rebuilding effort. Making matters worse, Aloy, her trusted friend and confidant, has disappeared. When a new threat emerges in the hinterlands, she must decide how best to serve her tribe, her friends, and herself.
About the Author
Richard Boom Richard is the driving force behind Comics for Sinners. His love and admiration for female comic book characters is virtually unparalleled, which immediately explains his biggest 'sin': his Hot Mummy fetish. This sketchbook theme is philogynistic in nature and even the source of his WIP comic book series "The Sisterhood".
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