Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts #1- Lara Croft Is Back

Do you ever pick up a comic and just go, “I have the strangest feeling this is going to be something special?” For us here at Nerd Initiative, this was one such comic and an amazing start to what will hopefully be a great run from start to finish. With writing by Casey Gilly (“Return to Sleepy Hollow”, “Buffy: The Last Vampire Slayer”), art by Antonio Di Caprio, and coloring by Eren Angiolini (“Justice League: Last Ride”, “Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor”), everything is captivating.

When it comes to the story, we pick up some time after the events of “Tomb Raider: Underworld”. Croft Manor is regaining its legs after nearly being burnt down by Lara’s doppelgänger, Nat’la, and we get this rather unique character study of Lara framed by a news interview. Not only does Gilly expertly use this tool to get us caught up, but she also gives us a look into the inter-workings of Lara’s thought process, putting the reader in her shoes. To top it off, the famous heroine is handled very well here. Not once did we feel like she was out of place from her video game counterpart.

There’s also a lot outside of Lara that Gilly handles very well. For long-time fans, they’ll know this story’s macguffin, the Dagger of Xian from Tomb Raider 2, as well as the mentions of several characters from the Legend trilogy. However, the writing doesn’t heavily rely on newcomers to know all of this information and the past events tied to it, instead asking readers to trust the process.

To couple the already great writing is great artwork. Di Caprio and Angiolini make for an incredible team, giving us panels with both great depth and detail. Seeing things like individual strands of hair and beads of sweat looks visually striking, especially when paired with the fantastic use of color grading and shading. One page that really sticks out is of Nat’la walking away from a burning Croft Manor behind her. It’s set at night, with the lighting and shading on the character looking perfect. The light of the fire bounces off her, illuminating her wicked smile as we see the smoke and fire particles dancing around her.

All in all, this first issue was a pure delight from start to finish, and we’re beyond excited to see where things go from here!