Review: Halo-Collateral Damage #1

Before we get to the review, I want to provide full disclosure. I“ve never played Halo. I mention this because I want to make sure everyone knows my assessment will be based solely on my view of this comic book. Now that you know I“m not much of a gamer, let“s continue.

The first issue in the Dark Horse Comic Halo: Collateral Damage starts with the Blue Team saying goodbye to one of their own. They don“t have much time to grieve as a new mission is thrust upon them shortly after they pay their last respects. They will have to face off against The Covenant on the outer colony planet Alpha Corvi. The Blue Team is asked to stand alone against their alien foe in the mining settlement of Black Reef. With some unexpected new allies to help, this is where they make their stand.

Alex Irvine has written a nice script for this comic. The entire Collateral Damage run is set to be three issues long, so the story is fast paced, which works fine, and there is not a large amount of character or world building detail. New readers are given a synopsis on the inside cover to catch them up, but it feels assumed that you will already know what“s going on with these characters. That“s ok, and it works, because this is pretty much nonstop action. There does not seem to be a need for great depth. The story really starts to shine when The Blue Team reaches Black Reef, and finds the previously mentioned allies. Their leader felt like the most interesting character in the story. I“m not sure how long his alliance with the UNSC will last, but that is part of the fun here. We“re reading fast paced, think on your feet, alien warfare”¦there will be some unanswered questions you have to go back for later when the fighting is over.

Being a fan of comics involving space warfare, I“ve always been drawn to the artistic prowess of talented people who use their imagination to bring us scenes of intergalactic battles and horrific alien beings. The art team on this comic, have done a solid job of bringing the story to life. The action scenes drawn by David Crosland and colored by Len O“Grady are solid and really bring the story to life. Letterer Simon Bowland completes the creative crew and does solid work in their own right.

Being new to the Halo series, my first impression is a good one. There was much more of a story than I would have imagined and the art is really nice. If you“re a fan of the game, action stories or space adventure comics, this is a quick series you might want to pay attention to. With only three issues in the story arc it“s not a huge commitment, and from what I“ve read so far, it“s worth it.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

(W) Alex Irvine (A) Dave Crosland (CA) Zak Hartong

Author Profile

Bryan Spaulding

In his free time, other than reading comic books, Bryan enjoys listening to his ever growing record collection and driving his 27 year old roadster named Mingo.