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Comics
From Hellgatewiki.com
Prior to Hellgate: London's release, Flagship partnered with Dark Horse comics to release a limited, four-issue series of comics that told the backstory of Hellgate:London and lead up to the events in the game itself. Pages in this category talk about the plot and characters of the comics, and display artwork from them as well.
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Comic Books Announced
Leading video games publisher and developer NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. today announced a partnership with Dark Horse Comics to produce a comic book based on HELLGATE: LONDON, the first original PC title from premier developer Flagship Studios.
The comic book provides the background story behind HELLGATE: LONDON. Issue "0" begins when MI5 service agent Lyra Darius discovers a human charnel house in London whilst investigating the affairs of recently resigned Home Office Minister, Lord Sumerisle. Soon afterwards, Lyra is entangled in a bloody conspiracy with the Knights Templar in the build-up to the Battle of All Hallows' Eve.
This exclusive Issue "0" comic is written by Ian Edginton, the critically acclaimed author of Scarlet Traces and the recent War of the Worlds web comic adaptation. Edginton teams up with Superman and Preacher artist Steve Pugh to explore this demon-ravaged metropolis in comic form. Issue "0" is to be given away at the E3 2006 tradeshow on May 10th – 12th.
Huge stacks of Issue #0 were given away at E3 2006. The issue went on sale months later, and has been followed by the other three installments in this limited series.
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics (Home page. Wikipedia entry.) is one off the United States' largest independent comics publishers, behind industry giants Marvel and DC. Dark Horse was founded by Mike Richardson in 1985, and current publishes dozens of original comic series, manga, as well as licensed properties and adaptations such as their four-issue Hellgate: London miniseries. The Hellgate: London comics were written by Ian Edginton and drawn by Steve Pugh, both Brits who brought some insider perspective to the ruination of London as depicted in Hellgate.
A few quotes from a [[Interview: July 18, 2006|July 2006 interview] with Dave Land, an editor at Dark Horse comics:
How much freedom did you have in crafting the comic-book story? Were you given a rough idea and then allowed to run with it or did Flagship have a hand in things throughout the project?
Land: We were given access to the story bible that they're using in producing the game, but they gave writer Ian Edginton a lot of freedom in coming up with the story for the comics. Of course everything was run back through Flagship for approval and they've offered suggestions at every stage so that we're keeping things in line with what people will see in the final game.
What about with the design and look? Was there an effort to emulate the game? How were you able to give the comic its own unique style separate from the game?
Land: We've been working from reference provided by Flagship in putting the comics together. There really hasn't been an effort to copy exactly what you'll see when you play the game. Demons, and armor, and weapons were heavily referenced, but we're not looking at doing any "screenshot" exact panels. I don't think that'd be very interesting for anyone and would also sort of tie the hands of the magnificent Steve Pugh, who is drawing the book.
Issue Zero
Issue Zero functions as a stand-alone introduction to the world of Hellgate: London. It essentially duplicates the story told in the game's first cinematic, a point Bill Roper confirmed in a February 2007 interview.
ActionTrip: If I got this right, the Hellgate:London comic serves as a prequel to the game itself. Will we perhaps witness any characters or locations from the comic as we play the game?
Bill Roper: The first edition was mainly a prologue to the game, but the following three issues take place in the same timeline as the game itself. Some of the characters from the comic will definitely be in Hellgate: London as NPCs, or will be mentioned by the characters in the game as they are a part of the world's history.
Issue #1
The bit about the sigil is the whole plot, really. The comic introduces the Cabalists by showing two young ones straining to mind control a pair of Carnagors, while Seeker Jane, an older female Cabalist, supervises. (When they lose control she rips open the giant Carnagors with her clawed hands, perhaps in an homage to the apparently-abandoned concept that Cabalists would transform parts of their body for hand to hand combat?)
We then see Hunters; one in disguise acting as bait to lure in some demons, while several others lay in wait with sniper rifles. (They only call the one guy a "Demon Hunter" once. The rest of the time they're just called Hunters, so I think the term always was just "Hunter" and the leaked "Demon Hunter" bit was from that one bit of semi-improvised dialogue comic, and was not a term FSS ever planned on using in the game)
The lead Cabalist and Hunter are called in by human high command and sent off on a mission with a single Templar, since the hidden book/ancient message (seen in the sample pages) tells that only a party of three marked with the ancient symbol can obtain the sigil. So there have been Hunters/Cabalists/Templars for at least 1000 years, they're born with birthmarks of a type to identify them, etc.
None of the 3 trust each other, the Templar and Hunter especially don't trust the Cabalist and her demon style magics, but they've got to work together to discover the sigil and save humnity in London. All they need is a wisecracking minority sidekick and it's a Jackie Chan movie! The comic ends with them just setting off on the quest.
Issue #2
They then proceed to an ancient statue way beneath the streets, and find a book on a grave. Only the Hunter can pick it up; it repels the Templar and Cabalist, apparently because of heir magic.
They hike back to the surface without event, and are surprised to meet the senior hunter commander Wyvern. He grabs the book and blows away the Hunter, then runs off with it as countless demons appear and attack the Cabalist and Templar, and Wyvern blows up some traps and causes a whole building to fall on the combatants, apparently dooming them, and all humanity in London.
Issue #3
Issue #3 will be released March 7, 2007. Here's the blurb.
Betrayed by the traitor Wyvern, the search party of Jessica Sumerisle, Saul Petrus, and the mysterious Seeker Jane was attacked on an abandoned London Underground platform and had their blood-won prize abducted by demons. The desperate team now must venture into the rotten heart of London, infested by gruesome Hellbeasts, to reclaim their last hope for survival. This ancient tome, the Harbour of Knowledge, may be the key to driving all of Hell's loathsome creatures back from the face of the Earth . . . but have they judged a book by its cover?
Graphic Novel
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