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A review by ghostlydreamer
Tomb Raider Omnibus Volume 1 by Gail Simone, Rhianna Pratchett
5.0
One thing I'll say first: It would be pointless to read this if you didn't play (or enjoy) the first game in the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy. Not that I imagine many non-TR gamers reading this. But the point needs to be made. I'm breaking it down into the various arcs that the book also breaks it down into.
The Beginning: I really enjoyed this. We got to see the backstories behind a lot of the side characters from the 2013 game. Things I didn't know even after playing the game, collecting all the documents, and reading them. It was nice to see all their old familiar faces, especially Roth's. It was also nice to see how the Endurance crew got to make that voyage happen to begin with. Unfortunately - and this is the point - we see a lot more of Whitman's ugliness; he's really a despicable human being, but his story will still interesting nevertheless. We didn't get to see much Lara either, and Jonah played such a small role. But I still enjoyed it. ☆☆☆☆
Volumes 1-6: Unfortunately, things get a little weaker here. I want to preface this first by saying that I had fun with this arc. But I do have some complaints. There are times where Lara's inner dialogue, while completely necessary to move the story along and reflect back on the game, felt a little...stale. I didn't feel like I was getting much of Lara. I know Lara is not particularly emotive to start with, but nevertheless, it felt a bit stunted. The story also felt repetitive. I know it's a tie in, but having them sail back to Yamatai, where Lara's lost her friends all over again and Sam's the damsel in distress once more felt a little too similar to the game, even though it completely made sense why they did this for the sake of the story, especially as you get to the end of the fourth arc. But part of the fun with Yamatai was also exploring it, and of course, in book form, this wasn't really possible. So the setting felt oddly lacking despite it being so familiar. But it was great seeing references to the game and the prequel. I loved seeing Lara's transition from regular city life to defense mode when she went back to Yamatai, and how the author managed to still capture Lara's fierce loyalty to her friends. As the story progressed, we saw more of the Lara we're accustomed to, as well as a few sides of her we don't ordinarily get to see. After all, one doesn't come back from Yamatai the same person they were when they first went. A bit of Lara's and Sam's trauma is reflected back at us at times, especially in the beginning, which helped it feel real. I only wish we saw a bit more of the hardened side of Lara as well. It's the weakest of the stories collected here. ☆☆☆.5
Volumes 7-9: Right off the bat, I preferred the art style in this segment compared with the last two. This is the Lara I'm accustomed to, even from the reboot games. I'm very much reminded of the Lara we saw in Rise and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. A hardened, badass warrior. This story also begins to bridge the events between the 2013 game and Rise (hint: Trinity comes into play). The writing also felt more fitting. And it partly takes place in the abandoned amusement park in Pripyat?? Yes please. For anyone who knows me, I am an abandoned amusement park enthusiast so seeing this made my heart SOAR. I knew it right off the bat, so I had to allow myself a moment to nerd out about that. This arc is fast-paced, action packed, and reminiscent of a good old TR adventure. ☆☆☆☆☆
Volumes 10-12: Now we're back to the art style we saw in volumes 1-6. Not bad, but not a preference still. This story is a bit of a continuation of the last (specifically issue 10, so it felt a bit weird to stop the previous arc at 9 and change the art style again). But it also takes place domestically, in London. Jonah wants Lara to be in his play (who knew he was a theater buff?). Even though she agreed, she's hopeless at acting. We still see a bit of action and some more Trinity stuff that doesn't quite fully make sense yet. But it was interesting to see Lara amidst London life, and to see her dressed up in a costume from Pride and Prejudice. Its not very fitting, but even in a dress, Lara can kick was. It's also very interesting seeing her fear regarding being onstage, considering Lara doesn't show much fear in the face of her enemies during this arc. Ultimately, Lara can't always be off adventuring in foreign lands, so this was an amusing little reprieve from the usual TR action. ☆☆☆☆
Volumes 13-18: This last arc was probably my second favorite of the whole thing. We've returned to the art style I prefer. The writing was well done and the adventure kept me intrigued. It still ties into the 2013 game a bit, because Lara believes she is out to save Grim, one of her fallen crew members from the Endurance whom she thought dead, all the way in Mexico. It almost feels like classic Lara in a way, what with her outfit and all. We got to see more of Lara's friends, and some connections between Lara, Ana, and Trinity again. But what struck me most about this one is how, although we see Lara as a badass here, we also see just how deep her trauma from Yamatai is and how it effects her in her everyday life. And not just for Lara, but for Sam too. I won't spoil anything, but seeing how that ended...it wasn't a direction I expected it to go, but I loved it. Even though it hurt. ☆☆☆☆☆
Final thoughts: It started out a bit weak and redundant, but it quickly became more interesting as the book went on. I'd recommend it to any TR fan, but I think the casual fans might not enjoy it quite as much as some of the more hard-core ones.
The Beginning: I really enjoyed this. We got to see the backstories behind a lot of the side characters from the 2013 game. Things I didn't know even after playing the game, collecting all the documents, and reading them. It was nice to see all their old familiar faces, especially Roth's. It was also nice to see how the Endurance crew got to make that voyage happen to begin with. Unfortunately - and this is the point - we see a lot more of Whitman's ugliness; he's really a despicable human being, but his story will still interesting nevertheless. We didn't get to see much Lara either, and Jonah played such a small role. But I still enjoyed it. ☆☆☆☆
Volumes 1-6: Unfortunately, things get a little weaker here. I want to preface this first by saying that I had fun with this arc. But I do have some complaints. There are times where Lara's inner dialogue, while completely necessary to move the story along and reflect back on the game, felt a little...stale. I didn't feel like I was getting much of Lara. I know Lara is not particularly emotive to start with, but nevertheless, it felt a bit stunted. The story also felt repetitive. I know it's a tie in, but having them sail back to Yamatai, where Lara's lost her friends all over again and Sam's the damsel in distress once more felt a little too similar to the game, even though it completely made sense why they did this for the sake of the story, especially as you get to the end of the fourth arc. But part of the fun with Yamatai was also exploring it, and of course, in book form, this wasn't really possible. So the setting felt oddly lacking despite it being so familiar. But it was great seeing references to the game and the prequel. I loved seeing Lara's transition from regular city life to defense mode when she went back to Yamatai, and how the author managed to still capture Lara's fierce loyalty to her friends. As the story progressed, we saw more of the Lara we're accustomed to, as well as a few sides of her we don't ordinarily get to see. After all, one doesn't come back from Yamatai the same person they were when they first went. A bit of Lara's and Sam's trauma is reflected back at us at times, especially in the beginning, which helped it feel real. I only wish we saw a bit more of the hardened side of Lara as well. It's the weakest of the stories collected here. ☆☆☆.5
Volumes 7-9: Right off the bat, I preferred the art style in this segment compared with the last two. This is the Lara I'm accustomed to, even from the reboot games. I'm very much reminded of the Lara we saw in Rise and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. A hardened, badass warrior. This story also begins to bridge the events between the 2013 game and Rise (hint: Trinity comes into play). The writing also felt more fitting. And it partly takes place in the abandoned amusement park in Pripyat?? Yes please. For anyone who knows me, I am an abandoned amusement park enthusiast so seeing this made my heart SOAR. I knew it right off the bat, so I had to allow myself a moment to nerd out about that. This arc is fast-paced, action packed, and reminiscent of a good old TR adventure. ☆☆☆☆☆
Volumes 10-12: Now we're back to the art style we saw in volumes 1-6. Not bad, but not a preference still. This story is a bit of a continuation of the last (specifically issue 10, so it felt a bit weird to stop the previous arc at 9 and change the art style again). But it also takes place domestically, in London. Jonah wants Lara to be in his play (who knew he was a theater buff?). Even though she agreed, she's hopeless at acting. We still see a bit of action and some more Trinity stuff that doesn't quite fully make sense yet. But it was interesting to see Lara amidst London life, and to see her dressed up in a costume from Pride and Prejudice. Its not very fitting, but even in a dress, Lara can kick was. It's also very interesting seeing her fear regarding being onstage, considering Lara doesn't show much fear in the face of her enemies during this arc. Ultimately, Lara can't always be off adventuring in foreign lands, so this was an amusing little reprieve from the usual TR action. ☆☆☆☆
Volumes 13-18: This last arc was probably my second favorite of the whole thing. We've returned to the art style I prefer. The writing was well done and the adventure kept me intrigued. It still ties into the 2013 game a bit, because Lara believes she is out to save Grim, one of her fallen crew members from the Endurance whom she thought dead, all the way in Mexico. It almost feels like classic Lara in a way, what with her outfit and all. We got to see more of Lara's friends, and some connections between Lara, Ana, and Trinity again. But what struck me most about this one is how, although we see Lara as a badass here, we also see just how deep her trauma from Yamatai is and how it effects her in her everyday life. And not just for Lara, but for Sam too. I won't spoil anything, but seeing how that ended...it wasn't a direction I expected it to go, but I loved it. Even though it hurt. ☆☆☆☆☆
Final thoughts: It started out a bit weak and redundant, but it quickly became more interesting as the book went on. I'd recommend it to any TR fan, but I think the casual fans might not enjoy it quite as much as some of the more hard-core ones.