COMIC REVIEW: Halo-Uprising

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Drawn by Alex Maleev

Published by Marvel Comics

With less than twelve hours to go (And a lot of people claiming to have played it through, shall we say, alternative means) HALO 3 looks set to be one of the biggest video games of all time. Backed by a monstrous PR campaign and legions of fans, it's a sure thing, a certified solid gold success and it's not even been released yet.

As a result, it would be all too easy for Marvel to run on the spot and produce a piece of generic tie-in fluff. However, like last year's HALO graphic novel, Uprising looks set to be something actually rather special. Written by Marvel's golden boy Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by his Daredevil collaborator Alex Maleev, this is smart, intelligent, epic scale science fiction that ALSO, just happens, to tie into the biggest game of the year.

The story opens with the Master Chief taking the fight to the enemy aboard the Forerunner dreadnought and we cut from there, to the fall of Mars and the Covenant's attack on Cleveland of all places. The three plots neatly intertwine too, with a mysterious object known as the Key of Osanalan at their centre. First mentioned by a UNSC officer under torture (And someone who longterm fans will I suspect be both pleased to see and pleased to see in so much trouble), the Key is located somewhere in Cleveland and is vital to the Covenant war effort. Which, under normal circumstances, would be where everyone's favourite Spartan (John to his friends) would come in. The only problem being, the Master Chief is in a lot more trouble than he thinks...

The two new characters introduced here, Ruwan and Myras, are vintage Bendis, a pair of resolutely normal people whose intertwining conversations provide a nice counterpoint to the horros of the war. Ruwan is a concierge, Myras is a singer and neither of them were planning on being part of the war when they woke up that morning. But, as fate throws them together, they find themselves not only in the right place at the wrong time, but in very real danger. Bendis is superb at writing normal people and these two are no exception. Likewise, Maleev's art shifts gear effortlessly from vast space battles (The opening splash page is a jaw dropper) to character work and back out without once seeming forced. This is a very different, fragile, human side to the Halo universe and the end result is something very special indeed.

Smartly written, beautifully drawn and bridging the gap between the two films with consumate ease, Uprising is a worthy addition to the Halo universe and far better than it has any right to be. Any Halo fan will enjoy this especially as it'll give you something to read whilst waiting in line for THAT game. Recommended.