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The Sacrifice
The Sacrifice is a digital comic book created by Valve Corporation based on the Left 4 Dead video game, detailing the events of the main characters from it, namely Zoey, Louis, Francis, and Bill, after the chronological final campaign, Blood Harvest. It accompanies a campaign in both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 of the same name. It also serves as a prequel to the campaign from Left 4 Dead 2 called The Passing, which makes allusions to the events.
178 pages, Digital Comic
First published September 14, 2010
8 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Michael Avon Oeming
864 books64 followersMichael Avon Oeming is an American comic book creator, both as an artist and writer.
His 1998 comic book Bulletproof Monk was made into a film of the same name.
The previous mentioned collaborations are The Mice Templar from Image Comics, which he draws and co-authors with Bryan J.L. Glass,[1] and Powers from Icon Comics which he draws, and sometimes co-authors, with Brian Bendis. His creator-owned projects include Rapture, on which he collaborated with his wife, Taki Soma,[2] and The Victories, both for Dark Horse Comics.
As of 2010, he is employed as a staff member of Valve Corporation, working on Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2 and Portal 2 webcomics.
His 1998 comic book Bulletproof Monk was made into a film of the same name.
The previous mentioned collaborations are The Mice Templar from Image Comics, which he draws and co-authors with Bryan J.L. Glass,[1] and Powers from Icon Comics which he draws, and sometimes co-authors, with Brian Bendis. His creator-owned projects include Rapture, on which he collaborated with his wife, Taki Soma,[2] and The Victories, both for Dark Horse Comics.
As of 2010, he is employed as a staff member of Valve Corporation, working on Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2 and Portal 2 webcomics.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 23 reviews
January 9, 2015
Beautiful, and simply heart-wrenching.
I've read this comic about five times now, and I always love it just the same. My favourite part is page 110, where the doctor is relieved to know there aren't many infected around, and Louis simply says the following, which I found chilling:
"No, man. This is very, very bad. Zombies are like... piranhas. They ain't too choosy about who they attack, you know? Point bein', you jump into a lake full of piranhas, and you ain't getting attacked? Means there's a shark around."
And we all know who the shark is. That's why this part is so exciting.
To be honest, what I like the most about the comic is that we get to learn about all of the survivor's lives. That their lives were connected in one way or another, and once they met (I'd love to know how they met) they all had something to contribute (Zoey had military training from her father, Francis was a tough prick already, Bill was a Vietnam veteran, Louis had lots of computer and technology knowledge, which came in handy as he was able to create pipe bombs); something to give back against the infected. I suppose that's why they stayed together in the first place, and why they mourn each other deeply even though they've only known each other for about two-three weeks.
However, what does break my heart is Zoey's feelings towards Bill after he refused to slow down the train. Absolutely, I get it, the doctor died and he could've been of use, and I'm not justifying Bill because I think slowing down to let him in wouldn't have allowed many infected to hop in the wagon, and the doctor could've been of use. The downside to it being that we don't know if he knew how to fight, and someone who can't deem themselves useful in combat in a "zombie apocalypse" is nothing but a burden. However, being a medic, he could've been useful. What I don't understand is why Zoey had to be so rancorous towards Bill because of it. He said it himself: we look after our own. She kept beating him up because he wanted to stop fighting, because he didn't want the four of them to be on constant death menaces every day since day one the infection got out of control. And Zoey, I get her stance, but it doesn't seem like she understands Bill's. That man has seen more than any of the other three survivors ever have, and all he wants is for them to be safe. Both stances are understandable: Zoey wants to wipe the infected from the earth (though I think it's highly unlikely), Bill wants to stop fighting. He doesn't want to encounter more infected, more military or jails. He just wants to relax. And while I get Zoey's position and anger, I still think her expectations are set way too high and are unrealistic. She wants to find more carriers and eliminate all the infected from the face of the earth, and not only that but she dares to ask if Bill would leave them behind (who else are you going to leave behind?) after everything he just did to protect them! That's why I loved so much when Francis told Zoey: "Bill might not always do the right thing. But he always does them for the right reasons". And I think that made Zoey loosen up a little. Then again, the real reason why Bill's decision angered her so much might be because she feels she doesn't know him, despite him being the one who keeps them going, and despite the fact she loves him as she stated in page 149.
It's sad. And what is truly heartbreaking is the fact that it takes Bill's death for Zoey to realise they can't save the world: that they have to protect their own and what they have. It takes Bill's death for her to understand his stance. And that sucks.
I've read this comic about five times now, and I always love it just the same. My favourite part is page 110, where the doctor is relieved to know there aren't many infected around, and Louis simply says the following, which I found chilling:
"No, man. This is very, very bad. Zombies are like... piranhas. They ain't too choosy about who they attack, you know? Point bein', you jump into a lake full of piranhas, and you ain't getting attacked? Means there's a shark around."
And we all know who the shark is. That's why this part is so exciting.
To be honest, what I like the most about the comic is that we get to learn about all of the survivor's lives. That their lives were connected in one way or another, and once they met (I'd love to know how they met) they all had something to contribute (Zoey had military training from her father, Francis was a tough prick already, Bill was a Vietnam veteran, Louis had lots of computer and technology knowledge, which came in handy as he was able to create pipe bombs); something to give back against the infected. I suppose that's why they stayed together in the first place, and why they mourn each other deeply even though they've only known each other for about two-three weeks.
However, what does break my heart is Zoey's feelings towards Bill after he refused to slow down the train. Absolutely, I get it, the doctor died and he could've been of use, and I'm not justifying Bill because I think slowing down to let him in wouldn't have allowed many infected to hop in the wagon, and the doctor could've been of use. The downside to it being that we don't know if he knew how to fight, and someone who can't deem themselves useful in combat in a "zombie apocalypse" is nothing but a burden. However, being a medic, he could've been useful. What I don't understand is why Zoey had to be so rancorous towards Bill because of it. He said it himself: we look after our own. She kept beating him up because he wanted to stop fighting, because he didn't want the four of them to be on constant death menaces every day since day one the infection got out of control. And Zoey, I get her stance, but it doesn't seem like she understands Bill's. That man has seen more than any of the other three survivors ever have, and all he wants is for them to be safe. Both stances are understandable: Zoey wants to wipe the infected from the earth (though I think it's highly unlikely), Bill wants to stop fighting. He doesn't want to encounter more infected, more military or jails. He just wants to relax. And while I get Zoey's position and anger, I still think her expectations are set way too high and are unrealistic. She wants to find more carriers and eliminate all the infected from the face of the earth, and not only that but she dares to ask if Bill would leave them behind (who else are you going to leave behind?) after everything he just did to protect them! That's why I loved so much when Francis told Zoey: "Bill might not always do the right thing. But he always does them for the right reasons". And I think that made Zoey loosen up a little. Then again, the real reason why Bill's decision angered her so much might be because she feels she doesn't know him, despite him being the one who keeps them going, and despite the fact she loves him as she stated in page 149.
It's sad. And what is truly heartbreaking is the fact that it takes Bill's death for Zoey to realise they can't save the world: that they have to protect their own and what they have. It takes Bill's death for her to understand his stance. And that sucks.
June 2, 2019
I read an embarrassingly large amount of Left 4 Dead 2.
And so, when I say that I loved every instant of this book, do understand that I may not be unbiased.
The artwork by Owning is typically incredible. Those chunky lines convey more than you imagined that they ever could, and his characters have a fluidity and natural movement that most artists should covet.
The story moves along perfectly, revealing back stories to beloved characters that speak volumes about who they are when we first met them years ago.
Best of all, the story is loving swan song to a beloved franchise, and reminded me what made me invest all those hours years ago.
And so, when I say that I loved every instant of this book, do understand that I may not be unbiased.
The artwork by Owning is typically incredible. Those chunky lines convey more than you imagined that they ever could, and his characters have a fluidity and natural movement that most artists should covet.
The story moves along perfectly, revealing back stories to beloved characters that speak volumes about who they are when we first met them years ago.
Best of all, the story is loving swan song to a beloved franchise, and reminded me what made me invest all those hours years ago.
March 19, 2019
I played hundreds of hours of Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 when I was in college. They were the first games I played online regularly with friends, and I loved them. If you've never played, you basically pick a character, grab a gun and try to survive waves of zombies as you make your way to safe house after safe house. This comic was a nice little nostalgia trip. And by nice I mean full of gleeful violence, obviously.
January 25, 2023
Left 4 Dead was one of my favorite games in high school and I loved getting to learn more about its universe and the original characters' backstories. Especially appreciated seeing each do something badass in each of their flashbacks and the expanded lore via their interactions with the US military. Maybe there's some zombie movie cliches spread throughout but who cares. Hope Valve one day follows up on the three survivors one day.
February 20, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this. I loved the Left 4 Dead 2 video game and reading this was kind of like playing through a campaign. I enjoyed how a lot of the dialogue matches the things they say in the game as you’re playing. It’s a fun read overall, and even if you don’t play Left 4 Dead or Left 4 Dead 2 you should enjoy it if you like zombie stories.
April 14, 2019
Prova de que dá para escrever obras sobre zumbis e ainda assim não ser repetitivo.
(E o Francis é foda. XD )
(E o Francis é foda. XD )
Want to read
May 6, 2021i never read the book but i played Left 4 dead 1/2 and its amazing Left 4 dead 1/2 is on STEAM
June 7, 2023
Rip Bill
October 21, 2025
Wasn’t amazing, wasn’t shit. Clichés and “he’s right behind me isn’t he” humour aside I feel they could have done a lot more with it. Don’t think I’d read again
October 27, 2025
This just made my first experience with The Sacrifice campaign even better cause I got the Kill Bill achievement.
January 19, 2026
Bill my goat 🙏
June 1, 2016
'The Sacrifice' is a comic book based off of the in game DLC of Left 4 Dead 1 &2. It is a sequel to the original game, a prequel to the DLC, as well as a prequel to the main games first chapter. 'The Sacrifice' tells what happened to the characters after the first game, explaining their fate and how they eventually made it to the DLC. It explores character depth not explored in the games, and gives a much more clear motivation to the characters actions. It also has a very rough and stylistic art style that is both creative, fitting, and generally good to the eyes. Very enjoyable.
April 5, 2025
"Zoey.
Louis.
Francis.
You're Safe."
I love the Left 4 Dead games, all two of them. But, I sunk many hours into them on the 360 and have such fond, horrific memories of fighting hoards and hoards of zombies, and so many unpredicted encounters with Tanks.
This short comic does a great job of translating the atmosphere of the games and the chaos of it all, on top of replicating the only really impactful story moment in the series beautifully.
Great graphic novel, highly recommended to any fan of the series.
Louis.
Francis.
You're Safe."
I love the Left 4 Dead games, all two of them. But, I sunk many hours into them on the 360 and have such fond, horrific memories of fighting hoards and hoards of zombies, and so many unpredicted encounters with Tanks.
This short comic does a great job of translating the atmosphere of the games and the chaos of it all, on top of replicating the only really impactful story moment in the series beautifully.
Great graphic novel, highly recommended to any fan of the series.
December 29, 2014
Very good comic. At first I wasn't sure what to expect but overall it was very enjoyable. It had a solid storyline about the ole Zombie apocalypse, the graphics were very well done and quite detailed and it's a decent sized comic so you can get into it and root for the characters. It's based off a game so it's a good thing to read to get you to want to play the game. Again, very good comic.
September 17, 2012
I read this off of a comics app on my Nexus, I had a lot of fun with it. It made me want to play this game even more. Francis is hilarious.
December 23, 2014
a decent way to spend an hour. art is good and story is slight but fun. if you like the games you'll enjoy this. and it does what it sets out to - I really want to play the game again. now!
March 20, 2016
I got it for free from comixology and didn't expect too much - not from a free comic book based on a video game! And it turns out it was good. Very surprisingly so.
July 23, 2015
Zombies, survivors against unbelievers, found family, and background on the game (which it is unnecessary to have played in order to enjoy the story, because I haven't).
October 25, 2015
i love it!
October 28, 2019
Decent story
November 23, 2025
Awesome!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 23 reviews