Tomb Raider Archives, Volume 1

Tomb Raider Archives #1

by Dan Jurgens, Andy Park (Illustrator), Billy Tan (Illustrator)

There's only one woman capable of tracking down the world's rarest artifacts: Lara Croft. Armed with her iconic twin pistols, and aided by roguish playboy Chase Carver and her buttoned-up assistant Madeline Hovan, Lara crisscrosses the globe in search of adventure. Join Lara as she fights against a shadowy organization intent on her destruction, faces the ultimate betrayal, and uncovers legendary treasures.

This deluxe hardcover collects issues #1-#15 of the 1999 Top Cow Tomb Raider series and features the art of superstar artists Michael Turner, Marc Silvestri, David Finch, Andy Park and many more, all in an oversized format.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Video Games, Graphic Novels Comics, Action, Comic Book

408 pages, Hardcover

First published December 13, 2016

About the author

Dan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw, and Booster Gold. Jurgens had a lengthy run on the Superman comic books including The Adventures of Superman, Superman vol. 2 and Action Comics. At Marvel, Jurgens worked on series such as Captain America, The Sensational Spider-Man and was the writer on Thor for six years. He also had a brief run as writer and artist on Solar for Valiant Comics in 1995.

Reviews

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm going to be honest with you.. this did not age well.

It's a fun run I guess to pass the time with some nice artwork from the 90s and some nice cliffhangers and surprises in the story, but.. beware, because this series is full of cliches and the dialogue is corny to say the least. So if you can get past that, you'll be fine.

[Ondra Král · Rating 3 out of 5]

Místy hloupé až běda, ale má to strašně dobrý drive a je to zábava.
Recenze na: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl2FE...

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an awesome collection! The old school Tomb Raider comics are far out of print so I'm grateful for this reprint to be able to read them. The timeline even for the older games is sketch, but I'm guessing this is around Tomb Raider 3-ish for storywise. The art work was nice and the story neat and precise; but I enjoyed it from start to end.

[Graeme Small · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this book is great, but it has many, many flaws. I think the biggest problem with this book is, it just doesn't know who its target audience is. The main artist of the book, Andy Park, professes in the introduction that he "illustrated Lara Croft in ways that didn't sexualise her" - and yet she is sexualised. A book of this nature, showcasing a very strong female lead in what should have almost no male characters save for villains, ends up featuring a character exclusive to this book, Chase, who is a complete chauvinistic prick. The issues are well written, but the plot devices are very far removed from the original games. Modern Tomb Raider fans will note the realism of the 2014 reboot and subsequent sequel, movie and new comic series are replaced with teleportation to dinosaur realms, made up magical items and very silly, over the top set pieces. Lara Croft herself, like I said earlier, was illustrated in such a way that she is not sexualised, and yet she is often depicted in little to no clothes for the benefit of the read or characters in the scenes, for very little contextual reason. Despite being the ever-strong sole lead of her own book, Lara does indeed require rescuing by far less qualified men, and 'bimbo' secretary types unfortunately enforce gender stereotypes. All this is to be expected, however. This book is a product of the late 90s, and was entirely created by men. It is enjoyable, but feminists may shy away from how awkward some scenes may appear compared to the later books by Gail Simone, for example. Male characters are often shoehorned in, and are depicted as being far weaker than Lara but are relied on by the protagonist in order to progress the plot. Some characteristics of Lara are needlessly explained as being the product of her father's finances rather than her own abilities. For example, Lara Croft is shown as a world class skier in one issue, but only achieved this level of competence because of her father's wealth and encouragement during lara's childhood. When Batman excelled in a sport, it was through practice and his own successes and motivations, not his inheritances and parentage. This, I feel, stops this book truly showcasing a truly strong female lead character. Of course, this series was originally aimed at teenage boys.

Overall though, while the plots are generic the scripts are actually quite good and the artwork is fantastic. My 15 year old self wanted to read this series from its debut but had to balance his pocket money between this, Star Wars, Spider-Man and Batman. As an adult, I am happy to say I've managed to track down these beautiful hardcovers, and while I may not have enjoyed them as much as my 15 year old self, I feel I probably appreciate them more than I would have in yesteryear.

The book is beautiful. Not as wide as standard Dark Horse Library Editions, but a very similar trim to DC's Absolute Editions - slightly shorter and not quite as wide but certainly wouldn't look out of place on the same shelf. No dustjacket, but very high quality printed boards and very thick glossy paper of exceptional quality. The pages are numbered, with a contents page helping you jump between any of the 15 issues included.

The artwork is exactly that from the classic "Tomb Raider 3" era, Lara complete with red shades, dual pistols and long ponytail. The attention to detail in the covers is astounding and somewhat rare for comics from the 90s.

overall it's a beautiful book and displayed perfectly. The issues have aged slightly compared to modern equivalents, but if you're a fan of the material you'll love it, particularly if you've previously read any of the included issues. I would not recommend to new reads who have already read more modern Tomb Raider comics unless they are fully aware of what they are getting into.

If this were a series of short novels I would give this 1 out of 5, but the artwork and well structured scripts save the generic plots to the extent I happily give this a 4.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic book collection was enormously fun and nostalgic to read. Despite being a huge Tomb Raider/Lara Croft fan who devoured the games and films as a child, I never got into the comics. Indeed, I never even realised they existed until I read 20 Years Of Tomb Raider by Meagan Marie. This collection has been on my ‘To Read’ list ever since and at last, I finally got around to a) purchasing it and b) reading it!

So where to begin? I guess the artwork is as good a place to start as any, especially since I have lots to say about it. Let’s get a bug bear out of the way first: Andy Park stated in his introduction to this collection that he tried to give Lara “a more athletic look rather than the overly objectified, exaggerated features she was often portrayed with.” However, within the first 10 pages — after an uncomfortably illustrated scene of Iranian soldiers pulling the headscarfs off of women to reveal a bejewelled and tank top-clad Lara — she is drawn stretched out and sunbathing on a yacht in a bikini. I mean...

The artwork acts as a bit of a time capsule into the 90s way of thinking. Lara expressing cynicism over the realism of the girls’ boobs in Chase’s Playboy magazine seemed hilariously tone-deaf given her own infamously inflated chest size, plus in Dead Center there was a totally random inclusion of a harem with no explanation whatsoever. Also, I think all these women got blown up underground and no one seemed to care?! Also, why beautiful sexy independent badass Lara Croft would consider giving loutish Chase Carver the time of day after a) what he did to her and b) witnessing what he’s like in his own apartment is a complete mystery to me. It seems nothing more than wish fulfilment on the part of the comic writers.

It’s not just sexualisation of the women though; there’s also the Orientalism in the Shangri-La comics and a generalised paranoia about the Middle East that runs throughout the book as a whole (the example I gave above about the Iranian soliders is one; the talk of nuclear war and biochemical weapons by Hugh Hefner wannabe, Samuel Quill is another). There’s also a truly bizarre inclusion of Lara scolding “Yanks” for slavery when... y’know, she’s a member of the landed British gentry but whatever... Like I said: time capsule. I had to constantly bear in mind these comics were written in the 90s. It kinda made me appreciate how much the media landscape has changed since then, if not the reality.

Despite these gripes, I still had so much fun with this collection. It took me a little while to get used to his style, but it’s pretty obvious to me that Andy Park massively improved as the comics went on. Whenever I came across a volume in this collection that was illustrated by another artist, I found myself dearly missing Andy Park’s athletic and wonderfully human depiction of Lara (the sexualisation definitely toned down as the years went on). Drawn by Billy Tan, she seemed bizarrely out of proportion (plus the action felt odd) and I’m baffled by Francis Manapul’s decision to draw Lara wearing her sunglasses — that weren’t even her trademark sunglasses I might add — in every single frame.

The stories — all of them written by Dan Jurgens — are wonderfully nostalgic. Lara hears about or comes across an object of immense value and/or power and seeks to beat the bad guys who would use said object for their own evil ends. What’s not to love about that? It’s basically the plot of every Tomb Raider video game ever. Admittedly Lara comes across as a little less aloof and independent here — Chase Carver most notably saves her more than once — but she’s still savagely witty, brazenly confident and handy with the old dual pistols.

I definitely want to continue reading these classic comics about my problematic fave.

[Fantasy Svet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iba jediná žena dokáže vypátrať tie najvzácnejšie poklady sveta – LARA CROFT. Križuje svet v honbe za dobrodružstvami v spoločnosti okúzľujúceho darebáka Chasea Carvera, svojej mierne upätej asistentky Madeline Hovanovej a ikonických dvoch pištolí. Staňte sa jej spoločníkmi v príbehoch plných akcie, sarkastických dialógov a pátrania po legendárnych artefaktoch.

Takouto anotáciou láka vydavateľstvo Comics Centrum nielen dlhoročných fanúšikov legendárnej archeologičky na mimoriadnu zbierku pôvodných komiksov z dielne vydavateľstva Top Cow z roku 1999, ktoré pri príležitosti 20. výročia zrodenia Lary Croft vydáva v priam luxusnom veľkoformátovom prevedení. Zväzok Archivy S.1 obsahuje komiksové zväzky 1 až 15 a galériu obálok vytvorených majstrami vo svojom odbore, akými sú nepochybne Michael Turner, Mark Silvestri, David Finch, Andy Park a ďalší, ktorí sa na jednotlivých komiksoch podieľali. Skutočným zberateľským skvostom, ktorý ocenia najmä skalní fanúšikovia, je však historicky prvý komiks Tomb Raider, ktorý vyšiel v časopise Mean Machines v septembri 1996.

Meno Lara Croft pre mňa nie je neznáme, pretože som s ňou prakticky vyrastala. Doteraz si pamätám, ako si môj strýko kúpil kedysi dávno PlayStation One a k nej, okrem iných, aj hru Tomb Raider. Od prvej chvíle som si Laru zamilovala. Na maškarných plesoch na základnej škole som nechcela byť princezná ani žiadna víla. Chcela som byť Lara Croft. Odvážna a neohrozená archeologička, pre ktorú nie je žiadna prekážka neprekonateľná a žiadna komplikácia ju nedokáže v honbe za pokladmi zastaviť. Neskôr, keď som sa aj ja stala hrdou majiteľkou hracej konzoly, Tomb Raider v mojej zbierke nesmel chýbať. A tak je tomu doteraz. Všetky hry, ktoré som mala, som prešla niekoľkokrát a hľadala si k nim dokonca cheaty a návody, aby som objavila každú tajnú skrýšu a všetko, čo ponúkali. Filmy s Angelinou Jolie zase u mňa patria k tým, ktorých reprízu si v televízii nikdy nenechám ujsť.

Lara ma počas tých rokov inšpirovala k mnohému. Naučila ma, ako sa nevzdávať, keď sa objavia prekážky, nepodceňovať sa len preto, že som dievča, a hlavne ísť si za svojimi cieľmi. Dlho ma držala predstava, že sa aj ja sama stanem archeologičkou a doteraz patrí k mojim snom, ktoré si jedného dňa snáď splním aspoň v amatérskej rovine. :D

Ale naspäť k špeciálnemu vydaniu. Už samotná obálka vám napovie, že pôjde o majstrovský kúsok výnimočných grafikov. Kresba je úžasne prepracovaná a Lara na nej pôsobí nesmierne sexy a zároveň žensky. Jednotlivé príbehy, napriek pôvodného roku vydania, sa nedržia pre komiksy známej vnútornej kompozície. Rozmiestnenie panelov, textu či obrázkových polí je uvoľnenejšie, nepodlieha stereotypu, naopak, ilustrátori s nadšením využívajú celú plochu, ktorú im arch ponúka. Pred očami sa vám tak v priebehu niekoľkých sekúnd bude prehrávať jeden dokonalý grafický výjav za druhým. Celoplošné ilustrácie, plastická kresba prechádzajúca z jedného obrázkového poľa do druhého bez toho, aby pôsobila rušivo, a to vrátane jej textovej časti, alebo len nádherne farebné stránky, kde sa tón snúbi s tónom, vám na tvári vyčarujú úsmev. Toto vydanie je naozaj určené pre fajnšmekrov a Lariných fanúšikov, ktorí si s ňou čo-to odžili a dokážu oceniť aj grafické umenie. Veru, Lara vás očarí a jej pôvab vás neopustí na žiadnej stránke tejto výnimočnej zbierky, ktorú som si priam zamilovala a prečítala ju hneď niekoľkokrát, kým som sa pustila do písania recenzie.

Ako už bolo povedané, zbierka obsahuje komiksové zväzky 1 až 15, ktoré dokopy tvoria 6 príbehov. Niektoré z nich boli mimoriadne napínavé, niektoré zase trošku hraničili s klišé, pretože Lara v nich pôsobila až príliš dokonalo. Mám na mysli situácie, kedy hrdina vraví, že niečo dokáže len a jedine on a nik iný na svete. No uznajte, to znie trošku namyslene. J Avšak Lara má byť na čo pyšná, čo nám napokon dokazuje na každej stránke. Len jej nepriatelia občas pôsobia ako Stormtrooperi. Trafia všetko možné, len nie svoj cieľ. Čo sa ale Lare nejedenkrát hodilo. Zato jej muška bola vždy presná a jej jazyk ostrý ako britva, a to som ocenila najmä v niektorých scénach s Chaseom Carverom, ktoré boli fakt famózne.

Pokiaľ ide o dej jednotlivých komiksov, nechcem prezrádzať veľa, no pokiaľ ste hrali aspoň jednu hru, alebo videli niektorý z filmov, môžete si vytvoriť akú-takú predstavu o tom, čo vás v najbližších hodinách čaká. Spomeniem však aspoň to, že nechýbala ani bitka so žralokom, šplhanie sa po budovách v typickom priliehavom čiernom outfite, dobrodružstvo v púšti, džungli či zasneženej krajine. Tvorcovia vám jednoducho chcú naservírovať všetko, čo poznáte, ale tak, aby vás ešte niečím mohli prekvapiť. A naozaj im to vyšlo, aj keď niektoré príbehy boli na môj vkus krátke a rozhodne by im nezaškodilo rozviť pointu alebo niečím šokovať, nech nesmútime za tým, že rozprávanie tak rýchlo skončilo. No zato tie dlhšie stáli za to. A posledné dva (ktoré by teoreticky mohli tvoriť aj jeden) spoločne s tým prvým u mňa viedli ako top! Som nesmierne zvedavá, na pokračovanie.

Viete, už dlhšie na vás čakajú dinosaury, zombie, bohovia, magické artefakty a bájne ríše, ktoré je potrebné preskúmať. Po boku Lary Croft je každý moment neopakovateľným dobrodružstvom. Naozaj jedinou chybičkou, ktorú táto kniha má, je, že si ju vzhľadom na jej váhu tak ľahko nevezmete so sebou na cesty ako oddychové čítanie. No za to sa bude nádherne vynímať vo vašej knižnici. Investovať sa do nej oplatí, ak už nie pre to, že ste komiksový gurmán, tak určite pre Laru.

Fantasy-svet.sk

[Marek Osvald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Park by mohl kreslit všechno. Nemyslím jenom obálky a sešity Tomb Raidera, ale myslím naprosto všechno. Spider-mana, Hellboye, Batmana, Mýty, prostě všechno. A stejně by se mi nezajídal. To, že se tenhle nekorunovaný král mainstreamové kresby zahrabal u Marvel Studios je sice skvělá zpráva pro kinofily, ale pro komiks je to rozhodně citelná ztráta. Jurgensův scénář se trochu hledá. Medusina maska (nebo po novém Maska Medusina) je super, odsýpá a ve čtyřech sešitech to řekne spoustu a člověk se vůbec nestačí nudit.

Ostatní dobrodružství jsou nic moc. Přestože vytahují arzenál všeho co na přelomu devadesátých a nultých let bylo alespoň trochu cool (dinosauři, zombíci, technodrom-nindža-ilumináti, prokletí conquistadoři, aj.), Jurgens dokáže bavit jenom špičkováním mezi Larou a Chasem Carverem. Zbytek bublin tvoří nuda, výplň a atmosférické výkřiky. Velká škoda, mám dojem, že by Laře spíše svedčily delší 6-12číselné příběhové linky. Dvojku rozhodně beru.

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable read, with consistently great art throughout by Andy Park. The fill-in artists are luckily also excellent, and fit the style of the book.
It’s mostly formulaic, so there aren’t major upsets or huge surprises along the way (with two exceptions). But if you know what you’re getting from this it’s a good read.
The sexuality of Lara is mostly handled tastefully, though this varies. It is a late 90’s, early 2000’s comic after all, so you should know what to expect. The adventures, mysteries and action of the story is at the forefront, as is Lara’s character development as she deals with certain events in her life. How well that works varies, but it’s nice to see Dan Jurgens treat the character with respect and some nuance.
Overall, it’s just a good time!

[-A · Rating 5 out of 5]

This comic was everything. This volume compiles from issue 1 to 15 of the original Tomb raider comics.

Here we have the original Lara Croft. The Lara Croft I love and adore. This comic was everything I wanted it to be and even more. The art is gorgeous, way better than nowadays comics. And the story is compelling. Even if you aren’t a Tomb raider fan or have never read anything about it, you can read this comic.

I can’t wait to read the next volumes but at the same time I am afraid because there are only four in total and then no more and I know I will end up needing more just as I am left now needing more.

[FrontalNerdaty · Rating 4 out of 5]

These classic Tomb Raider comics are very much of their time. The Lara presented here is a version of the character created to fit in the Top Cow universe (Witchblade, The Darkness etc) so you can approach this run as something separate to the games etc. This is great!
Lara is presented as a high flying- jet setting adventurer and each issue starts with a strong opening introduction. Andy Park’s art is the real star here though. Lara is drawn in that classic 90s style - big hair, big boobs and slight muscle tone but it’s never too far in to titillation. The stories are a fun if somewhat camp romp and offer a fun look at a Tomb Raider.
(Read digitally frustratingly)
4/5

[Nik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Die Aufmachung bzw. das Format ist wirklich hochwertig, besonders mit den Extras wie der Cover-Galerie oder den ersten Comic-Stripes von Lara Croft, die jemals offiziell veröffentlicht wurden. Leider ist die Hauptserie doch sehr eintönig, stellenweise sehr konstruiert und ohne guten bleibenden Eindruck. Die wenigen wiederkehrenden Figuren sind mehr Hilfsmittel als richtige Charaktere, die Bösewichte billige Einwegware, von denen man später nie wieder etwas sieht. Die Zeichnungen von Lara erinnern teilweise an Pin-Ups, auch das brauche in der Intensität jetzt nicht unbedingt.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art in this book is excellent. And it gives the right globe-trotting, adventuring, tomb-raiding feel fans of the games would expect. The writing is generally fun, although the dialogue can be very cliche. The storytelling is generally engaging, but the a few of the "twists" are neck-breakingly unexpected (NO setup for some of them). A satisfying series that is fully fun, but isn't trying to push any kind of storytelling limits. (I found issues 2-20 at a local geek shop and picked up the lot of them, even though there are a few issue gaps I need to fill.)

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the two Tomb Raider comic series, I opted to read the older set as not much knowledge of the in-game storylines seems to be required. Volume 1 contains several varied mini-arcs (usually 2-4 issues apiece) showcasing Lara Croft's fast-paced adventures in treasure hunting. Originally printed in the 90s, these issues do reveal a little bit of their age (mostly in the areas of gender dynamics and Lara's male gaze-driven depiction), but otherwise hold up okay, so far. I'm looking forward to seeing where this tomb raider's expeditions take her in Volume 2!

[Marcin Kowalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as guilty pleasure go, this is one of the best. The stories are over the top, naive, simple structured, but all this (normally a con) summs to a very pleasant reading.
The art, although very much in line with the 90ies style of sexy bod's is allways top notch, and Lara is not cliche sexy, but rather muscular and fit... a look, that became more popular in the past few years.
Definetly not food for brain, but still a great time for fans of characters like Indy or Drake or pulpy advantures... or folks that need a break from the hip grit from today.

[Viggo Pedersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely gorgeous over-sized book containing the first 15 issues of the original Top Cow comic books from December 1999 to September 2001. The Medusa Mask 1-4, Ancient Futures 1-2, Dead Center 1-4, Shangri-La 1-2, Jungle Of Honduras 1-2 & Without Limit + a cover gallery. 8 inch x 13.5 inch. 400+ pages. This will surely keep you entertained time and time again.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Táto úžasná zbierka je jednoducho must-have pre každého fanúšika Lary Croft! Ja som si jej čítanie maximálne užila. Grafika bola premakaná, texty často sršali príjemným sarkazmom a príbehy boli pekne napínavé, hoci občas mohli byť kľudne aj dlhšie :) teším sa na pokračovanie

[Tomáš Drako · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ako konečne moje duálne čítanie prišlo do konca. Je pravda, že som toto zbežne čítal, ale nie preto, že je to zlá kniha. Naopak je výborná. Príbehy ktoré sú v tejto zbierke majú spád, a neustále sa tam dačo deje.
Celkom isto pôjdem aj do druhého archívu.

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

My very first graphic novel! While the characters were a bit different from in the video game, Lara remained true to herself. I also saw bits that inspired some of the games that came after this was published. I can't wait to get the next one!

[Randall Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was well written and I'll be reading the next archive book. The only story I didn't like was the last one , in which Francis Manipal drew it. He gave Lara no personality by keeping her glasses on almost the entire story. Other than that it was great!

[Petr Čapek · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.schefikuvblog.eu/andy-park...

[Rebecca Bramwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the adventure and the art work. Just a little heavy to carry around.

[David Lipely · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so good!! Definitely need this for my collection! And want to read the rest too!

[John Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing art, but the story was a bit lacking

[Jakub Rabyniuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taková 90´ akční věc se vším dobrým i blbým, co k tomu patří. Místy je to fakt docela dobré, ale ne tak dobré abych si koupil další díly.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are a bit hit and miss, with some feeling very dated. But overall it’s a lot of fun.

[Donavon · Rating 4 out of 5]

starts off story, trails off in middle, but finishes with solid ending.