What do you think?
Rate this book
Mass Effect (Dark Horse Comics) #8
Mass Effect: Discovery
Mass Andromeda, one of the year's most hotly anticipated video games, will be released in Spring 2017. Dark Horse is pleased to be releasing Mass Discovery, the canonical comic continuation!A young Turian military recruit goes undercover in order to infiltrate the mysterious Andromeda Initiative--and ultimately retrieve a scientist who's made a potentially devastating discovery. Tying in to the highly anticipated release of Mass Andromeda, writer Jeremy Barlow and artist Gabriel Guzman team up to create the next exciting chapter of the Mass Effect comics series!
104 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2017
3 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 15, 2022
My first graphic novel. I'm not sure if the medium agrees with me but I'm always up for more Mass Effect related media.
December 21, 2017
An okay read. So when I'm not reading books, I am a big gamer and I'm a big fan of the mass effect series! I haven't played the new game yet, after all the controversy, but I will at some point. So the story for this book is a prequel of sorts to Andromeda; it doesn't tie in all that much, but it does show the early stages of the Andromeda initiative. We follow a Turian named Tiran, as he goes undercover to find out what's going on with the Andromeda initiative beneath the surface. Tiran is a pretty cool character, he's no Garrus, but he's journey to discover himself is quite cool. The story overall is okay, its entertaining enough, but no where near the writing or story telling we got from the original trilogy of games. Artwork however is excellent; really vibrant colours and the drawing work is really top notch with this series! Overall I would recommend it to any Mass Effect fan and if your a new comer (first off go play the original games), this book is very newcomer friendly!
August 16, 2018
Well, this is so far most interesting story from ME universe. But still in the shadow of "fanservice" more than regular "quality" comics. But this level is... decent. Fine. Still only for ME fans (or sci-fi fans with brief knowledge of ME universe)., but it is quite readable and the story is complex and interesting enough to feel like regular comics arc than promo material which comes before the game.
July 10, 2017
I have enjoyed all of the Mass Effect comics that have been released. I don't feel as though all of them "stand out," though. They are entertaining enough to read, and they are fun contributions to Mass Effect lore, but I personally feel as though many are not extremely gripping, engaging, exciting, juicy, or the like. Mass Effect: Evolution is one story that stands out to me as intriguing and exciting... and I'm going to say here that Mass Effect: Discovery is already standing out for me, too.
I'm absolutely loving the story thus far! I have read #1 and #2 at the time of this review, and I must say, if the story continues to be as strong and entertaining as it is thus far, Discovery might become my favorite graphic novel story from the Mass Effect universe.
I know that, for some fans, Mass Effect: Andromeda is not the most popular video game release of the Mass Effect franchise. I'm not here in this review to get into that discussion. If you are curious about my take of ME:A, I do talk about it here on my gaming tumblr blog. Basically, I think that ME:A is a great game, regardless of the fact I wouldn't consider it as good as the original Shepard saga.
ME:A has some weaknesses, but it also has strengths and a lot of potential... potential regarding the fifth major game in the Mass Effect franchise... and potential in its supplementary materials. Nexus Uprising and Discovery have both found a good niche expanding Andromeda's storyline in pleasing manners. Discovery is feeding on the potential that ME:A offers, and frankly makes me more excited about the prospect of an Andromeda sequel. It's feeding me juicy information that can lead for some exciting in-game executions in an eventual Mass Effect 5. If these potentials are executed, the next game could have some pretty awesome stuff.
Discovery takes on the question of the Andromeda Initiative's dark secrets. It's something ME:A of course introduced, but it the details are of yet fairly enshrouded in mystery. The fact that Discovery tackles what it is that the Initiative is up to... makes for a very good, very interesting, and very engaging storyline. It builds conflict. It builds intrigue. This is exactly the sort of material I want in my Mass Effect stories!
So. We have a fun plot concept. And the plot is executed very nicely, very neatly, paced very well. It's not one of those comics where you have to reread the last page because you missed something, or you're not sure what is happening at any given time. The writing is clear. The story is always flowing forward and keeping the reader engaged. Well done.
It's also nice to spend time on Tiran Kandros. He was an interesting personality for the little bit of time you spend with him in ME:A, but I wanted more. Discovery makes Kandros the protagonist and delightfully expands upon him.
As far as other characters are concerned, I must say I'm digging both Luna Shanks and the salarian biotic. That salarian could compete with Jack in a contest of crazy, powerful biotic energy!
Okay... yeah... really digging the salarian biotic.
Last, the art is nice. Mass Effect graphic novels have a variety of art styles, some of which might gravitate to you, and some of which might not. I overall like the art style and color pallets chosen for Discovery. Favorite panels are always the ones with biotics... those turn out great. It is interesting that the art is almost completely sectioned into regular blocks as versus more creative page geometric configurations, but it works for the story it is telling, and Discovery #2 does have a little more variety once we get into action.
In short: delightful and engaging start to a new Mass Effect comic series. If you found ME:A fun and want to see it expand upon its potential, I highly encourage picking these up. No spoilers mentioned here, but this story looks like it's leading into some of the more juicy, dark scandals we might get in an Andromeda sequel. The story of the Andromeda Initiative could build in some really interesting ways.
I'm absolutely loving the story thus far! I have read #1 and #2 at the time of this review, and I must say, if the story continues to be as strong and entertaining as it is thus far, Discovery might become my favorite graphic novel story from the Mass Effect universe.
I know that, for some fans, Mass Effect: Andromeda is not the most popular video game release of the Mass Effect franchise. I'm not here in this review to get into that discussion. If you are curious about my take of ME:A, I do talk about it here on my gaming tumblr blog. Basically, I think that ME:A is a great game, regardless of the fact I wouldn't consider it as good as the original Shepard saga.
ME:A has some weaknesses, but it also has strengths and a lot of potential... potential regarding the fifth major game in the Mass Effect franchise... and potential in its supplementary materials. Nexus Uprising and Discovery have both found a good niche expanding Andromeda's storyline in pleasing manners. Discovery is feeding on the potential that ME:A offers, and frankly makes me more excited about the prospect of an Andromeda sequel. It's feeding me juicy information that can lead for some exciting in-game executions in an eventual Mass Effect 5. If these potentials are executed, the next game could have some pretty awesome stuff.
Discovery takes on the question of the Andromeda Initiative's dark secrets. It's something ME:A of course introduced, but it the details are of yet fairly enshrouded in mystery. The fact that Discovery tackles what it is that the Initiative is up to... makes for a very good, very interesting, and very engaging storyline. It builds conflict. It builds intrigue. This is exactly the sort of material I want in my Mass Effect stories!
So. We have a fun plot concept. And the plot is executed very nicely, very neatly, paced very well. It's not one of those comics where you have to reread the last page because you missed something, or you're not sure what is happening at any given time. The writing is clear. The story is always flowing forward and keeping the reader engaged. Well done.
It's also nice to spend time on Tiran Kandros. He was an interesting personality for the little bit of time you spend with him in ME:A, but I wanted more. Discovery makes Kandros the protagonist and delightfully expands upon him.
As far as other characters are concerned, I must say I'm digging both Luna Shanks and the salarian biotic. That salarian could compete with Jack in a contest of crazy, powerful biotic energy!
Okay... yeah... really digging the salarian biotic.
Last, the art is nice. Mass Effect graphic novels have a variety of art styles, some of which might gravitate to you, and some of which might not. I overall like the art style and color pallets chosen for Discovery. Favorite panels are always the ones with biotics... those turn out great. It is interesting that the art is almost completely sectioned into regular blocks as versus more creative page geometric configurations, but it works for the story it is telling, and Discovery #2 does have a little more variety once we get into action.
In short: delightful and engaging start to a new Mass Effect comic series. If you found ME:A fun and want to see it expand upon its potential, I highly encourage picking these up. No spoilers mentioned here, but this story looks like it's leading into some of the more juicy, dark scandals we might get in an Andromeda sequel. The story of the Andromeda Initiative could build in some really interesting ways.
January 4, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed the original Mass Effect Trilogy, but never got around to playing Andromeda (I have it now, and will get around to it after my playthrough of the Legendary Edition), so I don't know how much this really ties in to that game apart from mentioning the Andromeda Initiative, but this was a fairly engaging story. I have read several volumes of Mass Effect comics and novels, and can safely say that this story is better executed than a lot of other comics (I haven't had an issue with any of the novels I have read). It does still require you to have quite a bit of knowledge of the world (or galaxy or whatever) and its inhabitants (like the various species and their governments, what biotics are and how they work, and the nature of interstellar travel and Mass Relays, so it still doesn't quite work off completely cold if you aren't a gamer, but as a media tie-in book, you probably weren't going to pick up a Mass Effect comic if you haven't played the game, and it could be manageable with a guide (either a person or a webpage) if you did so. I think what made this a bit more successful than some other books was a slightly larger cast of characters and some more varied locations and antagonists, that made it a bit more like the games. In any case, this did pique my interest a bit more in finally getting around to playing Andromeda.
February 24, 2026
Mass Effect: Discovery is a prequel comic sets before Andromeda Initiative’s launch.
The story follows Tiran Kandros, who is sent to infiltrate the Initiative after suspected of being a threat. His mission uncovers sabotage which forces him to choose between his loyalty to the Turian Hierarchy or the Initiative’s dream, setting up for his role in Mass Effect: Andromeda (MEA). Some familiar names spotted from ME trilogy in here too.
This is another fun read for me! Can’t help that I have a weak spot for all Turians haha! I love to see another Kandros here too, some quarians & psychotic-biotic salarian.
My MEA Chronological Revisit List:
I read the books alongside playing the game.
1. MEA: Initiation book (my thoughts here)
2. ME: Discovery comic collection
3. MEA game + MEA: Nexus Uprising book (thoughts here)
4. MEA: Annihilation book
The story follows Tiran Kandros, who is sent to infiltrate the Initiative after suspected of being a threat. His mission uncovers sabotage which forces him to choose between his loyalty to the Turian Hierarchy or the Initiative’s dream, setting up for his role in Mass Effect: Andromeda (MEA). Some familiar names spotted from ME trilogy in here too.
This is another fun read for me! Can’t help that I have a weak spot for all Turians haha! I love to see another Kandros here too, some quarians & psychotic-biotic salarian.
My MEA Chronological Revisit List:
I read the books alongside playing the game.
1. MEA: Initiation book (my thoughts here)
2. ME: Discovery comic collection
3. MEA game + MEA: Nexus Uprising book (thoughts here)
4. MEA: Annihilation book
May 23, 2021
The turian Tiran Kandros volunteers to infiltrate the Andromeda Initiative to investigate suspicions about the program. The Andromeda Initiative is advertised as a program to explore the Andromeda Galaxy, but the Geth tech, the private army and the many people flocking to its massive ships are cause for concern. To prove his worth for Jien Garson - founder of the Initiative - he must find a quarian scientist named Shio'Leth Vas Novarra. His formulas are vital for the program, but they have a flaw and he has gone missing. There are other parties interested in him - a salarian with powerful biotics named Agent Zeta - so the race to find him is on.
November 2, 2021
Fun Andromeda tie-in. It could have used just a few more pages to make some scenes flow better, but overall very enjoyable.
October 26, 2024
I don't really know what I thought I was going to get out of this. It's a decent story, but I sort of wish it focused on something else. Kandros is a fine character and I like him in Andromeda, but I think showing us the year before Ryder arrived would've been far more interesting. This is still just build-up to going. It's fine, but if I read this comic before playing the game, I don't know if I would've been excited to see what happened next.
This comic did have the disadvantage of being about characters we've never met before. We got a nice little cameo from Nyreen, but I almost wish she was more involved. This is her brother, after all, and seeing their dynamic would've made her end more tragic and his decision to go to Andromeda more poignant. I don't really get the point of that salarian biotic. We have yet to see a single salarian biotic in the games, so why even bother showing them in the comics? If you don't let us have another bad-ass salarian on our squad, it's all just a disappointing tease.
I guess I'm glad I finally read through all the comics, but I don't think most of them added much to the lore or story of Mass Effect. They largely told stories we already knew from the games, and the ones we didn't know were not always compelling.
This comic did have the disadvantage of being about characters we've never met before. We got a nice little cameo from Nyreen, but I almost wish she was more involved. This is her brother, after all, and seeing their dynamic would've made her end more tragic and his decision to go to Andromeda more poignant. I don't really get the point of that salarian biotic. We have yet to see a single salarian biotic in the games, so why even bother showing them in the comics? If you don't let us have another bad-ass salarian on our squad, it's all just a disappointing tease.
I guess I'm glad I finally read through all the comics, but I don't think most of them added much to the lore or story of Mass Effect. They largely told stories we already knew from the games, and the ones we didn't know were not always compelling.
March 10, 2026
what a way to end this collection of ME comics! certainly, the best standalone of the lot, with a massive improvement in art style i cannot praise enough. the way turians and quarians are drawn here are especially beautiful (with the variations in gender are not badly designed like previous comics), even the asari, with a returning fan fav char, look proper and not weirdly sexualised, which is something these comics have always had an issue with. what a great decision to focus on tiran kandros, a character whom i've enjoyed in andromeda, given some nice background investigation. paranoia, conspiracy, secrets, undercover missions, experiments, missing persons, strange unknowable mass arrays.... everything just great. we even get a biotic salarian with a heartwrenching arc! the only thing sad about this is how andromeda still does not have a sequel yet to delve into some of these story bits, because as a fan of that game, it's way overhated for something that is meant to be starting afresh in a new galaxy, bringing with it its own baggage of problems we thought we're escaping from. a good comic for a good game, both of which deserve more support and love to continue. hopefully, me5 does right by these. here's hoping! <3
February 6, 2018
Mass Effect: Discovery reveals the story of a Turian operative, Tiran Kandros, and the circumstances under which he was recruited into the Andromeda Initiative.
WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT?
Fans of the Mass Effect franchise would have a wonderful time reading this. Newbies may struggle slightly.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT
The set of volumes reveal the circumstances under which the Andromeda Initiative operated and how they went about recruitment. It also examines the distrust that still exists among the rulers of the Mass Effect world and how that plays into their politics. Fans may be glad to see Omega's top Asari, Aria T'Loak as well as her partner, Nyreen, in this particular story.
Read more at....... http://www.ysstephen.com/2018/02/revi...
Many thanks to Dark Horse Comics for review copy.
WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT?
Fans of the Mass Effect franchise would have a wonderful time reading this. Newbies may struggle slightly.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT
The set of volumes reveal the circumstances under which the Andromeda Initiative operated and how they went about recruitment. It also examines the distrust that still exists among the rulers of the Mass Effect world and how that plays into their politics. Fans may be glad to see Omega's top Asari, Aria T'Loak as well as her partner, Nyreen, in this particular story.
Read more at....... http://www.ysstephen.com/2018/02/revi...
Many thanks to Dark Horse Comics for review copy.
May 1, 2018
I read this a couple months ago and struggled to come up with a review but couldn't think of much to say so I read it again and again had a difficult time composing a proper review. The n it occurred to me that the reason that I couldn't write a review was that the most I could think to say was 'meh'.
The story is okay and the artwork is good but I felt like I was coming into the middle of a story that has been going on for a long time. There wasn't sufficient character building for me to become engaged with any of the characters. Besides, with everyone in similar spacesuits I had a hard time telling them apart.
The story is okay and the artwork is good but I felt like I was coming into the middle of a story that has been going on for a long time. There wasn't sufficient character building for me to become engaged with any of the characters. Besides, with everyone in similar spacesuits I had a hard time telling them apart.
October 24, 2023
I liked the art better than the last series, and I liked that it was one cohesive story, but really, it should have been much longer. We barely got to meet any of the characters. I'm a big Turian fan so I should have been all about this, but it didn't even feel very Turian. Everything just felt very rushed and surface level. There were several moments at which I realised a bunch of time had passed, important stuff had happened, and it had been so lightly brushed over that I had to read twice to recognise it.
March 11, 2018
Herní sérii neznám, takže netuším jestli to s ní má něco společného, ale k tomu abych se chytal mi to nějak nevadilo. Beru to jako takovou krátkou sci-fi povídku a není to úplně zlé. Trošku mě mrzí že to vše odbyté celkem rychle na 4 sešitech a teď nevím jestli to bude nějak pokračovat nebo je to vše. Svět je to zajímavý, tak se třeba dočkáme i silnějších příběhů :).
December 13, 2024
It really could have done with a couple more pages to make some of the fighting scenes make more sense and to make the story a bit more coherent. It sorta jumped around, a lot. That being said, I liked it well enough. While I haven't played Andromeda in ages, I do remember liking Kandros (and Kesh) the most out the idiots running the Nexus, so it was nice to get some backstory on him.
February 28, 2018
Neurazí ani nenadchne... Kresba je těžký průměr, scénář také příliš nevyniká. Jednu hvězdičku za sympatického hlavního hrdinu, druhou hvězdičku za docela zajímavého záporáka a pár pěkných nápadů, třetí hvězdičku za to, že je to Mass Effect. 3/5
February 26, 2024
Slow build from one perspective in first three sections is ruined by barely coherent action in final section when the initial antagonist becomes an ally in two panels and narration changes voice nearly every page.
January 26, 2018
I actually liked this one a lot!! the art wasn't bad, and the plot was a lot of fun.
February 16, 2018
More Quarians in this than in Mass Effect Andromeda. lol
June 3, 2021
A nice prequel comic about a character I really liked in Andromeda. Art was pretty standard, nothing special.
May 27, 2022
Nice tie-in to an ME:A character
May 16, 2023
Art 10/10
February 24, 2025
Beautiful artstyle
January 29, 2020
interesting strange story
March 2, 2021
To be honest, this is probably more of a 4 to 4.5 star read, but for Mass Effect comic standards, this is a full five star experience. The art was my favorite out of the whole collection and the story was a blast to read. Finally a story that utilizes the scope of hubs and planets characters can visit!
Now I’m rather sad I’ve forgotten most of the plot of Andromeda and don’t care to revisit the game anytime soon.
Now I’m rather sad I’ve forgotten most of the plot of Andromeda and don’t care to revisit the game anytime soon.
September 14, 2021
Zklamání. Obrovské, protože jsem hráč a fanoušek her Mass effectu (dokonce i Andromedy). Tohle nemá, co nebídnout ani mě. Průměrná kresba, ničím originální, plytké dialogy a nulový děj. Ani nedokážu shrnout o čem to mělo být. Ach joo :(
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews