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Halo: Escalation #1-12
Halo Omnibus Volume 1
The genre-defining videogame series Halo explodes in an epic saga following a unit of elite soldiers known as Spartans and their struggle to save humanity from the alien Covenant.
The ongoing saga of one of the largest video game franchises in history reprinted in a size perfect for the bookshelf. Witness the electrifying exploits of the UNSC Spartans--including the origin of Sarah Palmer, the thrilling return of the Master Chief, and more--as they defend humanity across the galaxy!
Showcasing chapters written by Halo 5: Guardians lead writer Brian Reed and Halo 4 senior writer Chris Schlerf, this convenient paperback collects Halo: Initiation #1-#3 and Halo: Escalation #1-#12, and features a complete cover gallery and process pages.
The ongoing saga of one of the largest video game franchises in history reprinted in a size perfect for the bookshelf. Witness the electrifying exploits of the UNSC Spartans--including the origin of Sarah Palmer, the thrilling return of the Master Chief, and more--as they defend humanity across the galaxy!
Showcasing chapters written by Halo 5: Guardians lead writer Brian Reed and Halo 4 senior writer Chris Schlerf, this convenient paperback collects Halo: Initiation #1-#3 and Halo: Escalation #1-#12, and features a complete cover gallery and process pages.
368 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 2016
About the author
Brian Reed
433 books19 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 25, 2020
This was some surprisingly good, sci-fi comics. I've never played Halo so I only know the basics of the universe. However, that didn't hamper my experience at all. The comics all stood on their own, mainly revolving around a team of Spartans (enhanced warriors), fighting both insurrection and aliens. The art was solid, in Dark Horse's house style.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
December 2, 2022
spartans go brrr
September 21, 2024
This omnibus was a pleasant surprise! I enjoyed most of the storylines and it made me really want to turn on the Xbox and play some Halo.
But seriously, most of the art in the book was fantastic, and as far as graphic novel reads have gone for me recently, I enjoyed this one a lot!
If you're a fan of the franchise and you love graphic novels, this is a great book. I'm really looking forward to diving into Volume 2.
But seriously, most of the art in the book was fantastic, and as far as graphic novel reads have gone for me recently, I enjoyed this one a lot!
If you're a fan of the franchise and you love graphic novels, this is a great book. I'm really looking forward to diving into Volume 2.
June 5, 2026
For this review, I feel two opposing factors pulling me in opposite directions. On the one hand, I love Library Editions. The massive hardcover size, the extras and notes on the sides of the pages, and the overall feeling that this is the premium way to read. On the other hand, I hate what the two included comic series represent for Halo: The shift from telling one sci-fi story (with spinoffs to round out the world) to an unending comic book style universe. Overall, the comics included are a mixed bag -- but might be worth a look for major fans of the post-Bungie Halo series.
This collection includes the full Escalation miniseries and the first 12 issues of the Escalation series (that ran for about two years total). Initiation is your standard tie-in fare: Get to know Sarah Palmer, a main character in the Spartan Assault arcade game, before the events of the game. She's not very interesting and these three issues hit a variety of familiar military tropes and situations. We do get to see a Halo: Reach character return, so that's fun.
The meat of the collection is Escalation, divided into four story arcs and one standalone issue. I really liked that the arcs were clearly marked so that you can read one at a time, but Dark Horse always frustrates me by not giving any indication of when you go from one issue to the next within the arcs (no cover page between each issue). These stories are mostly fine, if unremarkable. My main concern with them, and the collection as a whole, is that they feel more concerned with setting up various story threads that may or may not pay off later. Lots of shadowy characters, item macguffins, unconfirmed deaths, that sort of thing. It feels like I'm being marketed to more than like I'm getting a complete story. There are some interesting things at play though: ONI plots, a visit to New Phoenix with Spartan Thorne from Halo 4's Spartan Ops, and a peace delegation are Halo stories just over the line of good enough to keep my interest. I was disappointed with the section focused on Master Chief though, which both felt obligatory ("we need Master Chief in our Halo comic!", I can practically hear someone say) and felt like a weak resolution for Halo 4/tease for Halo 5.
As a Library Edition, you get both a good look at the art on display and some extras. The art itself isn't really oversized, but that's probably a good thing here: Outside of some action scenes and establishing shots, it's pretty bad. Characters are very poorly drawn, skin textures look cheap and plasticy and their appearances change from issue to issue in jarring ways. The notes alongside the panels are weak as well. Other than the occasional tease that something is being set up for the future, only one or two notes had interesting design insight. The rest of it was basically boring summaries of what I could clearly read for myself in the comic. The extras at the back of the book are pretty cool though: The covers are easily the strongest art in the series and the work in progress sketches do actually have legitimate insights in their notes.
This collection is sort of a tepid recommend for big fans of Halo 4 and 5. If you only like Halo through the Bungie era, there's nothing to change your mind here. But if you can get your hands on this for a good price (good luck...) and want more time post-Halo 4 with the UNSC Infinity crew, this is far from the worst tie-in comic out there.
This collection includes the full Escalation miniseries and the first 12 issues of the Escalation series (that ran for about two years total). Initiation is your standard tie-in fare: Get to know Sarah Palmer, a main character in the Spartan Assault arcade game, before the events of the game. She's not very interesting and these three issues hit a variety of familiar military tropes and situations. We do get to see a Halo: Reach character return, so that's fun.
The meat of the collection is Escalation, divided into four story arcs and one standalone issue. I really liked that the arcs were clearly marked so that you can read one at a time, but Dark Horse always frustrates me by not giving any indication of when you go from one issue to the next within the arcs (no cover page between each issue). These stories are mostly fine, if unremarkable. My main concern with them, and the collection as a whole, is that they feel more concerned with setting up various story threads that may or may not pay off later. Lots of shadowy characters, item macguffins, unconfirmed deaths, that sort of thing. It feels like I'm being marketed to more than like I'm getting a complete story. There are some interesting things at play though: ONI plots, a visit to New Phoenix with Spartan Thorne from Halo 4's Spartan Ops, and a peace delegation are Halo stories just over the line of good enough to keep my interest. I was disappointed with the section focused on Master Chief though, which both felt obligatory ("we need Master Chief in our Halo comic!", I can practically hear someone say) and felt like a weak resolution for Halo 4/tease for Halo 5.
As a Library Edition, you get both a good look at the art on display and some extras. The art itself isn't really oversized, but that's probably a good thing here: Outside of some action scenes and establishing shots, it's pretty bad. Characters are very poorly drawn, skin textures look cheap and plasticy and their appearances change from issue to issue in jarring ways. The notes alongside the panels are weak as well. Other than the occasional tease that something is being set up for the future, only one or two notes had interesting design insight. The rest of it was basically boring summaries of what I could clearly read for myself in the comic. The extras at the back of the book are pretty cool though: The covers are easily the strongest art in the series and the work in progress sketches do actually have legitimate insights in their notes.
This collection is sort of a tepid recommend for big fans of Halo 4 and 5. If you only like Halo through the Bungie era, there's nothing to change your mind here. But if you can get your hands on this for a good price (good luck...) and want more time post-Halo 4 with the UNSC Infinity crew, this is far from the worst tie-in comic out there.
November 19, 2021
Its Halo!
Started reading after playing the Halo Infinite multiplayer beta.
Its getting me back into the universe that I haven't bothered with since Karen' Traviss' last novel.
Very enjoyable. Catching me up from where I left off. Seeing any extent of Master Chief is odd, but hey. Hopefully 343 will continue to create more.
It's on Hoopla, so if you're interested, check to see if your library has that service. If they do, you can get it that way.
Started reading after playing the Halo Infinite multiplayer beta.
Its getting me back into the universe that I haven't bothered with since Karen' Traviss' last novel.
Very enjoyable. Catching me up from where I left off. Seeing any extent of Master Chief is odd, but hey. Hopefully 343 will continue to create more.
It's on Hoopla, so if you're interested, check to see if your library has that service. If they do, you can get it that way.
August 2, 2017
Fun, explosive, wildly entertaining, and surprisingly emotional, this collection respects the Halo canon while still creating its own cool story line and aesthetic. It's a chance to flesh out some of these characters beyond the barrel of a gun, and when it works, it really works. A must have for all Halo fans.
July 6, 2020
A good read and a good length of read 300 plus pages, great for a GN
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews