Anthem: Strong Alone, Stronger Together

by BioWare, Alexander Freed, Mac Walters

This prequel to BioWare's science fantasy Action RPG introduces two gifted siblings struggling for survival in a world full of danger.

From the video game developer that has defined roleplaying games with seminal franchises such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate, and Star Knights of the Old Republic comes a world brimming with new heroes, new threats, and new stories.

Yarrow--one of the brave warriors known as Freelancers who pilot powerful Javelin exosuits--rescues a lone boy, Kismet, from an ambush. With no family left alive, Kismet is placed with a family in Fort Tarsis, a human outpost surrounded by untamed wilderness. His adoptive sister, Jani, struggles with Kismet's withdrawn personality at first, but over the years, the two become close friends. As they grow, Jani learns to fly and fight in Javelin armor, while Kismet trains to join the ranks of the mysterious Cyphers. The pair find themselves split, each pursuing their own craft of war, until an enemy force--large and vicious--appears on the horizon, bringing them together to face their ultimate test.

They vowed to defend humanity, but can they protect each other?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels

72 pages, Hardcover

Published August 13, 2019

About the author

BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in May 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, Marcel Zeschuk and Augustine Yip. As of 2007, the company is owned by American publisher Electronic Arts.

BioWare specializes in role-playing video games, and achieved recognition for developing highly praised and successful licensed franchises: Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. They proceeded to make several other successful games based on original intellectual property: Jade Empire, the Mass Effect series, and the Dragon Age series. In 2011, BioWare launched their first massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Reviews

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Game developer Bioware has had some recent success with trans-media franchises in the past decade, with both Dragon Age and Mass Effect spawning novels, comics, anime, and more. With the tepid reception of Anthem, however, it's entirely possible that Strong Alone, Stronger Together is the only expanded media for Anthem we're ever going to get.

Fortunately, then, this three-issue comic is entertaining and sheds light on some characters in the game (while never being fully essential). I read the series before stepping into the game, and instantly felt slightly better-informed than I would have otherwise. I understood the relationship of cyphers to javelin pilots, I knew what cataclysmic event kept being referenced over and over, and I had a greater understanding of two of the characters you meet early on, Yarrow and Jani. I was a little surprised when an in-game cutscene recapped the most important parts of the comic for the game's story, but I still felt like having read Strong Alone, Stronger Together really did enhance my understanding of the world (a good thing, since my early experiences with the game haven't explained things particularly well).

I'm honestly not sure if Anthem players are invested in the story. It definitely feels like less of a story-based game than some of Bioware's previous offerings. But if you're interested, Strong Alone, Stronger Together continues Bioware/Dark Horse Comics' trend of valuable tie-in media.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Anthem: Strong Alone, Stronger Together in part as I have just started playing the game and this added some context to some of the characters. My main complaint is it was to short and felt a bit too rushed. I would have enjoyed seeing more fleshing out of the characters especially those turning up as NPCs in the game. I did find it fun and a good read with some great art.

[Riwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really beautiful and heart-rending story. It read quite operatically, especially the parts with the cypher. The art was a bit overwhelming at times during the action scenes. There were lots of lines and planes to take in with the robotic armor suits in battle. The colors and figure renderings were quite good. I particularly liked Jani's active scenes out of her javelin.