Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts #4 (Dark Horse Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the FINAL issue of Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts from Dark Horse Comics!
Lara Croft is back at Dark Horse Comics with its first new issue since 2018! Lara’s journey’s have taken her around the world, and this time she’s making her way through Europe! She’s on the hunt for something of great importance to her, and it’s in the hands of an adversary who’s always just out of her reach. But now that they’ve come face to face, will she be able to get it back? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Dark Horse Comics // Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts #4 by Casey Gilly (Script), Antonio Di Caprio (Art & Cover), Eren Angiolini (Colors & Cover Colors), Andworld Design (Letters)
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
Casey Gilly closes out the series with an entry that I’ll be honest, I wasn’t that big a fan of. I loved the way the previous three issues built up. Every step felt natural, and every decision the characters made felt like ones that you would expect someone to make if this was a real story. However the turn this issue decided to take really didn’t land with me.
There’s a couple of plot twists in the issue that just didn’t sit with me in how they played out. It felt like it was going for shock value for the sake of spicing up the story when it really didn’t need it. One in particular felt incredibly out of left field and didn’t quite make a ton of sense to me in the grand scheme of things.
I did appreciate how the sense of mystery was still present through the issue that had continued from the prior issues, and I really enjoyed the way it ended up resolving in the end. It did leave the door open to more stories being told, and it would definitely be interesting to see more of them. I definitely feel there’s an audience for more Lara Croft stories, because with as successful as other properties have been in that genre you can definitely do more Lara Croft.
Overall the ending felt like it could’ve used a little bit more planning out in the grand scheme of things because it took away from how the rest of the series was building up. It still has some enjoyable moments, but overall I felt it could played out in a better fashion than it did.
The Artwork
Antonio Di Caprio & Eren Angiolini continue their stellar job with the art in the issue and continued to help give it a look and feel fans are familiar with. If you’re a long time fan of the series then you’re sure to love the artwork. As far as adaptations go when turning it from a video game to comic book form. The art style is crisp and well defined and the use of color is really well done that help the artwork stand out from the rest.
Overall Grade: 7/10
As far as returns go, this series wasn’t the best but it also wasn’t the worst. It started off strongly enough, but unfortunately ended with a misstep in the final issue. If you’re a fan of the series, you’re going to definitely going to want to give this a read.
