14 DAY TRIAL // DC Comics is seeking to expand its already impressive catalog of characters by adding some videogame inspired comics to its collection. It has recently announced that a comic book starring Alex Mercer and based on the upcoming Sierra game Prototype would debut in August. Now, the Gears of War universe will become the setting for a series of comics created by DC.
Gear of War is one of the most important games to ever come out on the Xbox 360 gaming console from Microsoft. Since its launch in late 2006, it has sold close to 5 million copies and created an important fan following. The game was ported to the PC and a sequel has been recently announced. It will tell the story of the continuing battle of the Gears of COG against the Locust Horde. Apparently, humans will take the fight against aliens in an epic adventure that will maintain the same level of action as the first game while greatly expanding its narrative scope.
The announced comic book series will most likely begin shipping before the launch of Gear of War 2 in autumn. It will chronicle aspects of the war that's going on and it will provide a hefty amount of backstory for the universe, backstory that has been missed by players of the first game in the series, while also introducing some new characters and expanding on some old ones.
Dr. Michael Capps, who is the president of Epic Games, has declared, "We are thrilled to be working with DC Comics to further bring to life the Gears of War universe. A lot of our developers are huge comic fans, and have loved the personas and chronicles unique to DC Comics since childhood. The Gears of War storyline and characters that millions of gamers have come to cherish will be a perfect fit under the WildStorm imprint".
Electronic Arts has launched a similar comic book tie in for Dead Space, the survival horror game that's set to launch on Halloween, so it seems that cross media promotion is quickly becoming a must have for all AAA titles out there.