Hellgate: London (Hellgate London Trilogy)

List Price: $12.95 Discount Price: $6.53

Customer Reviews:

Good comic for a fan of HG:L [Posted on 2007-07-23]
First of all, this comic is a TPB, the original were 4 issues, the number 0,1,2 and 3.
The cover artwork is outstanding and the rest is average Dark Horse, nothing exceptional but well-done overall.
Please note, I rated this comic overall a 4 because it is an insight in to the world of Hellgate: London, an action MMORPG with FPS features.
The above game is possibly going to be one of the best MMORPG ever made by the same crew who did Diablo and Diablo 2.
The story of the comic is interesting with morally ambiguous characters that give you an insight on what the game world will be.
The ending is moralistic and a tad lame but overall, if you are in to a different story or simply want to get your hands on a HG:L preview this comic is for you.

HELL COMES TO LONDON [Posted on 2007-11-05]
The Hellgate: London TPB collects the four issues series #0 - 3 of this horror/sci-fi story written by one of my favorites, Ian Edginton. Set in London in the near future of 2020, the former Minister for Internal Affairs, Lord Sumerisle, has abruptly quit his office to go in search of his kidnapped granddaughter. She is held by a demon using the blood of innocents to open a gateway to the hellish realms where it comes from so more of its brethren can spill through. Sumerisle is a member of a modern day version of Knights Templar, protecting London from unearthly evil...to no avail.

We cut ahead a 18 years as London has been virtually overrun by demons that have taken over St. Paul's Cathedral as their home base. Sumerisle's granddaughter Jessica is now grown up and a commander in the Knight's Templar as they fight a battle just to survive. A discovery of a hidden text in an ancient book gives the depleted forces hope. A book called Harbor of Knowledge which may contain the secrets to sending the demons back to their own world and sealing off the gate. The book calls for a quest and a joining of forces between a trio of disparate companions...Jessica Sumerisle the Templar Knight, Demon Hunter Captain Petrus, and Cabbalist sorceress Seeker Crowe. All have been battling the demons in their own way and now have to work together to try and fulfill the ancient prophecy and find the hidden book. Their quest will take them deep into the bowels under London to pre-civilization tunnels, long forgotten in the world.

Hellgate: London mixes elements of Sci-fi and horror with a traditional epic fantasy quest plot, all told against a backdrop of urban London. In kind of reverse order, this is a comic based on a computer game as opposed to the other way around. The game was developed by Flagship Studios and is similar in play to the Diablo games, and, in fact, many of those responsible for Diablo helped develop this game. The book reads much like playing a game of Diablo with different character types who are attacked by hordes of enemies.

The Art of Steve Pugh really makes this book standout above the ordinary. In today's comic landscape where so many artists are moving towards a more minimalist, animated look to their art, Pugh gives his work a flair of photo-realism rarely seen in comics today. His characters have, well, character. His work is brooding yet energetic, and brimming with nightmarish images. If there is a complaint about the book it's that the final payoff left you wanting more. Solid book.


REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

Deja vu [Posted on 2008-02-22]
This is the same comic that comes with the Hellgate: London Deluxe Edition except that this one's actually big enough for you to be able to read it without a magnifying glass. Why they chose to reformat it and shrink it is beyond me.

This comic doesn't come with the regular version of the software which is a shame because it attempts to create a much-needed backstory to the game. You don't learn much about the origins of the various character types but at least you can identify with them more through the comic's story. That's not to say that there's a lot of character development here, though.

Overall, I'd say that absent the game the comic would be hard pressed to stand up on it's own. Absent the comic, the game doesn't have much back-story. If you're interested in the game, by all means get the comic, otherwise you may not get much out of it.

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