Review: Mass Effect comic collection deluxe hardcover

Perhaps one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises ever, Mass Effect contains a rich universe full of interesting characters, intricate futuristic technology, and aliens so bizarre they feel the need to express emotion through adjectives. While the first two games in the series expanded the story significantly, Mass Effect 3 failed to please appetites of those hungry for most of BioWare’s magical storytelling. Thankfully, Dark Horse comics has a way for those still itching for more of their Solarian fill.

The Mass Effect comic collection (Vol. 1-4) expands not only on the game’s nail-biting story, but also on the colorful characters that inhabit its space. The book itself is brimming with quality, everything from the high quality print on the cover to its never-before-seen concept art at the end. We’re able to experience four amazing stories including: (Pulled from the Wiki for accuracy)

Redemption is a four-part comic book mini-series that was released between January and April 2010. The story, which revolves around Liara T’Soni, is set in the interim period between the prologue and main storyline of Mass Effect 2, and is related to the downloadable content Lair of the Shadow Broker that was released for the game

Evolution is a comic book series (4 issues) released between January 2011 and April 2011. The story focuses on the origin of the Illusive Man, and is set during the First Contact War, shortly after the discovery of the Mass Relays

Invasion is a comic book series (4 issues) released between October 2011 and January 2012. It follows Aria T’Loak, the pirate queen of the space station Omega, as her station comes under attack from a new threat unleashed by Cerberus, the human survivalist organization.

Homeworlds is a comic book series (4 issues) written by game lead writer Mac Walters released April 25, 2012. Each issue focuses on a main Mass Effect 3 character.

Something quite unique with the collection book is the comments left by the author at the bottom of almost every page. You’ll have insight on not just the lore, but what the main idea behind every scene was. I also want to mention how high the quality of every image in this book is. You’re not looking at average comic book pages but thick, hard sheets with non-fading ink. This is a book to treasure and keep for quite a while.

You’ll also experience multiple art styles, as with these comics, different authors and illustrators show their take on Sheppard’s compatriots and enemies. From the first few pages, we see character that we’ve grown attached to. Liara being the first, and still my favorite character in the series, I was quite please to see my favorite Asari kicking ass by page 4.

Final Reaction

Being a fan of the series already, this was an amazing experience. I’m not the biggest on comic books, but the illustration along with the style of storytelling reminded me more of the games than any other comic I’ve read in the past. My only cadence with this collection is its weight. While my huge Krogan-esque thighs may handle its size pretty easily, it’s still a slight burden. If you want more insight on the Mass Effect universe, The Arrays, The Asari, Turians, Krogan, Miranda, Saren, and much, much more, definitely pick this up. Although, the artists didn’t quite get Miranda right. That booty was way more poppin’.

Rating: 4.5/5 Atoms