TOMB RAIDER!

I'm honored to have been asked to participate in the 15-year celebration of Tomb Raider.  As some of you may know the Tomb Raider franchise has special significance for me.  Way back in 1999, I was asked to be the penciler on the new Top Cow Productions comic book series Tomb Raider.  It was a no-brainer because of the success of the video game franchise and Lara Croft was a pop culture icon already at that point.  So a comic book series based on her made perfect sense.  I drew that comic book for over 2 years from issues 1-20.  It was one of the most amazing times in my career.  I was able to travel throughout the United States and the countries of Europe to attend conventions, participate in signings at various comic book stores, and live the adventurous life that a comic book artist gets to live.  => It was amazing.  

It was great to illustrate Lara after so many years albeit in a bit of a different way than I used to (digital paint vs. pencil and paper).  She's based on the upcoming 2012 video game from Crystal Dynamics so she's a bit different than the Tomb Raider of past.  This new game is a sort of reboot or retelling of the character.  So she's not uber confident just yet.  I wanted to show that in the piece.  She's has confidence deep within but it's still just brewing right beneath the surface.  

Crystal Dynamics is showcasing illustrations by 8 artists throughout the month of October to celebrate the 15th anniversary.  I'm honored to launch their online exhibition.  Please check it out (and throughout the month) at:

http://hiptic.com/tombraider15#/