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Lara Croft Gets Reborn (Again) In New Tomb Raider
Rebooting an aging franchise happens a lot and sometimes to mixed results. Resident Evil 4, Fallout 3 and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow are great examples of successful reboots while games like the recent 3D Bionic Commando and essentially every Sonic game since Sonic Heroes are superb examples of what not to do when revamping a series.
Of the numerous video game franchises that have had a fresh coat of paint slapped on them, Lara Croft’s tomb raiding series has had it done more times than most, and now we can add one another to the list. Unveiled in the upcoming January issue of Game Informer, Tomb Raider will seek out Lara’s origins and “takes her on a character defining journey like no other.” Head past the break to check out Lara’s snazzy new look. Their goal with this reboot is to make Lara less the dual magnum-wielding Dominatrix she’s become in the recent games and make her culturally relevant again. But worry not dear reader, as I’m sure she’ll retain most of her badassedness in this game.
In related news, is that a bow Lara’s carrying?
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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