Cover, Title Page, & More
Front Cover
-Click here to see the full-size image.
-Also available without text.
-You can also watch a timelapse video showing the making of this image. (Thanks Bry!)
Back Cover / Cover Wrap
-Click the image below to view the wrap-around cover of A Fistful of Arrows, including a spine and back cover full of fluffy text to grab those folks at the bookstore!
Title Page
-A title page that includes a “Previously…” text as well as character intros. Nifty if you have no idea what this comic is about!
Divider Pages
-Here are two images that could be used as divider pages or binding pages for the inside of a hardcover copy of the comic.
-There is also a 1920×1080 wallpaper variant of this.
I must say… Leviathan, Bungie reminded me of this comic this morning by putting up a reminder that you’ve got this new site. Noticed you’d added a few slides since I last looked.. and for them to say “fan fiction” in my opinion, does no justice. By the time this work is complete, I think it should be fully merged with the canon of Halo.
The attention to detail and tying together various games and books is amazing:
-UNSC Destroyers, Frigates, and Vultures all fighting in the same few slides
-Interesting and fun design for a new Superintendent
-Hydrogen reactors like the ones in H-Wars
-The story of why Emile ‘painted’ his ‘pretty picture’
-The general feel of each member of Noble as well as Halsey
You’ve done it all, and my hat’s off to you. This is a brilliant tying piece to the many pieces of Halo’s universe. And a BEAUTIFUL transition story for Jun’s fate.
Wow, thanks! Glad you noticed all those details – I love bridging the various Halo lore.
Where can I buy this comic?
Unless Microsoft were to approve it, I’m afraid I can’t sell copies of it.
hey! I love your job and I hope your history will become oficial, by the way have you got new information about this?
This is by far the best thing a fan has ever made. There are just so many things that make this comic wonderfully delightful!
First off, you’ve really got the characters personalities pinned down. Just by reading the text I can tell who’s talking. That’s one essential part of good storytelling.
The artwork is amazing. Not many people could have done better. And the way you sculpted the characters is exactly how they look in the games.
The way you piece together the pages is nothing short of amazing. It gives a very definite and beautiful structure to the pages.
There are many more things that make it such a great comic, but if I carried on, this comment would be the next great wall.
Wow, thank you! I’m glad you liked it so much. Hopefully you’ll the rest just as much!
This comic is so awesome! It looks like the real game itself! Please hurry and make more pages, I’m dying to read on!
Wow! I’m really impressed by the whole thing! Will your graphic novel (upon completion) be published as a book? or will you keep it digital?
I’m going to make everything available that one might need to get their own copy printed off (title pages, credits, some fun advertisements and bonus content) when it’s done. I can’t legally print off and not spend a ton of money, sadly, but I’ll point out places you can do it for yourself for hopefully not too much money, besides a local printer.
Did you never tried to contact bungie to publish the book with their help ?
I’ve gotten a few copies to employees at 343 Industries, but who know what will happen.
This comic is great, hope ur gonna get job in bungie bro that will really fit with ur art…..Keep up the good work
I wish Reach was as awesome as this. I wish it had the same depth as this.
I wish it had the same atmosphere.
wow this is really cool. not like those comic books they sell in the stores, which all suck. can you put this up for download as a pdf or something when its done?
Yeah there will definitely be some PDF options when it’s complete!
how many pages will the finished comic/graphic novel have?
We’re about two/thirds of the way through the script, but my art tends to evolve and expand as I’m working on it, so I can’t give you an exact number.
Wow! I was really impressed by this comic! I like the personalities you gave to the Noble Team. At first, I thought this was a real graphic novel made by Bungie! It’s that good. I hope you don’t lose interest in this, because I don’t think I am any time soon!
Simply amazing.
I am loving the way you are exploring Jun’s character. On reading his profile..the PTSD symptoms and his “Unhealthy Detachment” really intrigued me. On one side he was a nice “chatty” guy and yet there seems to be a layer of emotional complexity underneath his exterior.
I also felt that he is overcompensating for some past mistakes. There is a tinge of guilt in his history. What lead to his cold hearted ruthlessness? This is by far one of the best fan fics I have read….truly deserving a Graphic Novel.
The Art style also is so vibrant and so subdued at the same time. I am loving the blue hues and shades. It gives it a very ‘Halo’ look to it (especially the blue main screen in Combat Evolved). Brilliant.
Keep doing what you’re doing…..and the best part it is FREE!!!
Cheers bro!
Thanks! I’m glad you’re liking the style and what I’m trying to show with Jun’s character. He’s a pretty complicated guy.
I really want to translate it into Spanish .. ^ ^
I’ve seen some translations in Spanish out there actually, “Halo Mexico” website or something?
i’ll traslate it, and at the end; i’ll sent to you the text, to see an original edition in Spanish. I hope to that be posible.
No, sorry, I don’t have the time to put it all in myself, if that’s what you mean. Plus, I’m not that fluent in Spanish, so I’d just be taking your word for a faithful translation – hopefully you understand that I may not want to release a version myself where I don’t even know what I’m releasing.
I don’t mind you doing it yourself though, there’s already spanish and french translations out there.
then, send me a version without text..
I’ve been posting the recent pages without text as an optional link below the image. Eventually the older pages will have these too.
as a last favor, post with the balloon for dialogs, thanks in advance, you are my idol …
Would be a good challenge to use the images without text; to they looks like the same. Many thanks.
I really really really really like your work. I can’t wait to see more =)
P.S. Why is Jun’s P.D.A. on the wrong side of his arm on the front cover?
Thanks!
P.S. Jun’s PDA looks good to me…
No offence to your work but look, the PDA is on the opposite side that his palm is on. Your supposed to wear it like a watch with the screen on top. lol
It may look wrong in comparison to an average watch, but due to the nature of MJOLNIR Mark V/B armor, that’s actually where it sits. A human hand can rotate with a twist of the forearm while the elbow remains in place, but since the forearm-armor on the Mark V/B is all one piece, it can’t twist like that – it stays in a reasonably same spot to preserve that elbow function, while the forearm underneath twists.
If that makes no sense.. here’s an in-game example.
Ohhhh so your wrist turns inside the armor piece okay.
yes it’s shown very clear here
http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/images.aspx?c=60&i=28683
Thanks for explaining =)
No problemo. I totally understand where it would be weird if you’re not staring at these guys all day long.
Like you? lol
By any chance, are you German? Seeing your name in Levi Hoffmeier.
I’m sure there’s a bit of German blood in me, but nope, I’m American.
Also, I like the little secrets you put into your work. Such as the bar code on the back cover. It says “suggested for immature readers” and it costs 343 dollars. And if you use a bar code scanner it is a bar code to some box of Imation 3.5IN 1.40MB Pre-FMT Mac 10-Pack.
I saw other things but I can’t remember what they were.
Heh, yeah.
343.04 for 343 Guilty Spark, Monitor of Installation 04, and 2401.05 for 2401 Penitent Tangent, Monitor of Installation 05…
I really do consider this canon to the Halo story.
I love the story, the big elements like Castle and each Noble’s character, to the little detail like the AIs, the connections to the other stories like Thom and First Strike.
Your art is as impressive as the depiction of the characters, especially Noble Team.
Bungie, 343i and Marvel should make this an official part to the collective Halo universe.
I’m curious to see if you’ll put in any 7 or 117 references into the story too.
Also, love the AI logo & the tear face. Does he have other facial expressions?
Thanks for the kind words! The AI definitely has other facial expressions. Perhaps someday I can make them all up and post them as a little extra.
(No 117 references, but there are definitely multiples of 7 hidden various places, though not necessarily in a place that would jump out at you. Bungie Studios is in the comic too!)
care to give us a hint where the 7s and Bungie Studios are? lol XD
Well for starters, some of the most obvious multiples of 7s are in the barcode, as Bungie tends to use that system for… everything! (7x7x7=343 x7=2401)….
Bungie’s Quezon Studio is on page twenty-….something (cough^cough^).
Found it lol
so why isn’t the old noble six in here? Is this after he died and before the new noble six came apart of noble?
In the flashbacks, Carter references Thom, the original Noble Six, and his death. These flashbacks take place a month or two before the beginning of the game, when Noble Six joins up.
I didn’t know the original Noble Six’s name was Thom. How do you know his name is Thom? Did Bungie say it somewhere? Cause if they I did, I missed it lol
I’m not exactly sure when it was first mentioned. It’s definitely official though, and Bungie has referred to him as Thom.
Yeah man its super official, Thom was mentioned by URk at some point when the real life trailer for halo reach was launched and he was killed inside the covenant carrier after throwing the bomb taken from Kat. Thats him! not in the game though.
This is everything I love about Halo in one awesome package. I wish their was a printed version.
i hope not to get mad… i made a change to your cover only were the letters… i thought something like a gold version… is just a preview… http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/4260/000nt03ingendro.jpg
I don’t mind you translating the text as you need to, but I’d rather you not make any changes to any of the visuals if you don’t have to. The Halo title is grey to match Reach’s title logo.
Is this going to be available for purchase in physical form?
No, not yet at least, sorry.
do you do all these on a Mac, PC or hand drawn???
I’m sorry for the super-late response. I’m checking messages across a few forums all the time and sometimes one or two slip through the cracks.
I plan everything out with pencil in a sketchbook, then use a Wacom Intuos 3 tablet and Photoshop CS2 on a 6 year old PC with Windows XP to digitally paint every page.
So far this does justice for Jun, at least you do not portray him as a teamkilling idiot lol
Dude. You seriously need to be hired and make your story canon. Im waiting for every single page you upload. Ive read all halo comics, and this is by far the best. I guess The odst one and the black spartans comics are close to yours, but you are still king. Frankie, are you reading this??!!!!!!!!!
Glad you’re liking it! I’m a big fan of the comic book medium as well as Halo, and thought I could do the two justice.
Hey there Levi, nice to see those cover updates.
So, when you finish this comic and I print it out and make a physical copy to display with my Jun Play Arts Kai figure, I need to know which cover to use.
The first, the one actually shown with Jun standing there looking awesome, would be the paper back cover, and the other hardback, correc
Potentially the paperback and the hardback could use the same ‘wrap’ jpg. When you print it out and decide how to bind it, you’ll have to see if you’ll have a spine or not. If not, you should probably delete the black bar- the spine- in the middle of the wrap image and it should work. Hope that makes sense.
Uh, just a heads up you misspelled unofficial on the disclaimer at the bottom of the back cover, otherwise awesome work!
I mean title page, sorry.
That makes more sense – I was very confused as I looked at the back cover.
Anyways, thanks. My excuse is that I was just trying to prove that it was truly unofficial – by misspelling the word itself.
lol “suggested for immature readers”
As usual nothing but awesome being put up on your site. I certainly will be buying this if it ever gets to print and certainly would buy posters of some of these pages, they are simply fantastic.
Thanks! If it ever becomes something that can be sold, I’ll definitely let you know.
Bloody impressive, well done on finishing it. I’ll still occasionally check here to see when 343 admit it’s awesomness, declare it canon and it can be bought in paper/hardback form.
Just awesome
Wow. I am utterly amazed by the quality of both the images and the plot of this comic. It perfectly ties together all of the missing pieces of the last known days (and backstory) of Jun. I’m glad to have just a little bit more closure on the only truly MIA spartan. Thank you!
Wow this comic is amazing. People at my schoo, who play call of duty even admit it is one of the best comics they have ever read
GOD DAM AMAZING I WISH I COULD DO MORE TO EXPRESS MY AWE THIS WAS GREAT DIE FEELING ACCOMPLISHED.
Do you have an idea of when you could sell this physically? I will be first in line!
I do not sadly. That’s all up to 343i and I’m not privy to their inner workings.
Everything I can say about AFoA, has already been said. Basically it really is the most passionate fan-made work within the Halo universe. If you could ever do anything else like this for any other aspect of the Halo universe, you would make a ton of Halo fans immensely happy. But for your own sake, I really hope 343i does contact you to work with them in the future. If they want Halo fans working on Halo 5, YOU need to be one of those people.