Tomb Raider returns to Dark Horse Comics with an all-new 4-issue series, Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts, from writer Casey Gilly and artist Antonio Di Caprio. Is it worth reading? Here’s our review!
Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts #1 opens with clarity rather than urgency. This is a book that knows exactly what it is meant to do. It reintroduces Lara Croft, establishes her current emotional position, and provides a clean entry point for readers familiar with the games but not necessarily the comics. Coming in with strong familiarity with the reboot trilogy, that intent is immediately readable and confidently executed.
The issue spends much of its time situating Lara precisely where she stands now. The long opening exposition does not rush toward the next plot beat. Instead, it lingers on what has already happened, expanding the consequences of past events and defining the moment of pause Lara currently inhabits. There is a sense of assurance in this approach. The creative team is not scrambling for momentum. They are deliberately holding the frame steady.
As a result, the issue functions extremely well as setup. You leave fully informed. Lara has chosen restraint over action, stepping out of the field by choice rather than circumstance. She is defined here not by loss or trauma alone, but by a conscious decision to stop. That framing is clear and consistent throughout the issue. The problem is that this restraint extends beyond character into the reading experience itself.
There is a point where the exposition feels as though it should turn, where the story might shift from positioning into progression, but it never quite does. Instead, the issue remains focused on clarifying Lara’s status quo. The claim that she is done adventuring feels deliberately passive, and because the reader knows with certainty that she will return to the field, that declaration carries little dramatic weight. It feels less like a meaningful choice and more like a narrative necessity being temporarily stated.
Visually, the book is strong. Lara looks excellent in action, and the art captures her physical confidence and capability with ease. The action beats are clean and readable, and when the issue allows Lara to move, it feels fully in step with the Tomb Raider identity. The premise itself, an ancient and dangerous artifact stolen by shadowy forces, is entirely on brand. It is familiar, functional, and clearly positioned as the engine for the arc to come.
That familiarity, however, is part of the issue’s emotional distance. The stakes are straightforward and predictable. A sword has been stolen, it is dangerous, and Lara will inevitably need to retrieve it. Nothing here complicates that setup in a way that deepens investment. As a reader, you are informed rather than invited, given the facts but not yet pulled into their urgency.
By the final page, I am prepared but not moved. Sacred Artifacts #1 primes the reader efficiently and confidently, but it does not linger in the mind once closed. It succeeds as infrastructure rather than experience. For new readers, it clears the path forward cleanly. For readers familiar with Lara’s recent history, it offers reassurance rather than revelation.
I am interested enough to continue, but my commitment hinges on what comes next. Issue two needs to move beyond positioning and into engagement, emotionally, narratively, and thematically. Right now, the board is set. The next issue needs to make the first real move.
