GVN Talking Comics Exclusive Look: Aaron Lovett’s Variant Cover/Skateboard Deck For Bit Bot Media and Crystal Dynamics: ‘Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise’ Graphic Novel

When Crystal Dynamics, Silicon Knights and Eidos Interactive first introduced the Playstation version of Legacy of Kain in 1996 it thrilled gamers with its look and challenging gameplay. So much so, that eventually four sequels were created in the Legacy of Kain series. The second, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver sold over 1.5 million copies world-wide. Crystal Dynamics knew that fans were still hungry for more of the Legacy of Kain story. So, on July 1st of this year, Crystal Dynamics, in conjunction with Bit Bot Media, announced to the press an upcoming new graphic novel that will share the untold backstory with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise. Coming soon for crowdfunding. See part of the release below:

Crystal Dynamics and Bit Bot Media Team-Up for An Official Prequel Story, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise

(July 1, 2024) Fans of the bestselling Soul Reaver videogame series will be able to discover the franchise’s untold backstory in an all-new, original graphic novel titled Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise headed to Kickstarter later this year. The project is being helmed by writers Joshua Viola (True Believers, It Came From the Multiplex) and Angie Hodapp (Unioverse, Shadow Atlas), with interior art by Juan Samu (Star Wars, Godzilla), letters by Jeremiah Lambert (Masters of the Universe, Transformers), covers by Dave Rapoza (Destiny, Magic: The Gathering) and Aaron Lovett (Monster Train, Inkbound), with additional art by Jonny Bush (Rob Zombie, Ghost) and Ninja Jo (Star Wars, Stranger Things). Brent Friedman (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Call of Duty) is providing narrative guidance alongside creative direction and input from Crystal Dynamics, including never-before-seen ideas and elements from unreleased Soul Reaver lore.

Arriving in time for the 25th Anniversary of the release of the original Soul Reaver game, the publication of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise will mark the first official new Soul Reaver narrative in two decades, since 2003’s Legacy of Kain: Defiance.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise delves into Raziel’s past as a human Sarafan warrior and his transformation into a vampire lieutenant under Kain. The story introduces new characters, including a mysterious vampire with deep connections to Raziel and Kain. This compelling tale explores and expands the existing canon while answering long-standing questions.

GVN Exclusive Look

Thanks to the good folks at Crystal Dynamics, Bit Bot Media, and especially artist Aaron Lovett, we are proud to present this GVN exclusive look at Aaron’s variant cover for this exciting project as well as a special Skateboard Deck that Aaron designed especially for this campaign.

This exciting Crowdfunding Campaign will debut later this month. You can check in and be updated when it begins both here and here.

About Bit Bot

Bit Bot Media is a forward-thinking multimedia company co-founded by Klayton (Celldweller) and Joshua Viola, alongside James Rhodes of FiXT, focusing on the creation of original films, video games, comics, music, and merchandise. With a commitment to innovation and quality, Bit Bot Media aims to push the boundaries of entertainment. Visit https://bitbotmedia.com/ for more info.

About Crystal Dynamics

Crystal Dynamics is an award-winning, best-in-class game development studio head quartered just south of San Francisco in sunny San Mateo, CA. Founded in 1992, Crystal Dynamics has grown into a world class studio by developing iconic franchises and keeping at the forefront of the very latest in technology and graphics. Having created beloved properties such as Gex and the Legacy of Kain series, as well as driving the award-winning, massively successful Tomb Raider franchise at over 95M franchise units sold to date, Crystal Dynamics is now laying the groundwork for the next generation of innovative and technologically stunning projects.