Megatron
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2022
- Messages
- 1,841
Happy birthday Lara!
Tomb Raider Timeline/Playing orders
- Thread starter Lucid_Dreamer
- Start date
Pro Bot
Well-Known Member
I was talking about the Top Cow comics interpretation of the character. Top Cow and Dynamite are either the same Earth-818793 reality or the events of Monster War occur in both.
And... now I'm reading that the Image Comics universe is connected in some ways while separate in others. That's confusing. Also, Marvel's Devil's Reign event is a crossover with Top Cow.
And... now I'm reading that the Image Comics universe is connected in some ways while separate in others. That's confusing. Also, Marvel's Devil's Reign event is a crossover with Top Cow.
Last edited:
But if Tomb Rider 1 and Anniversary tell the same story how can the two of them be canon?
Megatron
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2022
- Messages
- 1,841
Anniversary is like a comic adaptation. You should be used to this. Resident Evil does the same thing. Also aren't there new scenes in anniversary?
Megatron
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2022
- Messages
- 1,841
I consider only Lara Croft Appearences as canon. It would be very confusing otherwise.
Pro Bot
Well-Known Member
I'm not really talking about the unified timeline at all.
Lucid_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2020
- Messages
- 189
yeah Image Comics have their own personal philosophy around crossovers and shared universe which is more of a "Shared Multiverse" than anything. basically, each series exists in its own universe, and with crossovers a version of that crossover happens in each universe. I think its informed by the focus on creator rights that Image Comics has, and not wanting to creators to feel like their hands are tied by having to follow over creators continuity
Anniversary does add new scenes, and also adds new plot details to make it fit the "Legend" continuity. They basically feel like two versions of the same story. I consider Anniversary/Legend a "Soft reboot" where Lara's story is retconned to include things like a tragic death of a parent backstory, the Survivor trilogy as a "Hard reboot" where we see an entirely new version of Lara and the Unification as an attempt to fuse these two timelines together.
As with the "Unified Timeline" including everything as well as Comics and movies, well that could work in some ways but be tricky in others. both the Jolie movies and the Top Cow comics refer to Lara experiencing the events of the games but almost every iteration gives a different story about Lara's upbringing. Not to mention the different versions of Lara's mansion and its staff. It could work if we assume that some details are simply not canon to the "unified" version of the timeline, but there would be some stories that would simply not work if we removed all the contradictory information, such as the 2018 movie which is heavily reliant on its own version of Lara's backstory
Lucid_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2020
- Messages
- 189
Thinking about an "Expanded Unified Timeline" which incorporates comics & movies, as previously stated, the Top cow comics and Jolie movies reference the games, so it could potentially work. Although almost every installment would have to be "broad strokes canon" as facts about parentage and dating won't fit together
even the canon-problematic 2018 movie could work if you slot it in between the post-Tomb Raider 2013 comics and "Rise". We never see how Lara figures out Unity is a thing in the games, Rise just opens with Lara ranting over a red string conspiracy board.
How it would work would be that after losing Sam, Lara could throw herself into learning martial arts and being a bicycle courier in an attempt to get that adrenaline rush she experienced on the island, which ends up leading into the movie events, during which she finds out about Unity and then throws herself into reviewing her fathers notes for "hints about the conspiracy" which leads into Rise
even the canon-problematic 2018 movie could work if you slot it in between the post-Tomb Raider 2013 comics and "Rise". We never see how Lara figures out Unity is a thing in the games, Rise just opens with Lara ranting over a red string conspiracy board.
How it would work would be that after losing Sam, Lara could throw herself into learning martial arts and being a bicycle courier in an attempt to get that adrenaline rush she experienced on the island, which ends up leading into the movie events, during which she finds out about Unity and then throws herself into reviewing her fathers notes for "hints about the conspiracy" which leads into Rise
JudgeDreddpool
Well-Known Member
Funny you mention Top Cow and Lara Croft, since she was sponsored for the Earth-27 project I mentioned back on the Slasherverse thread. While normally, she likely wouldn't get in, its because of her crossovers with the Witchblade comics that she was made available.
earth-27.fandom.com
Lara Croft
CalamityJane
New Member
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2024
- Messages
- 1
Hi @Lucid_Dreamer,
Your timeline is great, specially love comics chronology -> but it looks like 3 comics from Top Cow are missing in chronology.
Will you add them?
Tomb Raider #0 https://comicvine.gamespot.com/tomb-raider-0/4000-112289/
Witchblade/Tomb Raider #1/2
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/witchbladetomb-raider-12/4000-119059/ -> sequel to Tomb Raider/Witchblade Special #1
Dark Crossings
tombraider.fandom.com
+ per https://raidingtheglobe.com/comics/top-cow/crossovers there were 2 more cameos in Witchblade:
TALES OF THE WITCHBLADE #9
WITCHBLADE #84
+ remaining issues of Endgame crossover
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/endgame/4045-55662/ Witchblade 58+59+61 should probably be included as well?
Thank you
Your timeline is great, specially love comics chronology -> but it looks like 3 comics from Top Cow are missing in chronology.
Will you add them?
Tomb Raider #0 https://comicvine.gamespot.com/tomb-raider-0/4000-112289/
Witchblade/Tomb Raider #1/2
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/witchbladetomb-raider-12/4000-119059/ -> sequel to Tomb Raider/Witchblade Special #1
Dark Crossings
Dark Crossings: Dark Clouds Overhead
Dark Crossings: Dark Clouds Overhead is the second part of a crossover comics produced by Top Cow Productions and published by Image Comics where Lara Croft appears. Sara Pezzini has a nightmare about Butcher Knight when she is woken by a call to a crime-scene of Gideon's murder. Seeing that...
+ per https://raidingtheglobe.com/comics/top-cow/crossovers there were 2 more cameos in Witchblade:
TALES OF THE WITCHBLADE #9
WITCHBLADE #84
+ remaining issues of Endgame crossover
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/endgame/4045-55662/ Witchblade 58+59+61 should probably be included as well?
Thank you
Last edited:
Lucid_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2020
- Messages
- 189
Hey thanks for the feedback!Hi @Lucid_Dreamer,
Your timeline is great, specially love comics chronology -> but it looks like 3 comics from Top Cow are missing in chronology.
Will you add them?
Tomb Raider #0 https://comicvine.gamespot.com/tomb-raider-0/4000-112289/
Witchblade/Tomb Raider #1/2
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/witchbladetomb-raider-12/4000-119059/ -> sequel to Tomb Raider/Witchblade Special #1
Dark Crossings
Dark Crossings: Dark Clouds Overhead
Dark Crossings: Dark Clouds Overhead is the second part of a crossover comics produced by Top Cow Productions and published by Image Comics where Lara Croft appears. Sara Pezzini has a nightmare about Butcher Knight when she is woken by a call to a crime-scene of Gideon's murder. Seeing that...
+ per https://raidingtheglobe.com/comics/top-cow/crossovers there were 2 more cameos in Witchblade:
TALES OF THE WITCHBLADE #9
WITCHBLADE #84
+ remaining issues of Endgame crossover
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/endgame/4045-55662/ Witchblade 58+59+61 should probably be included as well?
Thank you
writing the Top Cow part of the timeline was actually the hardest bit, given the lack of information or reading guides for the series, lack of dates within the series and the whole nature of crossovers and "comic book time". The amount of simularly named issues was confusing too, I had actually read some of the issues you listed and completely to include them!
Going through the titles you listed, I placed Witchblade/Tomb Raider 1 and "Dark Crossings" as per their publishing date (Dark Crossings I used the 1st issue). This does place them during the period where Chase Carver is desperately trying to get into Laras good books but its entirely plausable that Lara would still be doing things without him around.
Tomb Raider 0 I used the publishing month, but placed it before the series due to its number (however, just like the 0.5 issue there is NO REASON why it should be a 0 issue since there is nothing that would make it a prequel to the series but I digress...)
as per the witchblade cameos I looked at those issues and Im not sure I would call them cameos... Tales of the Witchblade features a photo of Lara (albeit held by a character who was in one of the earlier crossover stories) and Witchblade 84 features an image of the main character in a montage that portray how Laras life has become "really complicated" but its really just a still pose, so I dont think I would count them.
as for the endgame issues, I didnt have the time to read them properly (and i probably should read them alongside the rest of endgame) but it didnt look like Lara was in them, however given they are all the same story arc maybe they should be included just for completions sake
Last edited:
JudgeDreddpool
Well-Known Member
Am curious, but any idea where the Top Cow (and other) Comics, Movies and Re\Visioned animated series fall in the Unified Timeline?
Last edited:
JudgeDreddpool
Well-Known Member
Also, wondering if you've seen this yet?
en.wikipedia.org
Tomb Raider Reloaded - Wikipedia
Lucid_Dreamer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2020
- Messages
- 189
Hey! long time since I've updated this, i've been real busy with uni study, IRL hobbies and general life stuff that I havent had much time. I have been slooowllly working my way through Tomb Raider remastered but its slow going (just on my New game + of TRII)
as for how the all that would fit into the "unified" timeline its tricky. Basically the biographical detail about Lara shifts a lot between franchises, with Lara having contradictory backstories. However (particularly in the earlier tie-ins) there was a tendency for the media to reference the games as having "happened". That being said, Im not sure if any of the tie-in material not directly referenced in the official timeline is canon.
If I were gonna try and place a timeline on the series, I would interlace the original Top Cow comic with the games (particularly as they adapt "Angel of Darkness") with the inital appearance starting post-Tomb Raider II as she has her wetsuit from that game in the early comics. The first Jolie movie would be placed between "Amulet of Power" and "angel of Darkness" whereas the second jolie movie would be post "angel of darkness" as it references that game
the "Journey's" series is a bit trickier, as it feels like its supposed to be a thematic ending to Lara's adventures, but also features a Lara who is very uncomfortable with murder (which is... soo not classic Lara) and also references an event that occurs in the main comics. My inclination would to past it post-2005 after the Top Cow mainline has ended but also before "Legends"
the 2019 Tomb Raider movie is trickier to place as its a retelling of the 2013 game but also.... not? If I had to place it I would put it between the 2013 game and "rise of tomb raider" with the headcanon that after losing Sam Lara throws herself into boxing and cycle couring as a distraction from her grief, and that the end of the movie is the start of her obsession with "Trinity" as seen in "Rise"
the Rev//isioned series is mostly standalone stories, so Id place them in the 2000s probably before "Legends" once again. There is a prequel story, but it also would overcomplicate the lore of Laras education (if we treat everything as canon then she went to like 5 prestigioius academies and flipflopped between being a troublemaker and a lonely bookworm)
Ive seen reloaded, yeah, even have it downloaded onto my phone but havent had a chance to play it yet
also... new trailer !
Last edited:
Megatron
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2022
- Messages
- 1,841
aside from @Lucid_Dreamer 's answer this blog will give u an idea.
https://pulpybrad.blogspot.com/2020/05/tomb-raider-timeline-updated.html
