Halo: Uprising Issue 1

Halo: Uprising Issue One was released on August 22nd, 2007 and is the first of four in the Halo: Uprising series of comics.

Official Marvel Summary
The Eisner Award-winning team of superscribe Brian Michael Bendis and artist extraordinaire Alex Maleev unleash an epic story of mankind's struggle against the alien threat of the Covenant. Picking up from the conclusion of blockbuster video game Halo 2, the must-read issue reveals how the Master Chief, while onboard a hostile ship headed towards Earth, is battling against Covenant forces. Intertwined with Master Chief's interstellar one-man-war is the saga of a great American city's rebellion and downfall, two desperate lives' collision and shared fate, and the Covenant's hunt for an ancient relic of untold power and value. With hope dwindling and the fate of humanity hanging by a thread, is there any chance for a future? Read this debut issue to start the journey into the Halo universe!

Detailed Summary
In the comic, the Master Chief is depicted in the Forerunner Dreadnought, with doors very similar to the sort found in the level, 343 Guilty Spark, and a room similar to the one which contains a Seraph in the Halo 2 level, The Arbiter. He is contacted by a base on Io, one of Jupiter's moons, but demands silence and moves on, killing a group of four Grunts, then a pair of Jackals, then another Grunt quartet.

As this happens, the scene cuts to an interrogation of Colonel James Ackerson, captured by the Covenant aboard the Covenant Cruiser Triumphant Declaration. He is about to be killed in celebration of the defeat of Earth before he coaxingly states that if "The Covenant attack Earth...they will never find the key." The Brute Captain interrogating Ackerson is intrigued by this, and uses a large knife to lacerate Ackerson until he reveals more information. Ackerson states that this key, if not found, will force the Halos to malfunction "like they did before". He also said that it is hidden in the city of Cleveland, and that it is called the Key of Osanalan.

Before he can reveal more, he falls unconscious, leaving the Brutes confused and worried. A new, self-doubting character named Ruwan Ackerson is introduced who serves as a concierge for a high-line motel in Cleveland under attack by the Covenant. He meets Myras Tyla, a performer staying there who commandeers several weapons from a dead Marine and manages to escape with Ruwan. They try to flee in vehicles but find the road blocked, and are finally herded together with what seems to be most of the population of the area into a stadium, where the Covenant declare that to live they must find and give to them the Key of Osanalan. Myras is confused, but Ruwan states with certainty that he "knows exactly what that is."

The Master Chief, in the meantime, finds himself faced by an extremely large force of Covenant troops, including at least three Hunter pairs, who fire on him simultaneously. He is hit by several beams and falls to the floor. A Brute Chieftain begins to crush him with his foot, saying that the Master Chief will tell them "where the Key is...after they remove enough parts of his body".

Major Characters

 * Ruwan
 * Myras Tyla
 * Colonel James Ackerson
 * Master Chief

Credits

 * Alex Maleev - Penciling, Inking, and Coloring
 * Chris Eliopoulos - Lettering
 * Brian Micheal Bendis - Author

Trivia

 * In the comic, it shows Master Chief being hit by Fuel Rod Guns from Hunters. Seeing as how possibly 6 beams hit him, it is highly unlikely that he would have survived. In previous Halo novels, a Spartan (without shielding) got their arm blown off by a Fuel Rod Gun from a Hunter. If six beams hit the Chief, then it should have killed him, despite the fact that he had shields. It could be possible though that the beams were on low power, with an intent to stun.
 * It should be noted that the Jackals who capture Ruwan and Myras are the kind which appears in Halo 3, while the ones who are onboard the Forerunner Dreadnaught are Halo 2 jackals. It may be possible that the two different kinds indicate an origin from different landscapes on their homeworld, or something along those lines.
 * On 27 August 2007, Marvel announced that they will be reprinting Halo: Uprising Issue 1 on the release date of the second issue with a special black and white version of the cover.

Internal

 * Halo: Uprising
 * Issue #2
 * Issue #3
 * Issue #4
 * Battle of Cleveland
 * Key of Osanalan

External

 * Halo Uprising #1
 * IGN Interview with Halo Uprising writer Brian Bendis