Forum:Halo: Escalation Thread 1 (Issues 1-17): Difference between revisions

==Issue 8==

Thought I'd share some late thoughts/ramblings on the newest issue because it's the first one that delves into the series' primary plot line and characters and will probably matter the most going forward.

Now, the book Didact is another matter entirely — I'm starting to think only Greg Bear could make 343i's version of the Forerunners ''work'' by adding the appropriate levels of weight and nuance to their characterizations whereas at the hands of their in-house writers like Reed here they just come across as flat cartoon characters. Unlike some people I'm mostly fine with the Forerunner Saga and even some of its more esoteric aspects: it draws from a long tradition of "sufficiently advanced" technology in science fiction with some thought-provoking themes running in the background, as opposed to more superficial Hollywood and comic book ephemera.

:Couldn't agree with you more. And kind of amusing - "''tormented souls popping up from walls''". The whacky "composers abyss" is just out of place in the Halo universe and makes it seem as though I'm reading a Harry Potter comic. You already know my stance on these science-fantasy elements that 343i implemented since Halo 4. Anyway, I definitely agree that the latest entry in this comic series was a major let down especially compared to the previous issues. Its almost as though everything was rushed and there was little emphasis placed on anything really. Like I said in "subtracting canon" (I know everyone disagrees with the title but it came from lack of better wording, plus I wanted an interesting forum title) the reunion between John & blue team was insignificant, the slaughter of black team was unnecessary & uneplained, and then there's the didact in his great cartoony glory. Basically, when it came down to this issue, my main problem with it was execution and irrational decision making. Now some people may say that "developers may not want to revisit certain characters". If that's the case why bring them back in the first place only to kill them off rendering them nothing more than a skid mark? Leave it alone, leave them where they lay, leave well enough alone. Bringing them back only to immediately kill them off seems more like a slap in the face to most fans than if they just left them a mystery (and you don't want to disappoint the fans since they account for majority of revenues by the way). Just because 343i has the power to do something doesn't mean they should do it. Yes, you're not going to please the fans everytime but at least if they took the time and safest approach to doing things than at least you can lesson the damage. And some may say "what 343i does counts regardless of what the fans prefer". But again, just because they can do it doesn't mean they should. There is a such thing as reviewers, opinions, forums, etc...If 343i properly executed this story w/ proper explanations for things, less rushed plot lines, and better artwork, than there'd be a lesser chance of displeasing fans. And like Jugus said, if you can't do it in a comic, than reserve it for a book, game, or mini-movie like "Nightfall", rahter than trying to stuff and shorten things in a tiny 20 or so page comic.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 09:38, 13 August 2014 (EDT)

::The whole geas deal is one of the less compelling aspects of the 343i-era fiction for me, not only because the technology itself is firmly in the realm of the fantastical but because it diminishes human agency: previously, humanity was lauded for our ingenuity and our exceptional ability to innovate and endure in the face of impossible odds. Now, we're told none (or very little) of it was our own making. That we need arcane gene-magic to babysit us rather than being able to stand on our own. Humans have always been the Forerunners' inheritors which put us in a privileged position, but it used to be more subtle than literally saying specific technological breakthroughs are the direct result of genetic programming.

:It seems pretty clear that ''Escalation'' is telling the stories that future seasons of ''Spartan Ops'' were supposed to tell. Future seasons were obviously planned, given the whole "Season 1" label we got, but these seem pretty definitely scrapped in favour of ''Escalation''. To relegate such monumental story developments to a side-comic most players will never have even heard of is really irritating, even more so when elements like John's reunion with Blue Team and grief over Cortana's death are totally glossed over. I understand that the levels of ''Spartan Ops'' got pretty repetitive, and I'm sure that was a reason why future seasons were shelved. But if they had foregone episodic-based missions and instead focused on making the seasons as good and as long as they needed to be to fit the story, then these plots could have been given the spectacle, quality, and availability that they deserved. -  [[User:Halo-343|<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 128%;">'''Halo-343'''</span>]] [[User talk:Halo-343|<font color="green">('''Talk''')</font>]] 21:25, 13 August 2014 (EDT)

==Issue 9==

File:HaloEscalation9.jpg Shouldn't this have happened first?

Wow this was a loaded issue! Seems as if we now know (not confirmed) who broke Chief's visor. Looks like the Constraint field isn't working for Didact or he'd use it again. Anyways fun stuff! -- Names Gall. Sam Gall

:And I still hold that the format was the wrong one for this story — this material would've been best served by a full-length novel. If they couldn't get an author to write one in time (or if Reed insisted it be he who write the story and nobody else because he's lead writer now, damnit) they could've at least trimmed the surrounding filler stories about secondary characters and stretched this arc over at least two or three more issues. As much as I liked Issue #7, having a similar low-key issue dealing with the Chief's return to Earth and reunion with Blue Team would've been much more called for. That they have a main character/plot continuation story this crucial squeezed between the otherwise unconnected ''Spartan Ops'' crew stories reeks of poor planning.

::Honestly, I found this issue to be okay (still better than ''Initiation''). I really liked ''Escalation'' issues 1-7, although the art style has always been my pet peeve with the series (and terrible panel placement). And at least the cover art of the comic, kind of, almost happened. And I don't know if it's just me, but the art style seems to have improved by a lot for the most part. And I'm glad that we got some clarification on Black Team's death.

Not having read the story yet (or any of Escalation, really, beyond preview pages) I don't understand what the Didact's plan is. He's on a Halo, presumably with the full authority to use it that being a Forerunner entails, but he also has a whole mess of Composers at his disposal now. One makes the other redundant. I get that, in-canon, the Didact wasn't expecting to run into 859 Static Carillon, but from a storytelling point of view it means one or the other of these plot points are going to be dropped. Either he tries to take Gamma Halo to Earth, which renders the Composers pointless, or he leaves it behind and tries to bring the Composers to Earth which means Gamma Halo didn't need to be in the story. Gamma Halo was enough of a threat, why introduce this new story element? Unless it's because they're needed to compose something very specific before being abandoned - namely, in my full expectation and dread, Blue Team, souls implanted in Promethean shells and turned against the Master Chief.

:Are you familiar with the Halo-Composer tuning theory?[[User:Sith Venator|<span style="color:green">Sith-venator Wavingstrider</span>]] ([[User talk:Sith Venator|<span style="color:blue">Commlink</span>]]) 20:38, 28 August 2014 (EDT)

:::What's so bad about that? Tired of composers? Tired of Halos?[[User:Sith Venator|<span style="color:green">Sith-venator Wavingstrider</span>]] ([[User talk:Sith Venator|<span style="color:blue">Commlink</span>]]) 01:03, 29 August 2014 (EDT)  

::::Because it's space magic. Granted, both Halos and Composers are already space magic (though the Composer is the more plausible one of the two) but I guess it's... double space magic. Combining them makes the space magic exponentially worse because two unrelated pieces of magitech/clarketech are easier to accept independently than in tandem when no connection between them was ever stated or implied. When you have two very specialized pieces of hardware designed to achieve a very specific effect, you can't just expect to be able to glue them together to make a special upgraded version of the two. It's ''Mass Effect 3'' ending tier of clueless writing.

::::And yeah, guess I'm also kind of tired of constant new Forerunner gadgets, superweapons and existential threats to humanity. This story did not need the Didact procuring a Halo or a new Composer and threatening to kill humanity once again. It could've been something smarter. What immediately springs to mind (and I'm making this up as I go along, so bear with me) is a more low-key plot where more time is spent dealing with John's return to the UNSC (such as having him ask about Halsey since finding her was his main goal in H4) and his reunion with his lifelong teammates and friends he hasn't seen for years. The Spartans are then sent back to Requiem because sensor data Cortana left in the Chief's armor indicates the Composer's portal linked there and they must ensure the Didact is dead. On Requiem, the Spartans find the Didact brooding in grand solitude in a scene evocative of his return to Nomdagro in Silentium (holograms of his children may or may not be involved). The Spartans' first encounter goes something like it does in the comic, they open fire, and the Didact says what he does ("See that which you fear"... etc). We get not just monologue, but dialog between the Didact and the Spartans (something that never happens in H4). The Didact is sullen, tired, and visibly changed by the battle with the Chief. In a standoff-type situation which may or may not involve physical fighting, the Didact's driving motives and goals are disseminated and broken apart. The Didact is made to realize he has and will not have a future no matter what he might do. How this ends (i.e. whether the Didact will accept this or continue to delude himself) obviously depends on where the story is going on a larger scale.

{{Quote|I can just imagine lil' Brian Reed sitting on the floor picking things from the toy box that is the Halo universe — Spartans, the Didact, Halos, Composers, Monitors, slipspace portals — and just smashing them together. Bam! Crunch! Kablam! Hey, who are these guys? Spartans with black armor? That's kinda cool but I don't really know them so THEY'RE DEAD! Then the Chief and the Spartans go through the portal and there's, like, a ton of new Composers! But then the Didact uses his special stomp attack! Then the Didact steals a Halo to kill all humans because he's sooo evil!|Jugus}}

Probably the BEST way to describe Brian Reed's writing style in regards to the first "two" 72 hours. And probably will be for the third.

==Issue 10==

File:HaloEscalation10.jpg We still don't know why the chief left...whatever that means at this point.

Well the Didact was able to tank a direct hit to the head from a boltshot without visible damage. That's impressive. Also we see the UNSC Home fleet and the innards of the Slipspace capable Longsword. Good stuff in this article.  

-- The Name is Gall. Sam Gall.

-- Sam Gall.

:Actually Reed already confirmed over Twitter that the Ur-Didact is alive and not composed.[[User:Sith Venator|<span style="color:green">Sith-venator Wavingstrider</span>]] ([[User talk:Sith Venator|<span style="color:blue">Commlink</span>]]) 22:37, 24 September 2014 (EDT)

::Tinfoil hat theory: the very ambiguous energy blast that cremated the Didact (yet doesn't seem to do any damage to the control room itself) was a security measure designed to extract and retain the essences of anyone in the control room in the event of catastrophic damage. This is how they'll bring back Sergeant Johnson and Faber. Doesn't explain why John wasn't affected since he was still there, but maybe you have to stand in the main chasm (the Chief was already outside the chamber).

You know what? Beyond the expected illogicalities and plot holes there are some things I liked in this issue (then again it could also be a case of lowering my expectations after the last two). I like the fact the Chief and the Didact have an actual conversation for the first time given that the Didact has been built up as John's ultimate nemesis, yet all we had before was the Didact monologuing. This is not without its problems, however — as I snidely noted in my [http://www.halopedia.org/index.php?title=Halo:_Escalation_Issue_10&diff=1096530&oldid=1096514 edit summary] for Issue 10's plot synopsis, there's nothing stopping the Didact from ending the Chief right there, fleeing the control room when he does, or taking John with him. Instead he just stands there like an idiot even though just a moment ago he was fully determined to slaughter Blue Team as he did Black (this could've been fixed with a simple bit of exposition - have the Didact's armor be so damaged he can barely walk to the command console). I still like Static Carillon, though I wonder how does it A: have authority to move Halos or access their teleportation systems and B: know about the final Halo Array in the first place (compartmentalization should be a thing and the newer Halos were the most carefully-guarded secret in the ecumene) or C: why does an emergency teleport take you to the control room of all places (actually, I'll answer that - because they needed a convenient way for the Didact to make it into the control room within the confines of the comic's limited amount of pages, another reason why this would've worked better as a novel).

I'm glad they killed off the Didact, for now anyway. He was a bad villain done poorly from the very beginning, and I'd much rather see the Halo universe without him. Morhek hits it on the nail here. Why bring him back at all only to kill him off 3 issues later? He could have just died at the end of Halo 4.

:Replace the word "killed" with "contained" bro, since he's not dead. XD [[User:Sith Venator|<span style="color:green">Sith-venator Wavingstrider</span>]]([[User talk:Sith Venator|<span style="color:blue">Commlink</span>]]) 12:00, 25 September 2014 (EDT)

I still don't have the paper copy of this issue since the comic shop I get if from has yet to get the shipment for some reason, so I'm relying on Halo canon's review for the scope. I like issue 10 at the same time it left me disappointed. I like how Kelly's speed was displayed when she avoided the Didact and how Static Carillion demonstrated what could take down the Didact (a powerful laser). I like how the Halo was able to detach a piece from itself (although I think it would have made more sense to teleport the Didact to some random spot on the Halo and detaching that instead). As for the planet the composer's forge is on, it looks kind of like Requiem but that's another issue. And finally I like some of the smaller details like the return of some UNSC Destroyers (even though there was one in Glasslands). However, after taking a deep look at the final story arc, all I can say is this - ''the next 72 hours'' was nothing more than '''filler'''. And not the good kind of filler like HE#7. I hate to say it but the only real "things" we got out of this entire story arc was John reuniting with blue team (which wasn't sh$t), Static Carillion, the Didact survived, and a lil bit of John's childhood. Other than that, the story does nothing to move the series forward. Instead it seems to have kept it stagnant. It's basically just a retelling of Halo 4's story but shorter. There's so much that Brian Reed could have done to help bring out this entire arc. If I was him I would have done it like this: Issue 1 - The chief is reunited w/ blue team while John's personality after Cortana's death is explored, Issue 2 - It is discovered that the Didact is still alive and blue team heads out to investigate, Issue 3 - In the ensuing fight to stop the Didact something devastating occurs that causes John to depart the UNSC or "leave" (in other words give us a reason as to why he won't stop). Instead, what we get is a whole story arc that just waste time repeating the same two stories (the Halo & the composer) again and in the end accomplishes nothing other than leave us mystified as to why the chief "left". So hopefully ''Exposure'' moves the story forward and Brian Reed doesn't screw that up too.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 12:38, 27 September 2014 (EDT)

:I agree with pretty much everything you guys have already said, and though not Escalation-specific, if we don't see the whole "Chief rebelling against power hungry ONI to find rogue Halsey with the help of his best friend Thel and bring back/save Cortana" bit in the near future, I'd sum up nearly all the new stories recently with "wasted potential".  If they leave Cortana "dead" and/or (especially and) kill off/make an antagonist of Thel in Halo 5, I'm going to be ''very'' unhappy. Hopefully Thel's "how well do you know your friend" line from the trailer is as misleading as Escalation's preview descriptions. [[User:Alex T Snow|Alex T Snow]] ([[User talk:Alex T Snow|talk]]) 18:34, 1 October 2014 (EDT)

:All I can say is that Brian Reed (just like Karen Travis) failed to show that he is a worthy writer for the series. He placed no emphasis on character development and could care-less to do so.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 02:36, 2 October 2014 (EDT)

:::True. I just think the way he handled black team was "Traviss-like" lol. But yeah Reed is definitely writing from a superhero perspective with little emphasis placed on realism or plausibility. Ilsa Zane was a clear example of an invincible supervillian (surviving in the cold vacuum of space w/o a suit???). And the Didact's portrayal was extremely disappointing (especially his appearance). Reed has a lot to make up for. I may be out of the loop on this but when/where was Palmer's rank retconned?--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 09:08, 2 October 2014 (EDT)

::::On the ''Halo 4'' website, Palmer's profile said she used to be a lieutenant when she was still a Marine. ''Halo: Initiation'' instead established that she was a lance corporal by the time she was recruited to be a Spartan. Which raises the question of how they were able to gauge her purportedly excellent leadership qualities when her rank would provide no leadership training nor experience. I speculate Reed changed this in response to criticisms about Palmer never actually getting her hands dirty in ''Spartan Ops'' and he probably thought a lowly grunt was more relatable than an officer, without considering the further implications at all. Though almost certainly unintentional, this casts her behavior in a new light - maybe she acts so erratic and unprofessional because she ''is'' overpromoted and grossly underqualified, and the only reason she got her job is because Osman wanted someone she could easily order around on ''Infinity''.

:::::Got it. 343I seems to come up with the silliest explanations for things and can't seem to stick to the script. They need better writers and coordination in order to avoid this type of confusion again.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 10:27, 11 October 2014 (EDT)

This issue looks promising since Mr. Reed is taking a hiatus (I believe) and Thorne's story has always been strong.{{unsigned|SamGall}}

::I want Thorne to ask Ray out. <.< >.> They'd be a cute couple.[[User:Sith Venator|<span style="color:green">Sith-venator Wavingstrider</span>]] ([[User talk:Sith Venator|<span style="color:blue">Commlink</span>]]) 03:46, 2 October 2014 (EDT)

==Issue 11==

File:HaloEscalation11.jpgPretty on the outside...ugly on the inside.

Did anyone notice that the IVs seemed to use halo 5 guardians new abilities? It says booster pack in our article but... it looked to me like the halo 5 ability. And also Thorne had camo. There might be the, sneaking up on Ray issue although motion tracker doesn't show when you zoom in normally. [[User:Erickyboo|Erickyboo]] ([[User talk:Erickyboo|talk]]) 13:38, 22 October 2014 (EDT)

::I like to concur. The art is rather atrocious. It's good in some panels but terrible in others. I was very disappointed with it and I also noticed that the characters are inconsistent with the previous issues. Once again, Thorne & Ray look too different from the other issues and it's extremely annoying. It's kind of like Renee Zellweger's new look versus her look a month ago. After reading through the comic, I found the story to be interesting and I like the mystery generated so far. I like the action and I see that this new spartan ability was put into action, though there's no real explanation behind it. I did find the pacing to be slightly fast but I guess that's what we'll get with a short two-part story. Overall I didn't have a big issue with this issue except for the art.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 20:39, 22 October 2014 (EDT)

::::Actually that was changed per [http://www.halopedia.org/index.php?title=M805X_thruster_pack&curid=172095&diff=1099690&oldid=1099511 Jugus] and I can't disagree. The thruster pack module isn't shown on their armor nor is there any indication of it. It looks similar but last time I remember, the thruster pack wasn't used as a melee tactic nor could I pull it off in Halo 4. It doesn't move fast enough or straight enough. I believe it's the new H5 Spartan ability and I think 343i included it in this issue as a clue or hint as to what it's capable of in gameplay. Maybe.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 12:40, 24 October 2014 (EDT)

:The Covenant enemies that we encounter consistently sound like the most interesting characters - the capitalist Sangheili mercenary Vata 'Gajat, and now the planet full of Kig-Yar slavers. This, to me, is what Escalation should have been - scrap the Spirit of Fire teasing, scrap the non-story with the Didact, just have the UNSC having to deal with a new galactic community created by the Covenant's collapse. That would have interested me enough to try to buy them. As it is, it has good ideas but is wasting them to tease other things - possible foreshadowing something with the SoF, maybe a Halo Wars 2; teasing Halo 5 and why the Chief apparently left, which I'm still vague on; and now what seems to be setting up the events of Nightfall.  

:As for whether it's a new species or not...I don't know which would be worse, that it is or that it isn't. If they are, then 343i are blowing the introduction of a previously unseen species that could widen the galactic community and open up new storytelling possibilities as a throwaway background appearance. If they're not, then they're woefully drawn human or Sangheili women, which is only slightly less inexcusable.

=== "Unknown" enslaved species ===

File:HE Slavers.jpg

:They could be female sangheili considering the one with the red drape has hands/claws similar to sangheili but at the same time they look too "human" and have "noses" similar to forerunners. But really, I don't know. Just another mystery 343i threw at us.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 20:19, 22 October 2014 (EDT)

Could it possibly be a subspecies of [[San'Shyuum]]? They look vaguely like the ones from the terminal. Perhaps another portion of the population escaped their homeworld's destruction and changed over the past few thousand years? --<span style="font-family:Viner Hand ITC">[[User:Lordofmonsterisland|<font color="green">Am I a Lion, or a Lamb? Or a Boy?</font>]] ^{[[User talk:Lordofmonsterisland|<font color="red">Saint o</font>]][[Special:Contributions/Lordofmonsterisland|<font color="black">r Sinner?</font>]] [http://halofanon.wikia.com/wiki/User:Lordofmonsterisland <font color=#777777>The Lost Books</font>]}</span> 18:21, 23 October 2014 (EDT)

::They may be female Prophets. The Stewards look quite similar, plus in ''Broken Circle'' it is mentioned that younger San'Shyuum bear a striking resemblance to humans. - [[User:NightHammer|NightHammer]] ([[User talk:NightHammer|talk]]) 16:47, 7 November 2014 (EST)

{{Quote|I've often found it slightly disturbing that the humans managed to hold the covenant off for over 30 years. Could it be that the Covenant was fighting a war on 2 fronts? 343i seems determined to hing at a new species. First the unknown ship on on Alpha Halo, then the Humanoids in Escalation, now this. Surely they're building up to something. |<s>Jugus</s> Weeping Angel_{whoops sorry about that}, [[Forum:Halo: Broken Circle]]}}

:Every species in the Covenant has a role they are best at, and brings something to the military that the others can't. For the Unggoy it's sheer numbers. They reproduce incredibly fast, which means there's always more to throw at the enemy. This other species, if they are in fact a client species of the Covenant, likely don't have that same ability.--[[User:Soul reaper|Soul reaper]] ([[User talk:Soul reaper|talk]]) 08:34, 28 October 2014 (EDT)

::@Morhek: just a lil' correction, that's Weeping Angel you're quoting there, not me. Other than that I kind of agree with Soul reaper on this. Maybe the humanoids just had a tiny reproduction rate and were more useless than Grunts in combat. Or they are a ''very'' recent discovery. Dunno really. I am bothered by a great many things, many of them seemingly frivolous or indiscernible to most. For instance: the way they changed the Mark VI's shoulder vent thingies in H2A, making them look like a bizarre, useless ornamental part instead of a functional one. Or the way 343i insists on using their hideous alien and armor designs in everything as opposed to portraying variety in the former and starting the latter from scratch completely. Within ''Escalation #11'', the one major bit that stuck out to me was the way Ray apparently forgot about her motion tracker in the end. With the previous issues, the list is much greater as can be seen above (and I was holding back with the complaints).

:::Another popular theory is that they're just shaven female [[Jiralhanae]].[[User:Sith Venator|<span style="color:green">Sith-venator Wavingstrider</span>]] ([[User talk:Sith Venator|<span style="color:blue">Commlink</span>]]) 18:37, 7 November 2014 (EST)

::::Can't. unsee. Damn... [[User:Imrane-117|Imrane-117]] ([[User talk:Imrane-117|talk]]) 20:27, 7 November 2014 (EST)

:Son. Of. A.

:Okay. There's a "fringe." Okay.

::I kind of suspected that there were other lesser Covenant species, but I expected more than such a humanoid guy... Too common in sci-fi. [[User:Imrane-117|Imrane-117]] ([[User talk:Imrane-117|talk]]) 21:39, 10 November 2014 (EST)

===Covenant monotony===

:I agreed. They could've at least used the Bungie-era assets rather than going with the 343i stuff. I find it to be rather lazy when they do this. It would've been very interesting to see diversity, and they seemed to be going with that approach early on in the escalation series but it seems as though they regressed as the issues progressed. And honestly, I'm not feeling the 343i Kig-yar to begin with. They're too "old" looking or not really unique. I guess with the Spartan Ops Janus Keys series coming, we might as well not expect to see any bungie-era designs show up since this is a continuation from Halo 4.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 09:30, 28 November 2014 (EST)

:::I would concur with that analogy (and I like your explanation) but 343i did make Thel 'Vadam in Escalation 1-3 look like the 343i-era elites rather than maintaining his previous physiology. So that explanation is kind of rendered mute imo. Its no different from how they had these supposed explanations for why things changed in Halo 4 but had no explanation for why the FUD changed. That in itself renders all other explanations mute. Let's just keep it for what it is - 343i changed things because they felt like it. Though I agree with you that the 343i-era covie assets look evil. Too evil for Halo however, but ok for gears of war.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 11:25, 29 November 2014 (EST)

:::::That's an excellent point and something I noticed when Halo 4 first came out. The covie species look as though they are related with the same scaly, texture skin. Basically they all look reptilian or just flat out similar. I think 343i's approach with the species wasn't a good one. Just keep them the same and come up with some new species if you want to change something. Lol at ''"you were born Ibie'shan? Too bad, you're predestined to be evil"''. Now that you described it from that perspective, the whole good-bad covies explanation doesn't seem likely. Like I said earlier, 343i changed them for the sake of change - "It's a brand new Halo, brand new company, so let's show off our artistic capabilities". And when they did that they forgot about consistency and what makes sense.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 14:31, 6 December 2014 (EST)

Is it me, or the sky looks like the interior of a shield world? It's possible that it's just my imagination, or that the artist didn't pay attention to that when he took inspiration from some ''Halo 4'' screenshots / concept art. But if the battle between 'Mdama and the ''Infinity''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> crew leads to the introduction of a new shield world, that would be interesting. (I'm still wondering what kind of Forerunner installation the Absolute Record is supposed to be.) Anyway, it's just a cover, and we all know that ''Escalation''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> covers are far from being reliable. (sigh) [[User:Imrane-117|Imrane-117]] ([[User talk:Imrane-117|talk]]) 18:38, 18 November 2014 (EST)

::Cover needs more Mantises.[[User:Sith Venator|<span style="color:green">Sith-venator Wavingstrider</span>]] ([[User talk:Sith Venator|<span style="color:blue">Commlink</span>]]) 20:04, 18 November 2014 (EST)

==Issue 12==

File:HaloEscalation12.jpg Finally, a cover that depicts what actually happens!

After reading the last entry in the ''Exposure'' story arc, I have to say I'm impressed with the writing of this new author. Particular the ending of this issue is what caught me off guard. It was a clever idea and nice to add a curve-ball to further fuel our interest in ONI's shenanigans. That alone will make me want to see what happens next in the next story arc. Other than that I liked the overall comic. The action was welled paced and I like the addition of the queen (who was rather ruthless - "''Kill him!''"). It's nice to see other areas of the Haloverse explored. I also liked the character development primarily from Ray, how she seems emotionally attached to Thorne. I see them dating in the ''Spartan Ops: The Janus Key'' story arc. You know it's going to happen, just a matter of time. The only true flaws I saw with this issue was two things. First is the art, mainly with the human characters. I always had a problem with the consistency of the way characters were drawn. In the previous issue it was Throne and Ray, now Palmer and Majestic squad get the "lazy artist" treatment. Its a bit of a disappointment and I wish the artist took better care in maintaining character appearances from issue to issue to avoid making it seem like different artist worked on the issues (even if different artist work on the issue). They should operate like a company, where the work produced by this company is consistent across all drawings, looking like it the company has their -yoink!- together. The second problem is the forgotten slaves. We don't see any of them mentioned or show up in this issue. Maybe they were rescued, killed, or fled. Who knows? And that's a problem. It would've been interesting to see them being led to a dropship or something at least in one or two panels. Oh well. Anyway, it was a good conclusion to this story arc and adds something to the Haloverse compared to the ''last 72 hours''.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 19:58, 30 November 2014 (EST)

{{clear}}

==Issue 13==

File:HaloEscalation13.jpgShe didn't use that machine gun!

After reading the issue, I'm satisfied with the beginning of Spartan ops "season 2". The idea of a battle to draw out the UNSC was pretty clever and I'm glad we got introduced to a planet that was introduced in multiplayer. The battle itself was short and the UNSC "victory" was a lil "offscreen" (at least that's how I interpreted it) but seeing a warthog land on top a phantom was entertaining. And once again Thorne is injured during a battle. How many times are they going to hurt this dude? It seems as though Palmer is still holding a grudge towards Halsey. You'd think w/ the shenanigans that Osman & ONI have played over these past couple issues and the fact that Halsey gave the UNSC half the janus key, that Palmer would have some sort of understanding to what's going on but I guess she still sees no good in Halsey. Now, Halsey's clever manipulation of the Infinity's slipspace drive was interesting, though it's almost similar to what was done to the Infinity back at Requiem. Overall the story was short but alright. Its a nice slow start to what we may see next. Now hopefully Halsey doesn't turn evil like Jul.--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 14:13, 25 December 2014 (EST)

I mostly find myself agreeing with Halo Canon's review. I really hope Halsey ends up having played Jul all along (which I admit is very likely to happen) since her flat-out turning against humanity would go against everything we know about her. I'm still not super happy about the way 343i have apparently discarded Halsey's character development from the Nylund novels—here we don't see her showing any remorse for the SPARTAN-II program whereas her actions in ''First Strike'' and ''Ghosts of Onyx'' were driven entirely by her guilt. While post-''Kilo-Five Trilogy'' portrayals of Halsey don't quite rise to the Traviss levels of absurd cartoon villainy it still feels like that version of her informed subsequent characterizations more than Nylund's repentant, post-''First Strike'' Halsey. In terms of character motivation, that is; at least they've kept her intelligence intact. I'm also not a huge fan of the way they added yet another Forerunner MacGuffin that lets them do this one very specific plot-important thing.

:I guess 343i can't get enough of creating new Forerunner toys to help impede the UNSC in some way. We'll probably see another one in the next issue. And speaking of that, where the hell is the ''Vociferous'' in all this? Shouldn't there be some mention of it by now? Or did 343i just forget about it. And what about the presence of other UNSC ships? It seems as though the ''Infinity'' is being assigned for EVERYTHING keeping us, the audience, stuck on just the "crew of the Infinity". Will we ever see some post-war UNSC fleet action? As for Halsey it would be nice to see her show some regret towards her actions. But I guess 343i is intent on molding her into something else, especially since Frank O' Connor claimed there was some reasoning behind why they are portraying her in this way. I just hope we see her reunited with the UNSC and maybe Lasky and/or Thorne can explain to her that they were trying to rescue her, at least to keep 343i from screwing up her character any further. Maybe in the next issue we'll see Palmer have a change of heart for Halsey or something, to keep her character from going downhill again. She was going somewhat uphill for some time but 343i might take her in the wrong direction in a matter of 4 issues. But I agree with you that Lasky is being way too lenient. He needs to show some backbone and shut Palmer down. Right now he comes off too nice. He's the freakin' captain for god sakes!--'''''[[User:Killamin7|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin7</span>]]''''' <small>['''''[[User talk:Killamin7|<font color="Red">Comm</font>]]'''''|'''''[[Special:Contributions/Killamin7|<font color="Black">Files</font>]]''''']</small> 12:48, 2 January 2015 (EST)

==Issue 14==

File:HaloEscalation14.jpg Uh, Jul never left his ship 343I.

After reading through the comic, I have to say, I like where this story is headed. Just like Sali, I'm just as angry that Jul sent Requiem into its sun. So a nice three way battle is what I'd like to see right now. Though I wish they would make the ''Infinity'' crew more creative and smarter. I'm kind of annoyed with the crew doing things "by the book" and finding themselves in all these traps. For instance, I wish they'd suspect that there was a trap waiting for them once they brought the key off the ''Infinity'' but nope. Only Roland was smart enough to mention that it would be best to keep the key onboard the ship. Otherwise Lasky just happily sends the key off the ship. And as predictable, the Pelican carrying it is shot out the sky. I would've like to see like a decoy Pelican that could've flew in front of the real one or multiple Pelicans to throw Jul & Sali off a loop. Overall the issue is a fun and decent read but some parts of it were predictable.--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 13:10, 3 February 2015 (EST)  

:So in Issue 15, we see the return of not only the Covenant War-era Sangheili Zealot armour, but the Minor variant as well. Is this evidence of former Covenant ranks continuing to be in use in Jul 'Mdamas faction, or just old armour being used by new ranks, for example Minor armor being used by Storm Elites? Thoughts? Opinions? [[User:SLiD1nG Pr0Xy|SLiD1nG Pr0Xy]] ([[User talk:SLiD1nG Pr0Xy|talk]]) 11:36, 25 February 2015 (EST)

:::Yeah, that's what I'm starting to believe too. I just wish we could get a little bit of clarification from 343... [[User:SLiD1nG Pr0Xy|SLiD1nG Pr0Xy]] ([[User talk:SLiD1nG Pr0Xy|talk]]) 11:52, 25 February 2015 (EST)

===Split===

:I too hope this schism-within-a-schism continues to play out in future media. 'Nyon's faction may be wiped out but the repercussions could continue to resonate. Duffy Boudreau's first story arc showed his skill at writing a self-contained story arc, but this just seems like it's setting up something bigger. On an unrelated note, I was thrilled when Dr. Halsey called out Jul for his false piety; it's nice to see continuity with the better parts of ''Kilo-Five''. --[[User:Braidenvl|<span style="color:gray">'''''Our vengeance is at hand.'''''</span>]]  ([[User talk:Braidenvl|<span style="color:gray">Talk to me.</span>]]) 11:40, 29 January 2015 (EST)

:::Escalation has a chronic problem of its villains being far more interesting or sympathetic than its ostensible heroes. We liked Vata 'Gajat quite a bit, he was a good change from a traditional religious zealot. They killed him off. The Jackal pirates were an interesting idea. Killed off. They can't kill off Halsey or Mdama, so we don't see anything of them. The entire point of having a fractious Covenant remnant is that it gives you an opportunity to have a vast sandbox with diverse groups, some friendly, some not, and most neutral or apathetic with their own struggles. But instead, we continue to focus on the Spartans of Majestic and Commander <s>renegade FemShep</s> Palmer, without seeing why we should like or root for anybody besides Thorne.

==Issue 17's cover/story and is 18 "the end"?==

:::: I can't see how they'd be "poorly drawn" because of the wingettes and Sparth's art isn't representative that's true, but the story matches with the art. They would have said if it was Locke, but then again they denoted he was a mysterious Spartan. Technically the only S-IV besides Thorne and Palmer we care about is Locke. [[User:SamGall|SamGall]] ([[User talk:SamGall|talk]]) 18:28, 3 February 2015 (EST)

:::::I can't see the "mysterious Spartan-IV" being anyone other than Locke. It'll probably illustrate his origins described in the Waypoint article as well as his becoming a Spartan-IV, as ''Nightfall'' largely failed in providing a proper origin story for him. It could always be an all-new character, though I doubt this.

::::::It would be nice to reveal more about Locke and find out how he got into the Spartan-IV program. I wonder what Locke will look like in comic form. But you never know. 343i might throw in an all new character for suspense. Though we don't need anymore new characters right now as we have a good bunch of them already, ones that may need more character development.--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 13:18, 5 February 2015 (EST)

==Issue 15==

File:HaloEscalation15.jpg Palmer. Palmer. Palmer.

Is it just me or do they need to put an end to Palmer? Or is Palmer going to meet her end in the next issue? It seems as though they're making Palmer even worst with this "vengeance" against Halsey. She's hell-bent on eliminating Halsey that she renders all other objectives mute. It doesn't really make any sense why she should have this hatred towards her. Unless she's still trying to fulfill Osman's orders, I don't see why she has to continue pursuing this. Overall issue 15 was a decent, fun read. It had a lot of action and I like where the story is headed.--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 07:17, 28 February 2015 (EST)

:Having seen Halo Canon's review of Issue 15, I'm surprised by how invested I am in this plot about Mdama's Covenant splitting apart. I find myself rooting for him over Sali 'Nyon (a name my mind refuses not to convert into Sally Nyan) and hoping that he and Halsey will come through this not only intact, but still together. I don't think I ship them, but the dynamic they have together interests me - alien and human achieving a level of respect, when one wants to wipe out the other's species and the other has an agenda of her own. I could care less what the Infinity and the Spartans do during this little arc, but I'm fascinated - does 'Nyon have something up his sleeve, that trumps control of the Prometheans? Is Halsey's arrival on the planet an elaborate trick to get the Spartans to bring their half of the key to her when they try to assassinate her? If Nyon ends up successfully wresting control of the Covenant, and the Prometheans, from Mdama, do we get him as an unlikely protagonist, an anti-hero still devoted to destroying humanity but forced to be the anti-Halsey, working with them against his former troops?

::Its funny how you don't care about the Spartans but I guess it's a case of how lil emphasis has been placed on them except for the ones you mentioned (love Ray). Some these Spartans have become nothing but canon fodder. As for 'Nyon, I don't believe he has anything up his sleeve. Based on how his forces were taking a beating, I think he already lost this one or either that, he'll attempt to escape. But it would be interesting if he somehow manages to wrestle control of the covenant from 'Mdama. As for that special elite, he's already dead.--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 17:54, 14 March 2015 (EDT)

*Spartan-IVs sure love removing their helmets in war zones for no reason.

*Evil Palmer is evil.

:Good point. The ''Infinity'' definitely should've dominated Jul's fleet. But instead its depicted as being overwhelmed and "unable" to do anything. I guess the ''Infinity'''s frigates (or even MAC guns & missles) were all forgotten about after Halo 4 or the artist didn't feel like drawing them or didn't have enough panels. But that's from a logical perspective. Either way, it would've been cool to see them in action outside SpOps. As for Halsey, either she secretly has intention of returning the key to the UNSC or, like you said, its for the plot later. List of Spartans who removed their helmets for no reason that I can think of: Palmer, Hoya, DeMarco, Scruggs, and Ray.--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 10:24, 22 March 2015 (EDT)

:::The only thing that surprised me was the return of the plasma rifle. Must've been easier to draw than the storm rifle.--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 18:18, 14 March 2015 (EDT)

::Darn. I really liked that theory. --[[User:Weeping Angel|Weeping Angel]] ([[User talk:Weeping Angel|talk]]) 19:52, 14 March 2015 (EDT)

:Cool. Forerunner space magic has turned Dr. Halsey into a Yonhet. --[[User:Braidenvl|<span style="color:gray">'''''Our vengeance is at hand.'''''</span>]]  ([[User talk:Braidenvl|<span style="color:gray">Talk to me.</span>]]) 17:45, 15 March 2015 (EDT)

:Yeah, you  might want to not get ahead of yourself. You know its not going to happen. 343i isn't that clever or are they? lol at "Karen Traviss' mental image of Halsey".--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 10:24, 22 March 2015 (EDT)

==Issue 16==

File:HaloEscalation16.jpg What'd they need the harvester for? Palmer??

To start, it looks like your question got answered Jugus. At the very beginning the ''Infinity'' finally deployed it's underslung frigates. Funny how that popped up right after you questioned it. Anyway, I have to say, this was a pretty decent read. Unfortunately there were a few problems. First, the art. The art was consistent for the first three issues of this story, and then BAM! All of a sudden it looks atrocious, primarily the human faces. We already got a glimpse of demonic Halsey above, but towards the end we get a mushy looking Palmer. Why didn't they just maintain the same artist throughout this story arc? <s>Second, the harvester served no real purpose. It was almost like a setup specifically for Palmer, which didn't make much sense to me. Why drop that behemoth for 1 Spartan? Why drop it at all? Was it there for some other purpose?</s> Also, why didn't Palmer rush Halsey back in the other direction instead of "following" her? Also, no showdown between Sali & Jul this time folks. I understand the issue is limited to a certain number of pages but come one! Still, can't wait to see the Absolute record and "Tanaka".--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 09:49, 25 March 2015 (EDT)

::Other than what's probably going to get said, did anyone notice that thruster pack action? It seems to be able to be used like a jetpack at least for a bit. Well, vertical lift. [[User:Erickyboo|Erickyboo]] ([[User talk:Erickyboo|talk]]) 14:35, 25 March 2015 (EDT)

:Well, that's the end of Sali 'Nyons Covenant faction. I would have liked to see the group in future instalments/other Halo media but alas, it wasn't meant to be. Ah well, the issue was a good one, and like you said Jugus, it was great to see Palmer being put in her place XD [[User:SLiD1nG Pr0Xy|SLiD1nG Pr0Xy]] ([[User talk:SLiD1nG Pr0Xy|talk]]) 21:24, 26 March 2015 (EDT)  

I'm not sure. The way Duffy put his phrasing in his interview a little over two weeks ago...

===Cover===

:The art style and sense of scale remind me a lot of his work on the ''Marathon'' series. --[[User:Braidenvl|<span style="color:gray">'''''Our vengeance is at hand.'''''</span>]]  ([[User talk:Braidenvl|<span style="color:gray">Talk to me.</span>]]) 09:02, 19 March 2015 (EDT)

:::Those two are the main pieces that crossed my mind when you brought it up. --[[User:Braidenvl|<span style="color:gray">'''''Our vengeance is at hand.'''''</span>]]  ([[User talk:Braidenvl|<span style="color:gray">Talk to me.</span>]]) 13:18, 19 March 2015 (EDT)

==Issue 17==

File:HaloEscalation17.jpg Ay lmao

Since no one has discussed this yet, I thought the issue was pretty solid. Was nice to see two types of Kig-Yar on the same pane.[[User:Sith Venator|<span style="color:green">Sith-venator Wavingstrider</span>]] ([[User talk:Sith Venator|<span style="color:blue">Commlink</span>]]) 10:11, 28 April 2015 (EDT)

::I liked the issue too, but the technology that they colonists on Minab (such as the 20th century crane and excavator) kind of bothers me. But if Tanaka is in ''Halo 5'', then this is a good way to introduce the new character. - [[User:NightHammer|NightHammer]] ([[User talk:NightHammer|talk]]) 11:08, 28 April 2015 (EDT)

:::Yeah that was a bit funny. The shotgun Tanaka had also looked 20th century. Overall the issue was alright and I definitely want to see what happens next in the concluding issue. Like Braidenvl, I was hoping to see those new vessels on the cover but I guess we can't get everything we want. And a lot of new ideas have been explored in this issue and that's good for keeping the series alive. And the two kig-yar subspecies appearing next to each other was interesting. I guess it's 343i's way of differentiating the two to avoid making the kig-yar they came up with look like a recon.--'''''[[User:Killamin7i|<span style="color:Black; font-family: Arial;">Killamin</span><span style="color:red; font-family: Arial;">7</span><span style="color:black; font-family: Arial;">i</span>]]''''' [[User talk:Killamin7i|<font color="Gray">///</font>]] 12:17, 28 April 2015 (EDT)

{{clear}}