Alongside Indiana Jones, Lara Croft is one of the most famous archaeologists in popular culture, and for good reason! The heroine of the video game franchise Tomb Raider, she is an intelligent and athletic British adventurer who travels the world in search of mysterious artifacts and other magical items. She solves complex puzzles, swims into seemingly impossible places, and shoots bad guys in dangerous locations such as ancient ruins. She does all this while wearing a tank top, shorts, socks, and combat boots, with her hair tied up in a French braid. Most importantly, she stays cool while doing it all!
The first video game was released in 1996. It was the start of a media franchise consisting of many action-adventure games, novels, comics, feature films and short films, animated television series, and even two theme park rides.
Tomb Raider’s first comic book wasn’t published by Top Cow but by the Mean Machines Sega gaming magazine in issues #47-50. Written by the game’s writer Vicky Arnold and penciled by artist Paul Peart-Smith, it was a comic book promotion for the first Tomb Raider game. Our British adventurer also featured, a few years later, in a comic book produced by French publisher Glenat, which was quickly taken off the market for licensing issues. At this stage, Top Cow has finally secured the Tomb Raider’s rights, and was starting to publish Tomb Raider comics.
While the Top Cow comics can be linked to the first three games, this is often considered separate from any timeline and in their own canon. Actually, Tomb Raider was part of the Top Cow Universe, with crossovers with other Top Cow characters such as Fathom, Witchblade and The Darkness.
This article is devoted to the Tomb Raider Comics released by Top Cow, between 1995 and 2005. The Tomb Raider franchise has been rebooted, with Dark Horse Comics as the publisher, which will be the subject of another guide!
Collecting the Tomb Raider Comics
The Top Cow’s Tomb Raider comic book series has been reprinted in several collections over the years, although most editions are out of stock and/or quite expensive on the second hand. Following is a short guide to help you find your way around those collections.
Tomb Raider Colossal Collection
Dark Horse is reprinting the entire run of Top Cow’s Tomb Raider in two colossal hardcover books this year.
- Tomb Raider Colossal Collection Vol. 1
Collects #1-24 and #26-34 of the Top Cow Tomb Raider series from 1999 to 2003. Issue #25 is part of the Endgame Crossover at Top Cow (and why it is not collected here). - Tomb Raider Colossal Collection Vol. 2
Collects issues #0, #1/2, and #35-50 of the 1999 Top Cow Tomb Raider series, Tomb Raider: Journeys #1-12 of the 2001 , and five one-shot stories: Origins, Epiphany, Takeover, Arabian Nights, and The Greatest Treasure of All.
Previous Tomb Raider Collection
- Tomb Raider Classic Series Trades (2000-2003) – Reprints of only the first 20 issues in trade paperbacks, as well as the first Tomb Raider/Witchblade crossovers in Tomb Raider/Witchblade: Trouble Seekers.
- Tomb Raider Compendium Edition (2018) – One big volume released by Image Comics, collecting the whole 50 issues of Top Cow’s Tomb Raider.
- Tomb Raider Archives (2016-2018) – 4-volume collection in hardcover released by Dark Horse, collecting the main series in the first three volumes. The fourth reprints the Journey miniseries and all the Tomb Raider one-shots.
- Tomb Raider Tankōbon – the original Top Cow Tomb Raider comic reprinted in manga format (and black and white) by Bandai Entertainment.
Tomb Raider Top Cow Reading Order, a Timeline
Tomb Raider was originally published under Tomb Raider, Starring Lara Croft before being renamed Lara Croft, Tomb Raider with issue #25, due to the release of the movie of the same name. The series ran for 50 issues + Tomb Raider #0 and #1/2, written by Dan Jurgens (#1/2, #1-20), John Ney Rieber (#21-31), Adam Hughes (#32), James Bonny (#32-49), Dan Slott (#50), and Fiona Kai Avery (#0). Several one-shots, crossovers and a limited series were also released during those years.
We try to establish a loose chronological order to follow Lara Croft’s adventures in the Top Cow Continuity. Lara Croft made her first appearance in the Top Cow Universe in Witchblade/Tomb Raider Special #1 (1997), by Michael Turner. The success of the issue led to another one a year later, and to the solo series.
- Tomb Raider / Witchblade #1 (1997) — This crossover with Witchblade is the first Top Cow comic published featuring Lara Croft. Written and penciled by Michael Turner.
- Witchblade/Tomb Raider #1 (1998) — Second crossover by Michael Turner & Bill O’Neil.
- Tomb Raider #0
- Tomb Raider #1/2
- Tomb Raider #1-4 – Saga of the Medusa Mask.
- Tomb Raider: Origins – One-Shot featuring Lara Croft and Chase Carver going after the Lu Vinh idol in Cambodia.
- Tomb Raider: The Greatest Treasure of All – One-Shot with Chase Carver and Lara Croft in a forest, where there is also a lion, mercenaries ,and a treasure.
Optional Reading. Tomb Raider: Journeys is a 12-issue miniseries published between 2001 and 2003 by Fiona Kai Avery and Drew Johnson. The connection with the main series is fragile, and this comic is often considered not part of the same continuity, a sort of ‘What If?’ story. You can read it here or later.
- Witchblade/Tomb Raider #1/2 — Third crossover by Michael Turner & Bill O’Neil.
- Tomb Raider #5-6 – The Merlin Stone.
- Dark Crossings: Dark Clouds Rising – Dark Crossings crossover featuring Tomb Raider, Witchblade and The Darkness. By Charles Holland and Dwayne Turner.
- Dark Crossings: Dark Clouds Overhead – Second part of the Dark Crossings crossover.
- Tomb Raider #7-10 – Dead Center.
- Tomb Raider / The Darkness Special – Another crossover featuring Tomb Raider, Witchblade and The Darkness. By David Wohl and Billy Tan.
- Tomb Raider #11-12 – Chasing Shangri-La.
- Tomb Raider #13-14 – The Last Gamble.
- Tomb Raider #15 – The Lucifer Text.
- Tomb Raider #16-17, #19-20 – Pieces of Zero. Dan Jurgens’ run, the most popular part of this series, concludes with issue #20 (he also wrote issue #18).
- Tomb Raider #18 – Year of the Cat.
- Fathom #12-14 — This Crossover between Fathom, Witchblade and Tomb Raider, and written by Michael Turner, is uncollected. It can only be found in floppies because of rights conflicts after Michael Turner departed from Top Cow.
- Tomb Raider #21-23 – The Trap.
- Tomb Raider #24 – Medusa’s Garden.
Top Cow’s Endgame crossover. Michael Turner and John Ney Rieber joined forces for the Endgame crossover. It all begins when the charred remains of a long-lost Native American settlement lure Lara Croft to New York City, the home of Sara Pezzini and the Witchblade, and it ends with… the death of Lara Croft?
- Tomb Raider #25
- Witchblade #60 (collected in The Complete Witchblade Vol. 4)
- EVO #1
- Tomb Raider #26-30
- Tomb Raider #31 – Conquista
- Tomb Raider: Epiphany – One-shot from Dan Jurgens featuring Lara Croft in Egypt.
- Tomb Raider #32-34 – Angel of Darkness
- Tomb Raider #35-37 – The Black Legion
- Tomb Raider Scarface’s Treasure – One-shot from Geoff Johns where Lara is hunting a treasure hidden by Al Capone.
- Tomb Raider Sphere of Influence – One-shot from Kevin McCarthy where Lara bids on a Mayan Tomb Guardian statue.
- Tomb Raider: Takeover – One-shot from James Bonny where Lara is a guest of honor at a gala.
- Tomb Raider: Arabian Nights – One-shot from Fiona Avery. Lara finds herself stuck in a fairytale in Persia.
- Tomb Raider #38-39 – Bloodstones
- Tomb Raider #40 – Risen
- Tomb Raider #41-42 – Spirit Walker
- Tomb Raider #43-44 – Tower of Souls
- Tomb Raider #45 – Inner Demons
- Tomb Raider #46-48 – Gathering Storm
- Tomb Raider #49 – Vendetta
- Monster War (2005) – Crossover between Top Cow characters and Universal Monsters. You can find all the issues collected in one volume.
- Tomb Raider #50 – Alpha Omega. This is the last issue, the best place to conclude this adventure!
A second Tomb Raider series was planned by Top Cow but never launched. The franchise was entirely rebooted in 2014, with a new Tomb Raider comic series published by Dark Horse and canon to the video game timeline. A Reading order is coming soon!