Review by C.J. Bunce

I admit it.  I’m a sucker for the next great Assassin’s Creed tie-in story.  Assassin’s Creed is the perfect mix of fantasy and fiction, of adventure, sci-fi, and history.  Earlier this year in Assassin’s Creed: Bloodstone, that meant a trip back to 1960s Vietnam.  With an Egyptian flare like we saw in Assassin’s Creed: The Ankh of Isis, the latest graphic novel compilation introduces us to Aya, an assassin with the brotherhood of the Hidden Ones aiming to defeat the Order of the Ancients as it prepares to conquer Egypt.  Spinning out of the events of Ubisoft’s 2017 game, writers Anthony Del Col and Anne Toole and artists PJ Kaiowa and Dijjo Lima’s Assassin’s Creed: Origins returns to comic shops in a new Special Edition next month.

Compiling the four issues of the Assassin’s Creed: Origins comic, this Special Edition includes a gallery of game concept art, inks-to-final process pieces, interviews with creators Anthony Del Col and PJ Kaiowa, and more.  The story begins on the eve of the Ides of March.  Julius Caesar has become mad with power.  Aya is conspiring with Brutus with her ultimate goal to return to confront Cleopatra if her plan is successful.

This edition includes the original covers by Toni Infante, Valeria Favoccia, Stephanie Hans, Sanya Anwar, Kaiowa and Lima, Claudia Ianniciello, Stephen Mooney, and Triona Farrel, plus character sketches, pin-ups, layouts, inks, and development pages. 

Take a look inside Assassin’s Creed: Origins–Special Edition, courtesy of Titan Comics:

Highlighted by Kaiowa’s beautiful images and Del Col’s trip back to meet historical figures of Ancient Rome, Assassin’s Creed: Origins–Special Edition is one to add to your comic shop pull list at Elite Comics, or pre-order it now at Amazon here.  It is scheduled for release November 24, 2020.   Also for the diehard Assassin’s Creed fan, check out the wider, creative worldbuilding and fantasy storytelling from the entire franchise in Assassin’s Creed: The Essential Guide reviewed here.