Marvel handling Halo comic

Like a galaxy-wide plague of The Flood, the spread of Bungie's first-person shooter Halo into new forms of media appears nigh unstoppable. Books and music CDs are already on store shelves, Peter Jackson is producing the feature film based on the license, and now Marvel Comics is bringing the license to comic books.

Marvel and Bungie today announced that the comics giant responsible for Spider-Man, the X-Men, and a host of other superheroes will be publishing a graphic novel anthology of tales set in the Halo universe. The 128-page full-color volume is set for release in July.

Few details have been revealed about the stories included, but Marvel has said they will feature signature characters and weapons and be set against a backdrop involving the alien races of the Covenant and the Flood. Perhaps more interesting to comic fans is the roster of talent secured to put words and images on the page. Beyond renowned French comics artist Moebius, the Halo graphic novel will also feature the talents of Phil Hale, Ed Lee, Tsutomo Nihei, Jay Faerber, Andrew Robinson, Simon Bisley, and Lee Hammock. There will also be a selection of gallery pages from both professional comic artists and Bungie's internal art team.

"The chance to give our faithful fans something this special was a chance we had to jump at," Bungie studio manager Harold Ryan said. "Reexploring the Halo universe with some of our favorite comic book artists and writers--indeed, some of the greatest of all time--was a true labor of love and we couldn't have picked a better partner than Marvel to help us achieve our vision."

That vision might be achieved several times over. Marvel has signed an exclusive deal with Bungie for the comic rights to the Halo series and has promised that additional projects based on the license are in the works.