By Mark Rodriguez Lara Croft has rocked the world in 1996 as a thrill-seeking world-traveling adventurer when Tomb Raider hit the SEGA Saturn and Sony Playstation. Garnering a huge fanbase due to the action-packed gameplay as well as Lara's looks and overall bad-assness, it's no surprise she'd eventually branch out into other forms of media or merchandising. In 1999 she got herself a comic book series from Top Cow and Image comics. Thanks to Hipcomics I was able to grab a copy, so let's check it out. 'The Medusa Mask' opens in Iran as the narrator explains how dangerous the place can be, especially towards thieves. Several Iranian soldiers are looking for 'the westerner' and start taking off the hijabs of any woman they see. One of them takes the hijab off a particular woman who turns out to be Lara Croft. One of the men sets her gun to her head and she tells him if he shoots, he'll mess up the 2200-year old necklace he's been told to recover. ...
By Mark Rodriguez A clan of ninjas known as The Unburied have returned after being gone for centuries and they're after Lady Shiva, and by extension, her daughter Cassandra Cain. After a fight against Kalden the Unseen, Batgirl's confidence and body is shattered. Lady Shiva and Batgirl get on the first train out of Gotham, but Kalden and the Unburied are in pursuit. "Mother Part 3 of 6" brings us back to Cassandra and Lady Shiva riding atop a speeding train as they head out of the city. Cassie looks at a picture of the Bat Family, Bruce, Dick, Tim, Steph, Barbara, Damian, Duke, Alfred and herself during happier times. She monologues that she is not like her mother. Her mother is cruel. She doesn't feel, care or love. She only hurts and she only cares about herself. Lady Shiva says she knows Cassandra is hurt and offers to help. Cassie smacks her hand away and asks where they're going. Shiva says they are going to meet their allies in this war of shadows...