Frontline volume 4 info

[Kimera757]

Frontline volume 4 preview scans are now available. 7-9 pages of each story are shown. They're not heavy on spoilers, either.

1) Homecoming: Jim Raynor goes to Mar Sara, digs up some Heaven's Devils memorabilia (including a signed photo of Tychus Findlay).

2) Fear the Reaper: I don't know when this story takes place, but the reapers are selling stuff to the Kimeran Pirates. Depending on the timing, Stukov might not have wiped them all out. The reapers killed some marines who said they were "only" reapers. (Whoops! Those marines should have looked up the unit stats!)

3) Voice in the Darkness: Everyone's favorite Mobius Foundation finds a strange alien artifact (probably xel'naga in origin, given the commentary). One of their scientists, a psychic, claims it speaks to her. Some of the others think she's nuts.

According to the description from FL volume 3, there's a dark templar involved in there somewhere.

4) Orientation: For StarCraft: Ghost fans, Colin Phash is taken to the Ghost Academy on Ursa, which is a moon of Korhal. (I guess Mengsk wants to keep the ghosts close, but not too close.)

The timing is kind of wonky, but this is probably around the year 2500 or 2501, and yet the Umojan Protectorate is already definitely independent. Hmmm... Also, the Dominion put the Protectorate under an economic embargo, but the UP found a way around it.

[sandwich_bird]

Frontline volume 4 preview scans are now available. 7-9 pages of each story are shown. They're not heavy on spoilers, either.

1) Homecoming: Jim Raynor goes to Mar Sara, digs up some Heaven's Devils memorabilia (including a signed photo of Tychus Findlay).

2) Fear the Reaper: I don't know when this story takes place, but the reapers are selling stuff to the Kimeran Pirates. Depending on the timing, Stukov might not have wiped them all out. The reapers killed some marines who said they were "only" reapers. (Whoops! Those marines should have looked up the unit stats!)

3) Voice in the Darkness: Everyone's favorite Mobius Foundation finds a strange alien artifact (probably xel'naga in origin, given the commentary). One of their scientists, a psychic, claims it speaks to her. Some of the others think she's nuts.

According to the description from FL volume 3, there's a dark templar involved in there somewhere.

4) Orientation: For StarCraft: Ghost fans, Colin Phash is taken to the Ghost Academy on Ursa, which is a moon of Korhal. (I guess Mengsk wants to keep the ghosts close, but not too close.)

The timing is kind of wonky, but this is probably around the year 2500 or 2501, and yet the Umojan Protectorate is already definitely independent. Hmmm... Also, the Dominion put the Protectorate under an economic embargo, but the UP found a way around it.

Link?

Can't wait for homecoming. Metzen stuff = most likely cool.

[l33telboi]

I'm actually very impressed with what those preview pages show, mostly because of the art style. See, the problem with the previous Frontline volumes and the Starcraft comic is that the art is quite simply put - bad. Granted I've never been much of a fan of either mangas or comics, but in my opinion the artists should at least strive to make their art comprehensible and not overly stylish. Many of the previous stories in the mangas are bad because the art is so stylized that half of the time you don't know what's happening. Something is wrong when you have to squint just to see which unit is supposed to be which. And I'm not even going to mention the comic, because there are still several pages where the only thing that even hints at what's happening is the dialogue bubbles.

This seems to be in stark contrast to previous volumes in that regard, because you can easily tell what's happening and what's what. The only story that features artwork that's slightly on the odd side is "Homecoming", but that volume is written by Metzen and features Raynor so it's undoubtedly going to be awesome even despite the artwork. The other stories "Fear the Reaper", "Voices in the Darkness" and "Orientation" all have good art.

The stories also seem like something that would interest me. I’m looking forward to "Homecoming" and "Fear the Reaper" the most, in terms of story and lore.

The reapers killed some marines who said they were "only" reapers. (Whoops! Those marines should have looked up the unit stats!)

I think you misunderstood that part. They said 'only' Reapers because they first thought the Reapers were Zerg, and then thought the Reapers were friendlies when they realized what they were, not because they considered a Reaper an easy foe.

The timing is kind of wonky, but this is probably around the year 2500 or 2501, and yet the Umojan Protectorate is already definitely independent.

I'm not sure what the problem is, the Umojan Protectorate have been independent since the Guild Wars, haven't they? It has to take place sometime after Episode 1 but not too much after, considering the Nova is supposed to meet the kid while training at the Ghost Academy.

[Kimera757]

Link: http://www.tokyopop.com/product/2329...aftFrontline/4

I'm not sure what the problem is, the Umojan Protectorate have been independent since the Guild Wars, haven't they? It has to take place sometime after Episode 1 but not too much after, considering the Nova is supposed to meet the kid while training at the Ghost Academy.

According to the Brood War manual, the UP and all other terran factions were part of the Dominion, at least until after the Brood War, but there's been suggestions that has been retconned.

Nova trained at the Ghost Academy for 2-1/2 years after the end of Episode I; that's halfway through the interbellum.

[Lupino]

According to the Brood War manual, the UP and all other terran factions were part of the Dominion, at least until after the Brood War, but there's been suggestions that has been retconned.

Members in name only most likely, given how quickly they left the Dominion.

[Pandonetho]

Thanks Kimera.

Although, that guy who was bugging Nero at the end, how the hell did he ever become a reaper in the first place? He doesn't match their description at all, of people so messed up that they can't be resoc'd.

[Kimera757]

Maybe he's an exception to the rule?

[Pandonetho]

Bah, what a wimp. He deserved to die, he blemished the reputation of the Reapers.

[imdrunkontea]

Well, certain resoc'd individuals aren't entirely dark and evil. Marcus Wright in Firstborn was the nicest guy in the crew, despite being a mass murderer and cannibal.

[Kimera757]

Reapers are such bad folk that resocialization doesn't work on them. (Picture trying to resoc Hannibal Lecter. It just wouldn't work!) So the government gives them drugs to make them even more aggressive.

Maybe you can resist being resocialized even if you're not aggressive. Kern could just have been wired differently.

Also, is Kern dead? I thought he just got his helmet knocked off.