Dark Horse's latest foray into the Halo universe is also one geared towards the recent release of Halo Wars 2. Halo: Rise of Atriox is an anthology mini-series tasked with shedding light on the game's main villain and his rise through the Covenant ranks. The series gets its start with a efficient and action-packed first chapter, though it doesn't do a great deal to flesh out the titular villain.

Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Eric Nguyen focus on the "horrors of war" angle with this issue, hinging their story on a battered group of UNSC soldier fighting a losing battle against endless waves of Covenant troops. There's a palpable sense of desperation and futility to this conflict, enough that the reader is able to connect with these soldiers despite their general lack of distinguishing qualities. This issue is not unlike Halo: Reach in that regard, which managed to paints its Spartan leads as compelling heroes despite a minimal focus on character development. The main protagonist, Sergeant Kress, stands out especially well as she reluctantly embraces her role as commanding officer leading a group of dead men walking.It's not that Atriox comes across as a poor villain in this issue, but rather that wee only see him through Kress' perspective. Atriox has no dialogue of his own. He's merely painted as an ominous, unstoppable force of nature rapidly whittling down the dwindling UNSC survivors. He's certainly imposing as he cuts a swath of destruction. But the same could be said for many Brutes. There's little in the context of this issue alone to indicate what makes Atriox a truly unique enemy. Hopefully, future installments will do more in that regard.Nguyen's gritty, shadowy art helps further the generally bleak, hopeless tone of the story. The washed-out colors further contribute to that tone. Nguyen has no trouble capturing the frantic action of the games, especially late in the issue when the final few survivors make their desperate bid for survival. The one real flaw in Nguyen's art is the fact that sometimes figures and vehicles feel divorced from their environments. One panel in particular features a number of Brutes running across a muddled, indistinct plane and loses all sense of perspective as a result.