Today Ubisoft® announced a collaboration with DC Comics’ WildStorm Productions to develop a comic book based on the Driver universe. A special “Issue 0” preview edition of the Driver comic will be given away at Comic-Con International 2010 in San Diego this week July 22nd through July 25th at the Ubisoft (#4245) and DC Comics (#1915) booths.
The comic book features a cover drawn by renowned artist, Jock (The Losers, Judge Dredd, Batman). Jock will be at the Ubisoft and DC Comics booths signing free copies of the preview issue. The signing sessions will take place at the following times and locations:
• Thursday, July 22nd, 2–3pm, DC Comics booth (#1915)
• Friday, July 23rd, 11am–12 noon, Ubisoft booth (#4245)
• Friday, July 23rd, 4–5pm, DC Comics booth (#1915)
• Saturday, July 24th, 3–4pm, DC Comics booth (#1915)
Illustrated by Greg Scott (Gotham Central, Case Files: Sam and Twitch) and written by David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Sparta USA, Young Liars), the Driver comic is set after the cliffhanger ending of Driv3r and just prior to the events of the upcoming DRIVER San Francisco video game. Under the direction of Ubisoft Reflections, DRIVER San Francisco marks the return of the quintessential action driving franchise and its first iteration on the current generation of gaming platforms. Players join wheelman John Tanner on a relentless manhunt for crime lord Charles Jericho throughout the iconic streets of the City by the Bay. The Driver comic adds depth to the game’s gritty, urban environment and delves deeper into Tanner’s past, setting the stage for his return for vengeance in DRIVER San Francisco.
“The Driver universe has always drawn heavy inspiration from Hollywood action movies,” said Martin Edmondson, creative director at Ubisoft Reflections. “When looking at how to present Tanner’s story leading into DRIVER San Francisco, doing a comic book was a perfect fit; we could tell the story in a gritty, hard-edged fashion using cinematic visuals and emotional set pieces, yet in a palatable and mainstream medium.”
“Once we saw the advanced peek at this game, we knew David Lapham would be perfect to craft this story building up to DRIVER San Francisco, and we were thrilled when Jock and Greg Scott were able to join the comic team,” said Hank Kanalz, VP and General Manager, WildStorm.
DRIVER San Francisco is scheduled for release in fiscal year Q1 2011 on all next-gen consoles, Windows PC and Mac.
