This comix was distributed on the first CD of Warzone 2100 published by Sold Out Software. It’s hard to track by now who exactly has made it, most likely Pumpkin Studios themselves. But I’m not 100% sure due to the plot mistakes.
Warzone 2100 comix follows the full story of the original game, but it doesn’t add much to the plot, only does minor mistakes. Comix is partially using frames from ingame videos of Warzone 2100 but has as well a couple of own renders.
After the cover page we are immediately presented with Nexus committing a nuclear rockets launch. This is the end of the second campaign. Why did they start from the middle of the plot? I have no explanation.
First thought – they might have made the comix before they settled on the final story. Or completely different people made this comix for other reasons. It might have been a promotional material of some sort that for some reason discloses the plot in full. Anyway – it’s strange.
Bottom part of the second page introduces you with the screenshots from the second campaign battles – on the side of team Betta without even introducing you to team Alpha and what is Nexus. Sadly, aside of name files there are no other pagination information. Organization of the comix feels a bit broken.
Warzone 2100 comix has weird pagination so I decided to put original file names into image descriptions. Naming of them is originally inconsistent.
Story jumps basically to the end of the second campaign where the player finds out about Nexus relation to the collapse. They briefly explain that NASDA system launched nuclear rockets into the major cities of America.
Nuclear Winter is a myth by the way. I feel sad for ruining it for some of our readers. It would be possible only if big cities would be created from the wood or other flammable materials that upon burning will be able to reach high altitudes with burning wastes.
The idea itself appeared after the second world war in the 80s. Particularly because of studies of the usage of nuclear weapons by Americans against Japan. Japan had cities made out of wood back in the days. Today it’s almost impossible to cause such disaster.
Page 4 of Warzone 2100 comix suddenly jumps into the start of the story. First screenshots on the top are basically from the main Warzone’s video intro. And the text over there repeats the statements from the video.
Middle part is more interesting because they show the VTOL aircraft in Alpha Team campaign. This technology only appears in the next Team Beta campaign and you need to complete several missions before putting your hands over it. So Comix ruins the plot yet again.
On the page 5 the story suddenly jumps to Team Beta and the second campaign.
Warzone 2100 comix doesn’t tell the full story about Reed corporation over here. But overall it’s accurate according to the game. Lasers that should have been shooting down nuclear missiles were disabled during the strike that caused the collapse. But briefing on synaptic link technology was actually introduced in the Team Alpha campaign. Cyborgs were a big part of it.
Suddenly we jump back to the destruction of the base Alpha with a nuclear strike from the first pages of the comix.
And in the end we approach the last sector – northern Team Gamma campaign.
Warzone 2100 comix skipped a major part of the northern campaign over here. Especially the part where Nexus is taking control over the Team’s Gamma base. Comix as well skips the part where Nexus takes control over your units.
First, Nexus takes control of player’s units. So the player researches technologies that allow you to fight Nexus’s intruder program. And only after this Nexus tries to destroy you with laser satellites.
And despite a lot of plot skips they just ended the comix near the end of the story with “To be continued” that never followed. Sadly, there are only 8 pages. We won’t be able to enjoy the death of Nexus.
According to the story there should have been only one last page covering last two missions in third campaign.
Sadly, the game doesn’t provide you with a satisfying winning as well. It’s more like “Hey, you won, now there will be a new beautiful world among the radioactive wasteland! But there is hope!”. And before that you enjoy a short video of Nexus’s final suffering. Neither comix, nor game build a full character out of Nexus, sadly. By both he was left just as another bleak antagonist with some interesting abilities and flat evil behavior.
You can play modern version of Warzone 2100 over here for free.
Also you can read our opinion on the original PC release.
Did you read this comix in 2000s when the game got released? Tell us in comments!