id Software Launching RAGE Early... As a Comic?

Looks like ZeniMax, Bethesda and id Software are going to milk the RAGE IP for every penny they can before the actual game hits the market, as the dynamic trio have now announced the availability of RAGE issue #1, the first in a three-part comic book series. That's right, if you haven't gotten enough rail-based shooting in the iOS spinoff launched last year, now you have some additional id-sanctioned "reading material" to keep you busy.

"The three-issue comic book series is an original miniseries written by Arvid Nelson, the acclaimed creator of Rex Mundi, and penciled by Andrea Mutti (DMZ)," Bethesda said Wednesday. "The cover art was created by Glenn Fabry, best known for his work on Hellblazer and Preacher, the comic’s variant cover was created by Stephan Martiniere, the art director on RAGE. Set prior to the events in the game, the comics are an extension of the RAGE universe and provide insights into the game’s storyline."

Ah, so it's a prequel, right? "This comic series, developed with the direct participation of RAGE’s creative director, Tim Willits, presents a new twist on the post-apocalyptic near future as one woman discovers that the survival of humankind doesn’t necessarily mean the survival of humanity," Bethesda explained. "The Earth has been devastated by a collision with an asteroid, with a tiny fraction of the population surviving in life-sustaining Arks buried deep below its surface. Those who survive emerge to find a wasteland controlled by a global military dictatorship called the Authority. But a rescued scientist learns that the Authority has lied to her and the other survivors about how this new world came to be."