Hello, friends! I’m out of the studio this week – visiting home and spending far too many hours on cross-country commercial aircraft – but had to take the time to say hello to all of you.

As I speed through the air at 30,000 feet, soaring above mountain peaks, and staring off into the blurred intersection of land and sky, I easily get lost daydreaming about the vastness of our world. I then remember that this planet will be descended upon by the Prophet of Regret’s fleet in just over 500 years, and the view from my aircraft window contains only a very small glimpse into pre-Covenant-invasion Earth. Next, I am reminded that I promised you a fiction-focused Bulletin this week, so I scrambled to grab GrimBrother One, one of the newest writers at 343 Industries, to lend a hand with this week’s update. Throughout the past year, we’ve begun to explore the Halo universe more and more with Community Q&A’s, and I’m looking forward to not only continuing this tradition, but also expanding upon it. In the weeks to come, Grim will be popping in to lend some insight into the Universe – both where we’ve been and where we’re headed – as we approach the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Below, you’ll find his first introductory segment, which, if you’re like me, will get you very excited for what’s to come.

Greetings! It’s an incredibly thrilling time for Halo fans, as we find ourselves all at once looking back on the franchise’s incredibly rich history, and simultaneously looking forward to its exciting and enigmatic future. Halo: The Master Chief Collection is right around the corner, and with it will come the opportunity for a new generation to experience the foundation of the franchise. Not only will players be able to relive the evolution of the gameplay experience, but it’s also a chance for us to revisit the roots of Halo’s deep and dynamic lore. Characters like the Arbiter, Sergeant Johnson, Tartarus, and more will once again be taking center stage in glorious high-definition, while also paving the way for Halo’s future.

We wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to reflect specifically on the fiction, from the fifty-thousand foot view to the far-reaching corners. The Halo story can be found on many fronts. It is all at once an epic space opera, but also a boots-on-the-ground character experience, and we want to continue to make the galaxy more accessible to fresh faces while rewarding the investment of fervent fans. In this vein, I’ll be taking a look at various corners of the universe; some paths well-trodden, others much less known. In the coming weeks we’ll be taking a look at the story surrounding the events contained in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, helping set the stage for folks new to the fray as well as exploring some deeper elements that long-time players will certainly find… intriguing.

Starting next week we’ll take a look at the events surrounding the discovery of Installation 04, and the opening hours of the Halo Conflict. So I hope you’ll join us as we mix things up a little; after all, I think we’re just getting started…

<3

Grim

Thanks, Grim! I know I speak for many readers when I say that we’re looking forward to digging into Halo’s fiction and fantasy over the next few weeks as we approach the launch of The Master Chief Collection (and, if I have my way, beyond as well).

As promised, I took many of your fiction questions from the past as well as last week, and sent them over to Grim and the Franchise team. Over the past few days, they’ve debated, consulted archived documents and UNSC records, and then (and only then) answered several of your questions in great detail. Read on for more fiction goodness.

The Master Chief returns in “The Next 72 Hours” part 3! What happened to the Master Chief immediately following the events of Halo 4, and what do those events mean for the future of the crew on the UNSC Infinity? Halo lead writer Brian Reed (Amazing Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel) and Ricardo Sánchez reveal all in the thrilling conclusion to this Halo event!

Published by Dark Horse Comics, Halo: Escalation spins directly out of the events of Halo 4. Below, check out pages 1-6 of Halo: Escalation #10.

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Visit the official Dark Horse website to purchase Halo: Escalation #10.