Read the Entirety of Mike Oeming’s 26-Page ‘Portal 2: Lab Rat’ Comic
Releasing April 19 is Portal 2, the sequel to one of the most beloved cult video games in recent memory. Beyond the physics-defying puzzles and other innovative gameplay challenges of Portal, its story of a young woman and her struggle to survive a deadly super science gauntlet put forth by a psychopathic artificial intelligence has captivated gamers with its humor and its heart, and the Portal creators at Valve have expanded that story into the pure narrative form of comics with the help of Powers co-creator Michael Avon Oeming.
Courtesy of Valve, we've got that entire 26-page digital comic for you to read right here at ComicsAlliance.
Overseen by Oeming, Portal 2: Lab Rat is not a licensed comic book tie-in but rather an in-continuity extension of Valve's own work on the Portal franchise. It was created entirely by Oeming and Valve staffers, who worked closely together to bridge the gap between Portal and Portal 2 by detailing the story of the enigmatic Rat Man and his mission to help Chell.
Oeming discussed this aspect of the project in a recent interview with IGN.
Valve did this. It's all being produced in-house. It's literally the same people who make the games making the comics. So we have access to all of the game attributes to use in the comics. Most game comics are done out-of-house, and most of those with little or no input from the game company, and that's why they often fall apart.
Portal 2: Lab Rat
Michael Avon Oeming: Project Lead, Artist
Andrea Wicklund: Artist
Ted Kosmatka: Script
Emily Kent: Designer