Editing Halo: Escalation Issue 8

{{Title|''Halo: Escalation Issue 8''}}
{{Era|RW}}
{{Comics infobox
|prev=Halo: Escalation Issue 7
|next=Halo: Escalation Issue 9
|image=[[File:HaloEscalation8.jpg|250px]]
|writer=[[Brian Reed]]
|artist=*Sergio Ariño (penciller)<br>
*Juan Castro (inker)<br>
*Michael Atiyeh (colorist)<br>
*Anthony Palumbo (cover artist)
|publisher= [[Dark Horse Comics]]
|publication= July 23, 2014
|length=32 pages
|ISBN= 
}}

'''''Halo: Escalation Issue 8''''' was released on [[2014|July 23, 2014]] and is the eighth comic in the ''[[Halo: Escalation]]'' series.<ref>[http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/22-708/Halo-Escalation-8/ '''Dark Horse:''' ''Halo: Escalation Issue 8'']</ref> It marks the beginning of the three-issue story arc ''"The Next 72 Hours"'', focusing on events immediately following the ''[[Halo 4]]'' campaign, whereas the previous issues followed up on the story of ''[[Spartan Ops]]'' months later in the timeline.

==Official summary==
{{Article Quote|The [[John-117|Master Chief]] returns in “The Next 72 Hours: Part 1”! After defeating [[Ur-Didact|the Didact]], John-117 joined the crew of [[UNSC Infinity|Infinity]]... but why did he leave? The mystery begins here. Halo® lead writer Brian Reed (Amazing Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel) reveals the secret events that immediately follow the end of [[Halo 4]].}}

==Plot synopsis==
Issue #8 opens with [[John-117]] recollecting the events at [[Requiem]], [[Ivanoff Station]], and [[Earth]] that resulted in the destruction of [[Cortana]] and the disappearance of the [[Ur-Didact|Didact]]. After the flashback, the scene cuts to [[2557#July|July 25, 2557]] with John being debriefed by the [[UNSC Security Council]]. The Master Chief confirms that Cortana and the [[Composer]] were both destroyed over Earth, but he was unable to confirm the Didact's death. With there being no proof of a living [[Forerunner]], the Council decides to tell the general public that [[New Phoenix Incident|the attack]] on [[New Phoenix]] was caused by the [[Covenant]] and ended by the return of a hero, the Master Chief. Following his meeting with the Security Council, the Master Chief meets with [[Terrence Hood|Lord Terrence Hood]]. Hood asks the Master Chief if he could advise a team on [[Installation 03]] to investigate the loss of contact with a science team escorted by Spartan [[Team Black]] on the ring. The Master Chief meets with [[Blue Team]], consisting of [[Fred-104]], [[Kelly-087]], and [[Linda-058]].

The team takes a [[GA-TL1 Longsword]] to the installation and lands in a desert, nearby the science team's camp. With no response from Team Black, Blue Team continues to move towards the science camp. Along the way, Linda spots [[Promethean Crawler]] footprints in the sand leading towards the camp. Upon entering the camp, they find the bodies of the deceased science team. Fred soon finds the bodies of Team Black, dead. While looking for Team Black's killer, the Spartans are attacked by [[Promethean Knight]]s. After a short firefight, Blue Team destroys the Knights and continues on in the desert. The team discovers an uncovered structure in the sand, the former location of the Composer. Upon entering the structure, the Spartans discover the [[Composer's Abyss]], a facility used to store victims digitized by the Composer. At the end of the Abyss, the Spartans discover a [[slipspace portal]] and ponder what to do next.

Meanwhile, on an unknown world, a [[859 Static Carillon|monitor]] flies around a Forerunner city with a moon looming overhead. The monitor speaks to the Didact and solemnly reveals that Blue Team has found the portal. However, the Didact claims that he looks forward to welcoming the Spartans to his world.

==Production notes==
Kelly, Fred, and Linda are depicted wearing armor similar in design to John-117's superficially overhauled [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Mark VI|Mark VI MJOLNIR armor]], even though the Master Chief's suit was uniquely upgraded by Cortana during his time in cryosleep and based on the likeness of a [[Mark IV]] variant.<ref>'''[[Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide]]''', ''page 10''</ref> A post by [[Catalog#Trivia|Catalog]] suggests that Blue Team has received similar upgrades (perhaps for the second generation of Mark VI) due to their priority access to new equipment, though when this occurred is unclear.<ref>[https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postsm3003659_Catalog-Interaction.aspx#post3003659 '''Halo Waypoint''': ''Catalog Interaction'' (post 3003659)]</ref> John's and Blue Team's upgrades may have been derived from plans that existed before John lost contact with the UNSC. Alternately, these upgrades may have occurred at some point between the Master Chief's first contact with ''Infinity'' on July 22 (via FTL communication with HIGHCOM) and his reunion with Blue Team on July 26. Regardless of the backstory for Blue Team's armor, the members of Team Black are shown wearing their original [[MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Black|MJOLNIR Black]] variant armor which is superficially identical to the original Mark VI.

===Mistakes===
*Kelly-087 and Linda-058's respective roles as scout and sniper are reversed in one panel. The same panel misspells Frederic-104's name as "Fredric".
*Linda-058 is depicted with light blue eyes similar to Fred and Kelly; in the novels, her eye color is stated to be dark emerald green. Her hair is also depicted as being copper colored rather than the distinctive "blood-red" specified in the novels.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''page 150'' (2001 edition)</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Halo Escalation 8.jpg|Full cover art
File:Escalation - SecurityCouncil.png|The [[UNSC Security Council]]
File:Escalation - Security Council Decision.png|Generals [[Nicolas Strauss|Strauss]] and [[Hogan]] discussing the finality of the Didact's defeat
File:117_Debriefing.png|[[John-117]] is debriefed by [[Terrence Hood|Lord Hood]]
File:Blue Team Escalation.jpg|The reintroduction of [[Blue Team]]
File:HE8 - Linda.png|[[Linda-058]]
File:Blue Team Escalation1.png|Blue Team aboard their [[Longsword]]
File:Escalation - GammaHalo Longsword.png|Blue Team's Longsword over [[Installation 03|Gamma Halo]]
File:Escalation-IvanoffStation.jpg|[[Ivanoff Station]]
File:Escalation - GammaCamp.png|Blue Team approaching the science team's camp
File:John and Kelly Escalation.png|John-117 and [[Kelly-087]] find the dead scientists
File:Halo Escalation Team Black dead.jpg|[[Fred-104]] and Linda-058 discover the corpses of Black Team
File:Escalation - Installation03Skirmish.png|The Spartans are ambushed by [[Promethean Knight]]s
File:BluevsPrometheans.jpg|Blue Team fighting off the Knights
File:Escalation - AbyssEntrance.png|The entrance to the [[Composer's Abyss]]
File:Composer's Abyss.jpg|Blue Team discover the [[slipspace portal]] at the end of the Abyss
File:Escalation - Composer's Abyss2.png|Blue Team in the Composer's Abyss
File:Escalation - 859 Static Carillon.png|[[859 Static Carillon]] informing the Didact of the Spartans' arrival
File:Halo Escalation Ur-Didact.jpg|The Ur-Didact is revealed to be alive
</gallery>

==Sources==
<references/>

==See also==
*''[[Halo: Escalation]]''

{{succession box|before=''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 7|Issue 7]]''|title=[[Halo: Escalation]] comic series|years='''''Issue 8'''''|after=''[[Halo: Escalation Issue 9|Issue 9]]''}}

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[[Category:Comics|Escalation Issue 8]]
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