Halo: Escalation

Halo: Escalation
Attribution information
Author(s):	Christopher Schlerf, Brian Reed & Duffy Boudreau (writers) Sergio Ariño, Ricardo Sanchez Arreola, Douglas Franchin & Ian Richardson (pencillers) Juan Castro, Rob Lean & Denis Freitas (inkers) Michael Atiyeh (colorist) Anthony Palumbo, Kenneth Scott, Nicolas Bouvier, Daniel Chavez, Jean-Sébastien Rossbach & Isaac Hannaford (cover artists)
Publication information
Publisher:	Dark Horse Comics
Publication date:	Issue #1: December 11, 2013 Issue #2: January 8, 2014 Issue #3: February 26, 2014 Issue #4: March 26, 2014 Issue #5: April 23, 2014 Issue #6: May 28, 2014 Issue #7: June 25, 2014 Issue #8: July 23, 2014 Issue #9: August 27, 2014 Issue #10: September 24, 2014 Issue #11: October 22, 2014 Issue #12: November 26, 2014 Issue #13: December 24, 2014 Issue #14: January 28, 2015 Issue #15: February 25, 2015 Issue #16: March 25, 2015 Issue #17: April 22, 2015 Issue #18: May 27, 2015 Issue #19: June 24, 2015 Issue #20: July 29, 2015 Issue #21: August 26, 2015 Issue #22: September 23, 2015 Issue #23: October 28, 2015 Issue #24: November 25, 2015 Volume #1: October 8, 2014 Volume #2: April 21, 2015 Volume #3: September 9, 2015 Volume #4: March 22, 2016 Library: May 24, 2016

Halo: Escalation is an ongoing comic book series produced by Dark Horse Comics. It focuses on "how the events of Halo 4 have helped define the destiny not only of the Chief but of the galaxy as a whole". The series is told in multiple arcs set between Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. The majority of issues focus on the crew of the flagship Template:UNSCship shortly after the events of Spartan Ops, particularly during their encounters with remnants of the Covenant and the resurgent Insurrection. However, the third story arc ("The Next 72 Hours") instead acts as an epilogue to Halo 4 and takes place six months before the greater part of the series.

Halo: Escalation was originally marketed as a limited-run series consisting of 12 issues; however, several more issues have since been announced. A paperback edition of Halo: Escalation - Volume 1 (collecting Issues #1-6) was released on October 8, 2014. Halo: Escalation - Volume 2 (collecting Issues #7-12) was released on April 21, 2015, Halo: Escalation - Volume 3 (collecting Issues #13-18) is due out on September 22, 2015, and Halo: Escalation - Volume 4 (collecting Issues #19-24) is due out on March 22, 2016. The Library Edition (collect Volumes 1 and 2, and the entirety of Halo: Initiation) is due out on May 24, 2016.

Plot synopsis

Issues 1 to 3 focus on UNSC Infinity's mission to provide security for the Sangheili-Jiralhanae peace delegation on Ealen IV and their struggle for survival after Covenant forces under the command of Vata 'Gajat attack the conference. In Issues 4 to 6, the Infinity crew track down the spy in the UNSC's ranks who leaked the location of the negotiations to the Covenant and face down the New Colonial Alliance and Captain Daniel Clayton, the true mastermind behind the attack. Issue 7 focuses on Spartan Gabriel Thorne's trip to the reopened New Phoenix to receive closure for his grandmother's death in the Didact's attack on the city. Issues 8, 9 and 10 form a story arc called "The Next 72 Hours" which details Spartan John-117's fate immediately after the events of Halo 4. Issues 11 and 12 comprise a story arc called "Exposure" in which Spartans Ray and Thorne are deployed on a mission to uncover the secrets of a mysterious biological weapon. The next four issues form another story arc, "Spartan Ops: The Janus Key", that returns to the principal plot threads of Spartan Ops, continuing the ongoing conflict between Infinity and Jul 'Mdama's forces and their struggle for control of the Janus Key. Issues 17 and 18 comprise a story arc called "The Glass Horizon", which tells the mysterious origin of Spartan Holly Tanaka. Issues 19 to 24 comprise the last story arc called "Absolute Record", continuing the conflict between the UNSC and Jul 'Mdama's Covenant after the end of Issue 16.

Issues

Issue 1

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Issue 2

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Issue 3

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Issue 4

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Issue 5

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Issue 6

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Issue 7

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Issue 8 - "The Next 72 Hours, Part 1"

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Issue 9 - "The Next 72 Hours, Part 2"

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Issue 10 - "The Next 72 Hours, Part 3"

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Issue 11 - "Exposure, Part 1"

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Issue 12 - "Exposure, Part 2"

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Issue 13 - "The Janus Key, Part 1"

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Issue 14 - "The Janus Key, Part 2"

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Issue 15 - "The Janus Key, Part 3"

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Issue 16 - "The Janus Key, Part 4"

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Issue 17 - "The Glass Horizon, Part 1"

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Issue 18 - "The Glass Horizon, Part 2"

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Issue 19 - "The Absolute Record, Part 1"

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Issue 20 - "The Absolute Record, Part 2"

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Issue 21 - "The Absolute Record, Part 3"

Main article: Halo: Escalation Issue 21

Issue 22 - "The Absolute Record, Part 4"

Main article: Halo: Escalation Issue 22

Issue 23 - "The Absolute Record, Part 5"

Main article: Halo: Escalation Issue 23

Issue 24 - "The Absolute Record, Part 6"

Main article: Halo: Escalation Issue 24

Appearances

Characters Major Characters Ayit 'Sevi (First appearance) Catherine Halsey Daniel Clayton (First appearance) Gabriel Thorne Holly Tanaka John-117 Jul 'Mdama Naiya Ray (First appearance) Sarah Palmer Terrence Hood Thomas Lasky Ur-Didact Minor Characters 049 Abject Testament (Mentioned only) 859 Static Carillon (First appearance) Andrew Del Rio (Mentioned only) Anthony Madsen Bradley (First appearance) Carlo Hoya Cortana Dellert (First appearance) Dunn (First appearance) Fred-104 French (First appearance) Gomez (First appearance) Henry Glassman Grandma Ayres (First appearance) Grandpa Ayres (First appearance) Hogan (First appearance) Hong (First appearance) Horatio Temkin (First mentioned) Jacob Keyes James James Cutter Jared Miller Jespersen (First appearance) Joel Thomas Jones (First appearance) Jun-A266 (Mentioned only) Kelly-087 Kig-Yar Pirate Queen (First appearance) 'Lordan (First appearance) Librarian Linda-058 Lydus (First appearance) Margaret-053 Mary Cutter (Mentioned only) Mattius Drake (Mentioned only) Mendicant Bias (Indirect mention) Newman (First appearance) Nicolas Strauss Otto-031 Paul DeMarco Petra Janecek Roland Roma-143 Ruth Charet (First appearance) Ryder Sali 'Nyon (First appearance) Serin Osman Tedra Grant TJ Murphy Tek (First appearance) Thel 'Vadam To (First appearance) Vata 'Gajat (First appearance) Victor-101 Vladimir Scruggs Zef 'Trahl (First appearance) Species Forerunner Flood Human Jiralhanae Kig-Yar T'vaoan Mgalekgolo San'Shyuum (Mentioned only) Sangheili Unggoy Yonhet (First appearance) Organizations Covenant Covenant remnants Jul 'Mdama's Covenant faction Sali 'Nyon's Covenant faction (First appearance) Swords of Sanghelios Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group (First appearance) Ecumene Warrior-Servant Promethean Insurrectionist New Colonial Alliance Jiralhanae master-pack Lydus' clan Sanghelios government Ascetics United Nations Space Command UNSC High Command UNSC Security Council UNSC Defense Force Spartan SPARTAN-IV program Fireteam Bailey (First appearance) Fireteam Colossus (First appearance) Fireteam Domino (Mentioned only) Fireteam Fenrir (First appearance) Fireteam Jackknife (First appearance) Fireteam Majestic UNSC Air Force UNSC Army UNSC Marine Corps Orbital Drop Shock Troopers UNSC Navy Fleet Command Orbital Defense Command Naval Special Warfare Command SPARTAN-II program Blue Team Office of Naval Intelligence Team Black Locations Absolute Record (First appearance) Aktis system (First appearance) Aktis IV (First appearance) Alluvion (First appearance) Artesia-702 system (First appearance) Cleyell (First appearance) Didact's world (First appearance) Composer's Forge (First appearance) Ealen system (First appearance) Ealen IV (First appearance) Epoloch system Requiem Galileo Base (Mentioned only) Librarian's Rest Epsilon Eridani system Tribute (Mentioned only) Eridanus system Eridanus II Elysium City Elysium City Primary Education Facility Number 119‎ Escala system (First appearance) Escala III (First appearance) Castiglione (First appearance) Karava (First appearance) Kor Delban (First appearance) Khaphrae system Installation 03 Control room Composer's Abyss (First appearance) Ivanoff Station Midnight Facility (Mentioned only) Minab (First appearance) Kynur (First appearance) Oban Saviron Oth Lodon (First appearance) Oth Lodon station (First appearance) Oth Sonin system Doisac (Mentioned only) Procyon system Arcadia Pishon (First appearance) Gihon (First appearance) Soell system Threshold Basis Installation 04 Sol system Earth Australia Sydney HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 United Republic of North America Chicago (Mentioned only) Los Angeles (First mentioned) New Phoenix Flagstaff (First mentioned) Phoenix (First mentioned) New York City (Mentioned only) Luna Mare Imbrium Ankara (Mentioned only) Mars (Mentioned only) Urs system Ven system (First appearance) Ven III (First appearance)

Events Great Schism Human-Covenant War Battle of Arcadia Battle of Alluvion (First appearance) Fall of Arcadia (Mentioned only) Human-Forerunner wars (Mentioned only) Post-Covenant War conflicts Raid on UNSC Infinity (Mentioned only) Mission to Cleyell (First appearance) Battle of Requiem Raid on Ivanoff Station New Phoenix Incident Skirmish on Installation 03 (First appearance) Requiem Campaign Battle of Ealen IV (First appearance) Ambush at Oth Lodon (First appearance) Mission to Ven III (First appearance) Battle of Oban (First appearance) Battle of Aktis IV (First appearance) Operation: ATHENA (First appearance) Vehicles AC-220 Vulture AV-22 Sparrowhawk Autumn-class heavy cruiser CAS-class assault carrier Breath of Annihilation (First appearance) Song of Retribution CCS-class battlecruiser CPV-class heavy destroyer CRS-class light cruiser Charon-class light frigate UNSC Forward Unto Dawn Covenant cargo tug (First appearance) D77H-TCI Pelican D79-TC Pelican Darter variant Diplomatic shuttle DS-004 (First appearance) DSC-class support ship F-41 Broadsword Freighter Pilgrims Pride (First appearance) GA-TL1 Longsword Halcyon-class light cruiser UNSC Roman Blue (First appearance) M12 Warthog M12 Warthog LRV Mantle's Approach Marathon-class heavy cruiser Mark IX Mantis ADS OF92 Booster Frame Orbital defense platform Oaxaca Station (First appearance) ORS-class heavy cruiser (Mentioned only) Paris-class heavy frigate UNSC Cascadia (First appearance) Phoenix-class colony ship UNSC Spirit of Fire SDV-class heavy corvette Stalwart-class light frigate Strident-class heavy frigate Type-25 Chopper Type-25 Spirit Type-26 Banshee Type-26 Wraith Type-27 Banshee Type-31 Seraph Type-32 Ghost Type-46 Spectre Type-52 Phantom Type-56 Lich Type-58 Harvester UNSC Destroyer UNSC Infinity UNSC Prowler Sahara-class heavy prowler UNSC Vociferous (First mentioned) Weapons 80mm ball-mounted rotary cannon ARC-920 Bioweapon BR85 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle Combat knife Energy projector Focus cannon H-295 Forward Observer Module Hardlight blade HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon M202 XP machine gun M247H machine gun M363 sticky detonator M395 Designated Marksman Rifle M41 Extended Light Anti-Aircraft Gun M41 rocket launcher M45D Tactical Shotgun M6H Personal Defense Weapon System M739 Light Machine Gun M92 Principle Gauss Cannon MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System Multiple Independently Targeted Vehicle Pod Petra Janecek's revolver (First appearance) Plasma turret SRS99-S5 AM sniper rifle Type-1 plasma grenade Type-1 energy sword Type-2 gravity hammer Type-25 plasma pistol Type-25 plasma rifle Type-25 Spiker Type-27 beam rifle Type-33 Needler Type-38 Tyrant Type-50 concussion rifle Type-50 particle beam rifle Type-51 carbine Type-52 plasma cannon Type-55 storm rifle Z-110 Boltshot Z-130 Suppressor Z-180 Scattershot Z-250 lightrifle Technology and equipment Activation index Active camouflage Type-3 active camouflage Artificial intelligence Ancilla Monitor Metarch Contender-class artificial intelligence Avatar Promethean Crawler Promethean Knight Promethean Watcher Binoculars Combat simulation deck Composer Covenant communication node Covenant drop pod Covenant spy probe Cryonics Cryo chamber Data pad Deployable lookout tower Durance Didact's Gift Energy shackle Fiber optic probe Forerunner personal armor Combat skin Gravity lift Hardlight Z-90 hardlight shield Helmet recorder Holography Holo-still Holotank Installation control room core Janus Key Jiralhanae power armor Captain Major variant Chieftain variant Minor variant Kig-Yar combat harness Minor variant Sniper variant Storm variant Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet Kig-Yar targeting headgear MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor MJOLNIR [GEN1] Argus variant (First appearance) Black Centurion variant (First appearance) Hermes variant (First appearance) Mark VI (Modified variant) MJOLNIR [GEN2] Commando variant FOTUS variant (Forearms only) HAZOP variant Infiltrator variant Operator variant Pathfinder variant Recon variant Recruit variant Scout variant Soldier variant Technician variant War Master variant Methane tank ODST armor Pinch fusion reactor Plasma battery Retinal scanner Requiem slipspace artifacts (Mentioned only) Sangheili combat harness Arbiter body armor Ascetic variant Assault variant Commander variant Minor variant Ranger variant Storm variant Warrior variant Zealot variant Skirmisher combat harness Champion variant Shock device (First appearance) Sentinel Aggressor Sentinel Slipspace portal Spy drone (First appearance) Telemetry probe Unggoy combat harness Heavy variant Imperial variant Major variant Minor variant Storm variant UNSC Army Battle Dress Uniform UNSC Navy uniforms UNSC Navy Service Uniform UNSC tactical eyepiece VISR

Production notes

• Though the series primarily uses Halo 4's designs for the Covenant species and their equipment, the Halo 3 and Halo: Reach incarnations of certain elements appear occasionally throughout the series. Most notably, Lydus resembles the Brutes seen in Halo: Reach, yet his bodyguards are clearly drawn in their Halo 3 likeness. Curiously, despite his recognizable classic appearance, Escalation depicts the Arbiter much like the Sangheili in Halo 4 with regard to his skin tone and mouth structure. Vata Gajat's combat harness is based on a piece of concept art for Halo 4, exploring the possibility that hard light technology could be incorporated into Sangheili armor.
• Throughout the first three issues Banshees are depicted in their unpiloted stance even though they are flying. Similarly, in Issue 1 they are shown firing thin beams at DS-004, rather than the bolts that they canonically fire. This is similar to the Halo: Combat Evolved box art and very well may be a deliberate homage.

Gallery

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  Issue #1 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #1 variant cover art by Kenneth Scott

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  Issue #2 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #3 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #4 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #5 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #6 cover art by Sparth

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  Issue #7 cover art by Sparth

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  The full concept art of Issues #6 and #7

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  Issue #8 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #9 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #10 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #11 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #12 cover art by Anthony Palumbo

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  Issue #13 cover art by Daniel Chavez

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  Issue #14 cover art by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach

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  Issue #15 cover art by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach

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  Issue #16 cover art by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach

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  Issue #17 cover art by Sparth

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  Issue #18 cover art by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach

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  Issue #19 cover art by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach

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  Issue #20 cover art by Isaac Hannaford

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  Issue #21 cover art by Isaac Hannaford

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  Issue #22 cover art by Isaac Hannaford

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  Issue #23 cover art by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach

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  Issue #24 cover art by Jean-Sébastien Rossbach

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  The cover of the Library Edition