Lara Croft Reimagined: The Forgotten Marvel of "Revisioned: Tomb Raider"
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| Lara Croft Reimagined: The Forgotten Marvel of "Revisioned: Tomb Raider" |
Long before Netflix dropped Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, a wild, experimental, and star-studded animated anthology series pushed the boundaries of gaming's favorite heroine. Released between July and November 2007, Revisioned: Tomb Raider (stylized as Re\Visioned) was a bold web series broadcast on Turner Broadcasting's short-lived GameTap service.
The concept was simple yet revolutionary: hand the keys of the Tomb Raider universe to a dream team of comic book legends and animation visionaries, let them completely reinvent the art style, and have Hollywood star Minnie Driver voice Lara Croft in every single episode.
🎨 When Comic Book Royalty Met Lara Croft
Inspired by GameTap's desire to re-imagine legendary video game franchises, Re\Visioned gave its creators unprecedented freedom. The only rule? Don't make Lara do anything completely out of character. The result was a stunning mix of tones, from dark sci-fi to Tex Avery-style comedy.
- Peter Chung (Aeon Flux): Kicked off the series with a three-part epic. Funnily enough, Chung wasn’t familiar with the games, but after doing his research, he decided to flip the classic formula on its head.
- Gail Simone (Wonder Woman): Fascinated by Lara as a powerful female icon, Simone chose to explore her origin story, creating a unique prequel centered around a 12-year-old Lara.
- Warren Ellis (Castlevania): Likened Lara Croft to the classic adventurer Allan Quatermain and sent her on a gritty Antarctic expedition.
- Jim Lee (Batman: Hush): The legendary artist co-wrote and designed the grand finale, bringing his iconic comic book aesthetic straight into Lara's world.
📺 Episode Guide: The Ultimate Anthology Breakdown
| No. | Title | Artist / Writer | The Adventure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | "Keys to the Kingdom" | Peter Chung | Lara gets tangled in religious intrigue and assassins over an artifact that can resurrect the dead. |
| 4 | "Revenge of the Aztec Mummy" | David Álvarez / Brian Pulido | A comedic, high-energy cartoon showdown when Lara accidentally awakens the Aztec mummy Moctezuma. |
| 5-6 | "Angel Spit" | Cully Hamner / Warren Ellis | A dark trek to Antarctica in search of a mysterious substance capable of curing any disease. |
| 7 | "Lara Croft: Legacy" | Ivan Reis / Brian Pulido | A hunt for an ancient scepter traps Lara in a monastery surrounded by half-man, half-beast monsters. |
| 8 | "Pre-Teen Raider" | Six Point Harness / Gail Simone | A peek into the past showing how a 12-year-old Lara honed her survival skills at the Croft Academy. |
| 9 | "Raising Thaumopolis" | Louie del Carmen / Michael A. Stackpole | Lara must solve three deadly ancient trials to claim a prize inside a lost underwater city. |
| 10 | "A Complicated Woman" | Jim Lee / Christos N. Gage | Three fortune hunters boast about how they each "killed" Lara Croft while trying to steal the Treasure of Perseus. |
🔮 The Spin-Off That Almost Was
The series left a lasting impression on both fans and its creators. In December 2021, writer Gail Simone dropped a bombshell on Twitter, revealing that there had been serious discussions with Warner Bros. to adapt her popular "Pre-Teen Raider" episode into its own standalone animated series.
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