Officially licensed Half-Life comic gets a third chapter this month

By Marshall Lemon

Who says nobody at Valve can count to 3?

It’s been almost ten years since Valve released Half-Life 2: Episode 2 in the Orange Box. That’s nearly a full decade without learning more of Gordon Freeman’s story – but it isn’t stopping others from telling stories in its universe. One such example is Half-Life: A Place in the West, an officially licensed comic book that follows a new band of heroes surviving on the Combine’s Earth.

And wouldn’t you know it? The third issue launches this month.

A Place in the West follows “a troubled father, an intrepid young scientist, and an ancient alien warrior” on the trail of military commandos kidnapping children in the city of New Franklin. Chapter 3: The Pit introduces the heroes to a gladiatorial community that captures and breeds Xen animals for blood sports – so we can safely imagine someone will end up facing them in the arena.

“The Pit is a culmination of everything we learned from the first two chapters,” writer and co-creator Ross Joseph Gardner said in a press release. “At a total of 30 pages, the condensed narrative is sleeker, much more focused, and really aims to bring the city to life.”

A Place in the West originally started as a fan comic, until Valve licensed the project for sale. While Valve has no involvement in the comic’s development, all issues will be made available on Steam. Given Valve’s previous work in comics, it’s possible we’ll see a collected edition once the story is complete.

Half-Life: A Place in the West Chapter 3 arrives at Steam on July 21, 2017.