“Yes, the mortal realm is full of sadness and peril, my friends — but there is a greater story being played out.” — Homer
“Battleground of the Gods”
The first comic book based on the game from Hi-Rez Studios!
Written by John Jackson Miller
Art by Eduardo Francisco
Colors by Stefani Rennee
Lettered by Michael Heisler
Cover by Eduardo Francisco and Stefani Rennee
Edited by Randy Stradley and Freddye Lins
Having worked on comics for video game franchises before, in 2014 I was asked to write a comic book introducing readers to the characters and concepts behind the online game Smite. Smite features a universe in which several different mythological pantheons coexist and battle with one another, over and in the mortal realm; it’s one big intramural war.
I was teamed with Eduardo Francisco, who came up with a cool classical look for things.The physical designs for the gods and goddesses — like Athena — are based on the looks of the characters from within the game.
“Your life is much larger than you think it is, but you are blind to it.” — Homer
As a twelve-page comics story, the issue was designed mainly for release by Hi-Rez Studios at events — and Dark Horse Digital made it available for free online. The issue was followed up with a three-issue series, Smite: The Pantheon War, of which I wrote the first issue.