Nearly three decades after Thief: The Dark Project introduced players to its shadowy fantasy world, master thief Garrett is returning for another round of thievery — on the page. Thief: Pulse of Promise is a new officially licensed graphic novel from Bit Bot, and Polygon has an exclusive first look at several pages from the book just as the book goes live on BackerKit.
Written by Joshua Viola (Legacy of Kain, The Rocky Horror Show) and Sean Eads (Terror in the Corn, Lord Byron’s Prophecy), Pulse of Promise takes place between 1998’s The Dark Project and 2000’s Thief II: The Metal Age. That makes it less of a reboot than a missing chapter in Garrett’s story.
Garrett’s latest heist leads him into forgotten Keeper secrets, strange powers lurking beneath the City, and the mysterious fate of a young boy who may have a much bigger role to play than Garrett initially realizes. Along the way, familiar faces including Artemus and Father Karras return. Steering the story are artists Emanuele Ercolani (Masters of the Universe, ThunderCats) and Gianluca Papi (Mercy, Unnatural), with Jeremiah Lambert (Transformers) on lettering.
According to Bit Bot, the story was developed in collaboration with Eidos-Montréal to keep its characters, factions, and world consistent with this particular era of Garrett's life. And while The Dark Project is getting a new lease on life itself — Nightdive Studios, Eidos-Montréal, and Atari recently announced Thief: The Dark Project Remastered — Pulse of Promise offers a new way back into the world without requiring a remake or sequel to fill in the blanks.
The graphic novel will be available in three hardcover editions through the upcoming campaign, including a deluxe version with a slipcase and bonus behind-the-scenes material. The campaign will also include an original soundtrack by Celldweller featuring new voice-over performances from Garrett himself, actor Stephen Russell, along with collectibles including a Garrett statue, plush, art prints, shirts, and a replica of Garrett's mechanical eye.
Thief: Pulse of Promise BackerKit campaign is live now.
Source: Polygon