Assassin's Creed (comic series)

Assassin's Creed, also known as Assassin's Creed: Assassins, is a comic book series published by Titan Comics. Set in the fictional universe of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed video game series, the comic follows the same premise as the games, involving a millennia-old struggle between the Assassin Brotherhood, who fight for peace and freedom, and the Templar Order, who believe in peace through control, to decide the fate of humanity. The comic is primarily set in the modern-day and follows the adventures of Charlotte de la Cruz, a banker who is recruited into the Assassins and partakes in their fight against the Templars. Through the use of a machine called the Animus, Charlotte also occasionally relives the genetic memories of her ancestors at various points in history to acquire skills and information needed to complete her missions.

The comic was written by Kill Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini writers, Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery, and illustrated by Neil Edwards. Originally envisioned as an ongoing series with a planned duration of at least three years, it ran from October 2015 to December 2016, spanning fourteen issues and three story arcs. Each of the story arcs was later collected and published as individual volumes: Volume 1: Trial by Fire, comprising issues No. 1–5 and released on June 21, 2016; Volume 2: Setting Sun, comprising issues No. 6–10 and released on December 6, 2016; and Volume 3: Homecoming, comprising issues No. 11–14 and released on May 23, 2017.

In 2016, Titan announced that following the release of its fourteenth issue, Assassin's Creed: Assassins, along with its companion series, Assassin's Creed: Templars, would be relaunched under a different title and with a new creative team. Titled Assassin's Creed: Uprising, the new series ran for twelve issues from February 2017 to June 2018, and featured characters from both Assassins and Templars, while tying into the video games by concluding the overarching story arc involving Juno.

Trial by Fire
In 2015, Charlotte de la Cruz is an overqualified banker working and living in San Diego, California, who in her free time enjoys chasing down conspiracy theories and playing on her Helix console, which unknowingly grants access to genetic memories of real Assassins and Templars. As such, Charlotte uncovers the existence of the secret war between the two factions, though she doubts whether either of them is real. After returning home from work one night, Charlotte is shocked to see two Assassins, Galina Voronina and Xavier Chen, who have come to recruit her, much to Charlotte's excitement. However, moments later, Charlotte's apartment is broken into by Templars who have come to silence her because of what she knows. Galina and Xavier fight the intruders before escaping with Charlotte, taking her to their cell's hideout near the Salton Sea, where she meets the team's technician, Kody Adams. The Assassins reveal that they suspect one of their members, Joseph Laurier, of betrayal after he was thought dead and re-emerged recently when he began working with the Templars to locate a powerful Piece of Eden. Although Joseph contacted the team and told them this was a ruse to lure out a high-ranking Templar, the Assassins have their doubts and want to find the Piece of Eden before the Templars do. To this end, they place Charlotte in the Animus and have her relive the memories of her 17th-century Assassin ancestor, Thomas "Tom" Stoddard.

In 1692, during the Salem witch trials, Tom meets novice Assassin Jennifer Querry, who was assigned by the Brotherhood to aid him in the hunt for the Piece of Eden. Jennifer explains that the entire town of Salem was engulfed by mass hysteria and paranoia after several girls inexplicably became ill and started having seizures; while most residents blamed the incident on witchcraft, both the Assassins and Templars realized a Piece of Eden was responsible and came to retrieve it. Jennifer takes Tom to the place where the sick children and women accused of witchcraft are being held, finding them to be imprisoned in cages. They rescue a mute boy, David, and a girl named Dorothy Osborne, who claims that she can lead them to the Piece of Eden. Meanwhile, the Templars Samuel Parris and William Stoughton are revealed to have been secretly following the Assassins, planning to steal the Piece of Eden from them once they find it, and they incite a riot at the hospital to draw them out. As an angry mob storms the building, Tom realizes Dorothy led him to a dead end and threatens her life. After a brief struggle, Dorothy becomes possessed by an unknown entity, leading Tom to realize that Dorothy herself is the Piece of Eden.

In the present, Charlotte struggles to remain synchronized with Tom due to the latter's brutal methods, and the Assassins argue over Joseph's loyalty. Believing that he will betray their location to the Templars, the team decides to relocate, loading the Animus into a van to allow Charlotte to continue reliving Tom's memories.

In the Animus, Tom, Jennifer, Dorothy and David attempt to flee from the angry mob, but during their escape Jennifer is shot and Tom abandons her, putting the mission first. Once clear of their pursuers, the mysterious entity speaks through Dorothy, identifying himself as Consus, an Isu, and talking directly to Charlotte, telling her to seek out "The ones with great knowledge." Jennifer eventually catches up to the rest of the group, but she has been followed by Parris and Stoughton, who take everyone captive. The Templars torture Tom and Jennifer to make them reveal whether Dorothy or David is the Piece of Eden. After a distraction from Consus, the Assassins manage to break free, but Jennifer is shot and killed by Stoughton. Believing Jennifer to have been Joseph's ancestor, the Assassins assume that, since she died before she could learn Dorothy's fate, Joseph was telling the truth about deceiving the Templars, and head off to rescue him. However, Charlotte still has her doubts and goes back into the Animus.

Tom knocks out Stoughton and attempts to rescue Dorothy, but is shot by a recovered Stoughton. Now aware that Dorothy is the Piece of Eden, the Templar intends to use her to transform the other girls into "oracles", but Dorothy commits suicide to prevent this from happening. An enraged Stoughton declares that all women shall be tried for witchcraft and tries to kill Tom, but Parris, having had enough of Stoughton's brutal methods, shoots him and allows Tom, David, and all the imprisoned girls to leave peacefully. After burying Jennifer and Dorothy, Tom realizes that David is Jennifer's son and decides to take the young boy under his wing.

Now aware that David is also Joseph's ancestor and knew the location of Dorothy's grave, Charlotte realizes Joseph had the means to help the Templars locate the Piece of Eden and was likely a traitor all along. With Galina and Xavier headed into a trap, Charlotte rushes to warn them, breaking into the building where Joseph is being held by the Templars after tricking an employee to open the door and then tying him up. Meanwhile, Galina and Xavier reach Joseph but he attacks them, managing to kill Xavier by drowning him in a nearby pool. As Charlotte arrives to protect Galina, Joseph explains that he sought revenge on Xavier for letting Joseph's lover die in order to complete a mission, but he was never on the Templars' side, revealing that he has planted hidden explosives in the building. As the explosives detonate, killing most of the Templars, Charlotte fights and overpowers Joseph before escaping with Galina. As they make their way out of the building, Charlotte is shocked to discover that the employee she had tied up had asthma and died because he could not reach his inhaler. While Charlotte is riddled with guilt over this, she, Galina, and Kody are forced to go into hiding from the Templars.

Setting Sun
In 2016, Charlotte, Galina, and Kody are hiding out in a hotel in Mexico City. When two doctors arrive to treat Galina's injuries, sustained during her fight with Joseph, she kills one of them, who was an undercover Templar agent, and knocks the other out. After the Assassins move to another hotel, Charlotte deduces that the "keepers of knowledge" Consus told her to seek out are the elusive hacking group Erudito, known for their attacks against Abstergo Industries—a front for the Templar Order. Learning that there will be an Erudito meeting next week and that the location is password-encrypted, Charlotte enters the Animus to find a clue as to what the password might be by reliving the memories of her 16th-century Incan ancestor Quila.

In 1536, during the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire, Quila is a chasqui (courier) who prides herself on being faster than every male chasqui in the Empire, although most do not share her enthusiasm, believing she should simply be a "proper wife". One day, after a courier refuses to give Quila a package to deliver, she decides to steal it from him amidst a group of men. After escaping to safety, she decides to check the package's contents and is shocked to discover it is a quipu (message) talking about an assassination plot against Emperor Manco. While attempting to steal a horse in order to quickly warn Manco, Quila is attacked by the same men from earlier. The horse's owner, Gonzalo Pardo, comes to her defense and helps Quila fight off the attackers before offering to take her to Cuzco. After learning about the plot against the Emperor, however, Gonzalo decides to try and save Manco himself, prompting Quila to knock him out, just as a number of Conquistadors arrive and capture both Quila and Gonzalo.

In the present, the Assassins manage to locate a high-ranking Templar who might lead them to Joseph, but Charlotte botches the mission, allowing the Templar to escape. After an argument with Galina, Charlotte leaves to search for batteries for the Animus on her own, while questioning whether she is fit for the Assassin life. Galina and Kody go looking for her, but the latter is captured by members of a drug cartel. The cartel's leader, Arturo Viera, is a Templar associate and seeks revenge on the Assassins for attacking his girlfriend—the doctor knocked out by Galina—despite being warned by the Templars not to go after them.

In the Animus, Quila and Gonzalo are taken to Cuzco, which is being besieged by Emperor Manco's forces, trying to retake their city from the Conquistadors. Gonzalo manage to free himself and Quila and the pair escape to safety, although the quipu talking about the plot against the Emperor is broken in the process. Quila is angry with Gonzalo for destroying the only proof they had in order to save her, and ends their partnership, going to warn Manco alone. However, she is unable to convince the guards to grant her an audience with the Emperor and is forced to turn away. Quila returns to the home of her former husband, Ayar, and convinces him to let her speak with his father, Tuti Cusi, who holds considerable political power and might be able to warn Manco of the assassination plot. However, when Gonzalo arrives, having followed Quila, they are both accused of being conspirators and arrested.

In the present, Charlotte storms Estadio Azteca, where Viera's men are holding Kody hostage, while Galina provides cover with a sniper rifle. After the Assassins take out most of Viera's men, a group of armed Templars, led by Ortega Sanchez, arrive via helicopter and kill the remaining cartel members, including Viera himself. Charlotte makes a deal with Sanchez to spare Galina and Kody in exchange for the location of the Erudito meeting, but she needs more time to learn the password and decrypt the location. Sanchez agrees and allows Charlotte to return to the Animus.

As Quila and Gonzalo are about to be taken away to be sacrificed, Tuti Cusi reveals to Quila that Gonzalo is an Assassin and claims that the latter killed Emperor Atahualpa, although Gonzalo later clarifies that his mission was to protect the Emperor and he failed; he aims to fix his mistake by saving Manco's life. After learning from Gonzalo that the quipu came from a merchant, Quila realizes that Tuti Cusi is behind the plot to kill the Emperor and tries to warn Ayar, who was ordered by his father to be the one to sacrifice her in order to restore his honor. Having a change of heart, Ayar saves Quila and the two ride together to save the Emperor. Quila prevents him from drinking from what she believes is a poisoned cup, but Tuti Cusi reveals his true plan to have the Emperor murdered by an assassin and make himself look like a hero who tried to protect him. Just as Quila and Ayar are about to be killed, Gonzalo arrives and takes out the assassin, while Tuti Cusi is knocked out by Ayar as he attempts to flee. In the aftermath, Quila is appointed the Emperor's official chasqui for her heroism, and is offered a place in the Brotherhood by Gonzalo, who tells her to use the password "Don Gonzalo Pardo" should she wish to join.

Using this password, Charlotte is able to decrypt the location of the Erudito meeting, learning it will take place in Argentina. She then surrenders herself to Sanchez to ensure her friends' safety, but the Templar convoy carrying them is attacked by the cartel, who rescue Charlotte and take her to Galina and Kody, as Galina could not leave Charlotte behind and secretly made a deal with the cartel. The Assassins fly to Buenos Aires and are led to a meeting with an Erudito contact, who Charlotte is shocked to discover is her grandmother Florencia.

Homecoming
During a meeting between Erudito's leaders, a debate ensues as Florencia brought Charlotte and the Assassins on board without the others' consent. Florencia argues that it's time for Erudito to evolve and take the fight straight to the Templars, having learned about the Phoenix Project, which is Abstergo's attempt to resurrect the Isu Juno to conquer humanity. Erudito believes Consus to be instrumental in preventing Juno's resurrection, and suspects that the Assassin Giovanni Borgia had a second encounter with him, which was hidden from Abstergo. While Erudito does not have access to Giovanni's memories, Charlotte's 16th-century British ancestor, Hiram Stoddard, was a close acquaintance of Giovanni's, meaning he could have witnessed this encounter. As such, Charlotte enters the Animus to relive Hiram's memories.

In 1516 Greece, Hiram steals an Apple of Eden before being attacked by Giovanni. After a brutal battle, Giovanni emerges victorious and takes back the Apple, but can not bring himself to kill Hiram and instead leaves him with a book given to him by their mentor, Ezio Auditore. This triggers a memory set one year earlier, in 1515, when Giovanni and Hiram were both Assassin apprentices training under Ezio. Hiram was the more skilled of the two, causing him to be favored by their mutual love interest, Elena. Ezio noticed Giovanni's jealousy towards Hiram and encouraged him that there were multiple paths to becoming an Assassin before giving him a book to read and reflect on. When Ezio later received word from his friend Michelangelo about a Templar passing through Florence with an Apple of Eden, he sent Hiram and Giovanni to retrieve it.

In the present, Galina starts training Erudito agents to use Assassin tactics, and leads a team in Mogadishu, Somalia, to locate the elusive Joseph. He ambushes Galina, but the Erudito agents manage to subdue him, just as reports of Erudito's island hideout being under attack come in. Realizing Joseph is the only one with a plane, the team convinces him to fly them back to the island in exchange for an opportunity to talk with Charlotte.

In the Animus, Hiram and Giovanni's mission in Florence is ultimately unsuccessful as the Templar manages to escape with the Apple of Eden. The two blame each other for the mission's failure, and Giovanni, in a blind act of jealousy, attempts to ruin his rival's chances with Elena by telling her about Hiram's affair with another woman. When Elena confronts Hiram, a fight ensues between him and Giovanni, which Elena attempts to break up. During the fight, Consus speaks through Giovanni and leaves a cryptic message for Charlotte, terrifying Elena and causing her to accidentally fall to her death. While Giovanni awakens with no recollection of what just happened, a devastated Hiram blames him for Elena's death and vows revenge. This incident is what ultimately led Hiram to betray the Assassins and attempt to steal the Apple of Eden, believing it would allow him to be reunited with Elena.

Having obtained the information she sought, Charlotte exists the Animus just as Erudito's base is discovered and attacked by the Templars. Kody sets up explosives to destroy the servers and prevent the Templars from getting their data, but while making a backup, he is shot and killed. After Charlotte mourns her friend's death, she, Florencia and the remaining Erudito agents make their way to a cave on the other side of the island where Florencia has hidden getaway boats. However, Charlotte is warned by her Eagle Vision not to go inside and realizes Sanchez has been following her movements using a tracking device and has likely set up an ambush in the cave. To make up for her mistake, she decides to lure the Templars away so that everyone else can escape.

Meanwhile, Galina, the sole surviving member of her team—My'shell—and Joseph arrive on the island and attack a Templar boat, but during the fight the ship is blown up and Joseph is badly burned. He asks Galina to look after Charlotte before succumbing to his wounds. As Galina and My'shell regroup with the others, they all decide to rescue Charlotte, who has been cornered by Sanchez. Just as all hope seems lost for Charlotte, her allies arrive in a helicopter and gun down Sanchez and his men before picking up Charlotte. As they fly away, Florencia tells her granddaughter that she sees a much better version of herself in her and advises Charlotte to take a break to recover from all her recent experiences, but the latter claims that she can't stop until the Templars are defeated and that she's waiting for their next move.

Reception
The first volume, Assassin's Creed: Trial by Fire, received generally positive reviews. PSU.com called Trial by Fire #1 "[a]n intriguing first chapter in the ongoing Assassin's Creed comic book series that shows great promise." The series has been recognized by The Guardian as example of one of the best comics based on video games, and was featured and reviewed on numerous websites such as Bleeding Cool, Slackjaw Punks, and Flickering Myth.