Half-Life: A Place In The West - Chapter 3 out now

New issue of licensed Half-Life comic exclusively available via Steam. Review copies available for press.

21 JULY 2017 - The eagerly awaited third chapter of licensed comic Half-Life: A Place in the West is now available exclusively via Steam.

The comic - which has origins as a fan project before receiving a license from Valve to use the Half-Life IP commercially - has amassed a sizeable following since its inception in 2014 and its official launch on Steam last September. Following the success of Chapters 1 and 2, Chapter 3: The Pit continues the adventures of Leyla Poirier and Albert Kempinski, taking them further into the world of New Franklin.

This new chapter introduces readers to a handful of new characters, the bulk of whom form the unscrupulous community around the eponymous Pit – an exotic menagerie of alien creatures! At the heart of it all, a gladiatorial arena, in which the city engages in a brutal blood sport against some of Half-Life’s classic enemies.

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

Half-Life: A Place in the West - Chapter 3: The Pit is available now, exclusively via Steam, for $1.99 / £1.49.

Note to editors: While Half-Life: A Place in the West makes use of the Half-Life IP under official license, Valve is in no way involved in the creation of the comic.

For review copies, please contact Nick Calandra at pr@gameifyouare.com

About Half-Life: A Place in the West

Half-Life: A Place in the West is a licensed, fan-made comic book set within Valve's acclaimed Half-Life universe, in which Earth has fallen under the grip of the totalitarian Combine empire following a scientific experiment gone very wrong.

As a group of military commandos sweep across the American wasteland kidnapping children, a troubled father, an intrepid young scientist, and an ancient alien warrior are drawn to the strange city from which the attackers sprung: New Franklin. Once inside, they discover a powerful secret - but the city holds many dangers, and deceptive temptations.

Faced with warring clans, diabolical experiments, a treacherous conspiracy, and the growing shadow of the Combine, they must unlock New Franklin’s mysteries before it’s too late - and the lives of everyone in the city hang in the balance.

Half-Life: A Place in the West delivers a compelling story, and a complex and intriguing cast of all-new characters, drawing on the rich mythology of the Half-Life universe in an entirely new medium for the series.

Half-Life: A Place in the West represents the first time Valve has officially licensed its Half-Life IP to the comic book medium. The series, created by Ross Joseph Gardner and Michael Pelletier, will run for a total of 13 issues and is exclusively available via Steam, readable via a bespokely designed app. Issue 1 is free to download, with subsequent chapters released sequentially as paid DLC, varying between 25 and 30 pages in length.

About the Creators

Half-Life: A Place in the West is the brainchild of Ross Joseph Gardner and Michael Pelletier, who have been writing together for more than a decade - first on game modifications for Half-Life and Doom, before moving into the world of comics.

The art team has involved the talents of Heath Heil, Ester Salguero, Ivan Miranda, Rachel Deering, Javier Puga, and Kristian Rossi.

Half-Life: A Place in the West has also been assisted on the application side by several individuals including Marnamai, Aaron Garcha, Tero Knuutinen, and Chris Jolley.