(Titan Books �14.99)

Writer Simon Furman, artist Federico Dallochio

WHEREAS video games rarely translate well as movies, there are many surprisingly successful graphic novel spin-offs featuring the likes of Gears of War, Resident Evil and so on, suggesting the comic book format is ideal for capturing the interactivity and pace of their digital counterparts.

Writer Simon Furman has a long-running relationship with the Transformers franchise, and is perhaps one of the best choices to step into the breach with a comic book spin-off from one of the best-selling PC games of all time, StarCraft.

Released to coincide with the arrival of StarCraft2: Wings of Liberty, the long-awaited sequel, this self-contained hardback volume follows the exploits of the War Pigs, a disbanded team of outlaws reunited by their former captain for one last job...

They are tasked with the assassination of Jim Raynor, once second in command to Arcturus Mengsk – leader of the rebel Sons of Korhal – now a bitter, hard-drinking mercenary captain who performs missions for cash.

But before they can complete their mission, the War Pigs have to recapture their ship, the General Lee, from the hands of cutthroat pirates, and discover the truth behind the mysterious Cole Hickson.

Strong characterisation is not ignored at the expense of the high-octane, explosive space drama, which admirably captures the twisted morality of the StarCraft universe, and highlights the sheer depth of backstory which has shaped this PC world. A remarkable achievement for a comic, one which stands alone as a first-rate galactic epic, but is also a must-have purchase for fans of the games.