The Last of Us Graphic Novel Depicts Ellie's Origins

Naughty Dog’s teamed up with Dark Horse to create a graphic novel series based on upcoming PlayStation 3 survival horror, The Last of Us. The prequel will focus on protagonist Ellie’s life before the adventure, and will be penned by designer Neil Druckmann and Rachel Edidin, who previously contributed to Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories. The duo aim to explore the growth of Ellie’s character, as the teenager matures into a young woman in a post-apocalyptic world.

"In Ellie's world, when you enter into its version of middle school, you can either choose to become a soldier and go out and fight, or you can say no and go out to fend for yourself with the other survivors," Druckmann explained during a New York Comic Con panel overnight. "Those are the two ways a teenager can live in this world. Ellie believes there is a third way.”

He added: "Ellie is living in a world when she wants to be innocent, but can't be. She'll find things like a CD player and other pieces of civilization before the game's event. She'll get glimpses of the life she can't have."

In addition to the graphic novel, Dark Horse will also be publishing the official art book for The Last of Us. The game is due out next year.