Horizon Zero Dawn: The Sunhawk #1 is the first issue of the Horizon Zero Dawn comic series. It was written by Anne Toole, illustrated by Ann Maulina, and published on August 5th, 2020.
Summary[]
ALOY AND TALANAH RETURN IN A NEW STORY SET AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE GAME!
Nature has reclaimed the planet. Awe-inspiring machines dominate the land, as humanity fights for survival on this new Earth.[1]
Plot[]
In the wilderness, Talanah hunts a Clawstrider in order to fulfill a contract for the Hunters Lodge. The Clawstrider is part of a pack, however, and Talanah is forced to flee from their superior numbers. With three Clawstriders in pursuit, Talanah narrowly dodges a trap of falling boulders left by another hunter, before squeezing into a crevice. A Clawstrider attempts to reach her but is trapped outside by its size, and Talanah spears it through the head--but not before the Clawstrider is able to stab her through the stomach with its claws. Wounded and bleeding, Talanah falls unconscious.
Some time later, Talanah awakens in a sparsely furnished cave, laying on makeshift bedding and with her wounds bandaged. Based on the presence of scrolls with Carja glyphs, Talanah deduces that her unseen rescuer must have been a Carja. A pack containing several days worth of food has been left for her, which Talanah takes along on her way to Rising Light.
Outside Rising Light[]
Nearing the village, Talanah sees hunters engaging a machine in a dense forest. Hiding in the trees, she witnesses Kyran's men attempt to take down a Clawstrider flanked by Grazers, attempting to fulfill Rising Light's contract despite the fact that Talanah has rightfully taken it. The hunters shoot down several of the Grazers, but are urged by Kyran to leave their kills and pursue the Clawstrider. Talanah emerges from the trees after the hunters have gone, noting that their abandoned quarry will soon attract more machines, an amateur mistake.
Just then, Talanah notices a young Carja scavenger, Talvo, looting one of the Grazers. Talanah cautions him of the dangers of machine scavenging, but Talvo replies that she is the one truly in danger, as "the man in the woods" dislikes trespassers. Before Talanah can inquire further, their conversation is interrupted by the screech of an approaching Clawstrider with unusual black armor. Talanah attempts to hold it off with her bow so that Talvo can escape, but he is unwilling to leave behind the Machine Core he salvaged from the Grazer.
Just as the Clawstrider charges at the duo, a smoke bomb lands in front of them, disorienting the machine. A Carja man emerges from the smoke, motioning for the group to be silent, and stops Talanah from firing on the Clawstrider. The man distracts the machine with a rock while the three of them retreat.
After the group escapes to higher ground and confirms the black Clawstrider has lost their trail, Talvo expresses shock that their savior is "the man in the woods". The mysterious man sends Talvo home, and asks that he keep their encounter a secret. As Talvo runs off, the man tells Talanah that she should leave too, accusing her and her "friends" of attracting the machines with their careless hunting in the pursuit of trophies. As the two argue, the man reveals his name, Amadis, and that he was the one who bandaged Talanah's wound. Talanah dismisses Amadis' attempts to analyze her, insisting that she wants only to defeat the black Clawstrider, a unique and dangerous type of machine that must be destroyed for the village's safety. Amadis asks how she knows this, prompting her to recall a previous encounter with another of its kind.
Encountering Aloy[]
The scene shifts to one week prior. On the way to Rising Light, Talanah unexpectedly comes across Aloy, who is engaged in battle with a black-armored Sawtooth. Talanah comes to Aloy's assistance, firing arrows at the machine before Aloy finishes it off with a Dismount Strike from the back of her Strider. Aloy informs Talanah that there were two machines, and the second has escaped. Tracing its tracks down the bank of a nearby stream with her Focus, Aloy asks for Talanah's help in catching it, to which Talanah readily agrees.
While the two track the machine, Aloy asks why Talanah is so far from Meridian. After Talanah claims to be simply fulfilling a contract, Aloy presses her, and she admits that she left due to restlessness, much like Aloy. As Aloy apologizes for her abrupt departure, the two encounter a destroyed caravan, with numerous corpses lying scattered in the road. Aloy confirms the carnage was the work of a single machine, which she describes as a new breed. Just then, the two hear a scream for help from a survivor of the caravan, and rush off to aid them.
Media[]
Editions[]
- August 5, 2020; Titan Comics
- UPC 79361173567500111; Cover A; Stanley "Artgerm" Lau
- UPC 79361173567500121; Cover B; Guerrilla Games
- UPC 79361173567500131; Cover C; Lois "Loish" van Baarle
- UPC 79361173567500141; Cover D; Ann Maulina
- UPC 79361173567500151; Cover E; Peach Momoko
- UPC 79361173567500161; Cover F; Ann Maulina
- UPC 79361173567500171; Cover G; Lois "Loish" van Baarle
- UPC 79361173567500181; Cover H; Stanley "Artgerm" Lau
- UPC 79361173567500191; Cover I; Stanley "Artgerm" Lau
- UPC 79361173567501101; Cover J; Stanley "Artgerm" Lau
- September 2, 2020; Titan Comics
- UPC 79361173567500112; Second printing; Stanley "Artgerm" Lau
Cover gallery[]
References[]
| Comics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | Vol. 1: The Sunhawk | Issue #0 - Issue #1 - Issue #2 - Issue #3 - Issue #4 |
| Vol. 2: Liberation | Issue #1 - Issue #2 - Issue #3 - Issue #4 | |