Read Overwatch's Holiday Comic
By Rory Young 22 December 2016
Blizzard is debuting the latest comic for Overwatch. Titled ‘Reflections,’ the comic gives a glimpse into the lives of several characters during the holidays.
Overwatch‘s holiday Winter Wonderland event is going on strong, having started just a week ago and carrying on just past New Year’s Day. Thousands of loot boxes have already been opened, gifting Reindeer Roadhogs and Santaclad Torbjörns to all the boys and girls. Yet something has been missing. For Overwatch‘s Halloween Terror event, Blizzard delivered a special comic just for the holiday — one for winter was sure to follow.
Today Blizzard published Overwatch‘s first Winter Wonderland comic, titled “Reflections.” Much like previous comics, Reflections is a canon story taking place within the game’s universe. It focuses mainly on the game’s most prominent character to be featured in marketing, Tracer, but also features Winston and looks in on what several other members of Overwatch are up to during the holidays. Not everyone’s in the happiest of places, or the happiest of moods — some aren’t even on continents where it’s winter — but each panel gives a look into a character’s life in 2076.
The 10-page comic serves as a “Happy Holidays” message from the Overwatch development team. While it’s tied into the Winter Wonderland event and certainly seems to be canon, it’s not as story-focused as previous comic releases from Blizzard. It’s not a teaser or marketing for an upcoming piece of content, but rather a moment of reflection. Blizzard has taken the opportunity to help remind us that these aren’t just nameless soldiers — they are each fighting for something.
Blizzard, as it is wont to do, took every opportunity to pack these 10 comic pages with small mysteries and hints at secrets and stories yet to be shared. The big two-page spread showing what several Overwatch characters are up to is particularly interesting. Pharah dines with a man that some are speculating could either be her father or a date. Santaclad Torbjörn sits with a potential Mrs. Santaclad. Reaper watches over a family that might very well be his own. And Widowmaker stands over the grave of her fallen husband, a story Blizzard’s definitely saving for later.
Perhaps the biggest reveal of the comic occurs with little fanfare, yet with clear intention, and has been looked forward to by a gaming community often left unrepresented in blockbuster games like Overwatch. Tracer is, quite casually, revealed to be in a romantic relationship with another woman. Blizzard has mentioned previously that at least one of Overwatch‘s roster is LGBT and so the reveal wasn’t necessarily surprising. Yet the mature and quite graceful way with which Blizzard introduced Tracer’s partner did perhaps surprise, and is already being warmly received. After all, Overwatch is a family.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Winter Wonderland event is ongoing across all platforms, but it and its exclusive loot box content will fade with the snow on January 2. Read the official holiday comic, titled Reflections, on Blizzard’s website.
