Lara Croft is an icon.

Since 1996, Lara has starred in 10 "Tomb Raider" video games and counting over the last 19 years, as well a pair of feature films starring Angelina Jolie in the titular role plus several novels and a 50-issue comic book series from Top Cow. Following 2013's reboot of the "Tomb Raider" franchise, which saw a younger, inexperienced Lara shipwrecked and fending for herself on a mysterious island, Dark Horse Comics acquired the license and launched a new ongoing comic book series that follows the new continuity featuring stories from Gail Simone and more recently the game's writer, Rhianna Pratchett. With the next game in the reinvigorated franchise, "Rise of the Tomb Raider," schedule to debut with issue #1 on Oct. 7, Dark Horse isn't standing pat when it comes to Lara Croft and her new adventures.

Yesterday the publisher announced "Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen," an all-new "Tomb Raider" miniseries from writer Corinna Bechko and veteran "Tomb Raider" artist Randy Green. The series finds Lara attempting to stop a dangerous cult from unleashing a global cataclysm and the ancient artifacts caught in the middle that could be both the world's salvation and its destruction. The publisher also promised plenty of the signature, dual-pistol action and adventure the franchise is known for.

CBR SUNDAY CONVERSATION: Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman

Bechko is no stranger to iconic characters, having written both "Star Wars" books for Dark Horse and "Planet of the Apes" for BOOM! Studios, in addition to some of her original works with husband and frequent collaborator Gabriel Hardman including "Heathentown" and their latest, "Invisible Republic." And while this is Bechko's first time out of the gate with the "Tomb Raider," she's been paired with an artist who worked on the character during the early 2000s in Green. Following the announcement of "Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen," Bechko sat down with CBR News to talk about the new series, her history with the franchise and background in zoology, and just what it takes to write an iconic character.

CBR News: Lara Croft is an iconic figure and "Tomb Raider" is a huge franchise -- video games, movies, comics, even a short-lived animated series. What was your first encounter with "Tomb Raider"?

Corinna Bechko: I first played "Tomb Raider" in the late '90s. I thought it was terrific to center an adventure on a smart archeologist who was a woman for a change. Especially since I had taken a lot of anthropology and archeology courses in college before switching over to zoology. I even participated in a dig at one point, although I didn't do anything half as exciting as what Lara gets to do. My job was separating scraps of cow and chicken bones from a midden heap to build a database of food animals. My shining moment of triumph was identifying a raccoon bone in the mess.

Lara Croft's globetrotting tendencies and your background in zoology and interest in exotic animals seem like a perfect fit. Where will we see Lara going, and what can we expect to see her encounter there?

I love the fact that Lara can be so at home all over the world, so I took full advantage of that. We'll see jungle in Belize, desert in America, and an ancient cityscape in Turkey. And yes, there will be some creatures so exotic that no one has ever seen them before!

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The last "Tomb Raider" game rebooted Lara Croft's origin story, and those events are being followed up in Dark Horse's ongoing "Tomb Raider" comic series. The next game, "Rise of the Tomb Raider," is in that timeline as well. Where does "Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen" fit in with the other comics and the games?

It's a bit different, in that this is a slightly more experienced Lara who has already seen a lot of crazy things in her life. Here, she's paired up again with Carter Bell, from "Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris," so she's a long way from where she started as a fledgling archeologist.

While this is your first time writing for "Tomb Raider," it isn't Randy Green's first foray into the franchise -- what has it been like working with him?

It's great to be working with someone as talented as Randy! He gets a lot of expression into how the characters move. That's important for a story like this, since Lara usually acts tough and in control. We need to see those little moments of hesitation when maybe she's not quite as sure of the situation as she's saying. And we also need to see when she's fully confident and ready for anything. I think Randy's art conveys all those things.

You're no stranger to working on iconic franchises having written "Star Wars" and "Planet of the Apes" comics. What's your approach to telling an original story within the confines of an established world?

It's a unique challenge, since you need to fit the tone and get the details right, but it also has to feel fresh and new. I always try to respect that balance, and to make sure that the character is emotionally invested in whatever is going on. That means knowing what moves the character, and what they value. Once you get a handle on those things, the rest of the story can fall into line because you know how your character will react to the world they're in.

"Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen" arrives later this year from Dark Horse Comics.