The Mass Effect series has experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to the recent release of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition remaster. Mass Effect is known for its intricate storytelling, and the comics contain worthwhile stories that add even more depth to the already lore-packed universe that Bioware created.
Despite Mass Effect's immense popularity, even the most hardcore fans might have missed out on some stories in the series published by Dark Horse. The limited-series nature of the Mass Effect comics, as well as the sporadic publishing period over the years, makes it even more likely that fans may have missed something.
10 Comics Give Other Characters A Chance To Shine
Mass Effect has no shortage of popular characters that the comics can focus on, and they finally give characters a chance to move out of Shepard's shadow. Mass Effect: Homeworlds has members of Shepard's team starring in their own issues, set at different points in time depending on the character. Fans can learn more about what drives the characters that are less central to the main story, like Kasumi and Zaeed in Mass Effect: Foundation, which features Maya Brooks meeting a different member of Shepard's squad in each issue.
9 Comics Give Backstory To Characters Who Really Need It
One challenge of introducing new party members in each subsequent game is that they will be compared to their predecessors instantly. Anyone who finds it hard to like James Vega for not being introduced until the final game in the trilogy may want to check out some media beyond the games. James is featured as the protagonist of the animated film Mass Effect: Paragon Lost. James is also featured in the comics Mass Effect: Homeworlds and Mass Effect: Conviction that takes place before and after the movie.
8 Comics Give Origin Stories To Characters Who Didn't Really Need It
A common mistake of prequels is that they often answer questions that didn't need to be answered. Unfortunately, the Mass Effect comics fall into this same trap when it comes to the mysterious Illusive Man.
Mass Effect: Evolution delves into the Illusive Man's origins, explaining that his real name was Jack Harper and that his eyes glow because of exposure to a Prothean relic. While some fans may appreciate further understanding his motivations, others may wish to skip Evolution if they want the Illusive Man to stay enigmatic.
7 Liara Can Handle Herself
Most Mass Effect fans already know that Liara T'Soni is one tough asari, though she is rarely given a chance to hold her own without Shepard lending her a hand. Mass Effect: Redemption serves as a prequel to Mass Effect 2 and sees Liara without her teammates for backup. It is revealed that Liara was instrumental in getting Shepard's body to Cerberus in the first place. Redemption shows that Liara was more vital to the plot of Mass Effect 2 than fans who only experience the games may realize.
6 Blasto: Eternity Is Forever Follows An In-Game Fictional Character
An easy-to-miss easter egg in Mass Effect 3 is the interactive movie poster for Blasto 6: Partners in Crime. Players who repeatedly interact with the poster will be treated to around 10 minutes of dialogue parodying various real-life films like Dirty Harry and Lethal Weapon. Blasto was also featured in a side-quest in the Citadel DLC, in which Javik and Shepard joined Blasto in a film as supporting characters. Adding to the hilarity of it all, Blasto is a hanar, Mass Effect's bizarre jellyfish-like alien species. If the in-game movie isn't enough, fans can catch Blasto in action in the single-issue comic Mass Effect: Blasto: Eternity is Forever.
5 Comics Try To Not Contradict Player Choice
There's always a challenge when adapting a game like Mass Effect to another form of media, especially given the series' emphasis on player choice. The comics attempt to remedy this by moving the focus away from Shepard and never referring to them as male or female.
Even fan-favorite characters like Tali or Garrus are not depicted in any events after Mass Effect 2 due to the possibility of them dying during the final mission. Bioware is going to have to choose a canon ending when Mass Effect 4 finally arrives.
4 They Add To Andromeda's Story
Mass Effect: Andromeda is widely regarded by fans as the weakest entry in the series, so much so that the planned DLC for the title was scrapped completely. While Tiran may not be as beloved in the fandom as his fellow turian Garrus, he is still one of the more interesting characters that Ryder encounters in Andromeda. Mass Effect: Discovery follows Tiran before his introduction to Andromeda and reveals that he had run-ins with some familiar faces from the original trilogy of games.
3 Mac Walters Was A Writer On Almost All The Comics
Mac Walters gets some ire in the Mass Effect fandom due to his involvement in both Andromeda and the ending of Mass Effect 3. Regardless of how one feels about Walters, he has been a major part of the series' success and a primary contributor to the comics. Working as a writer on every comic except Discovery, Walters ensured that the comics didn't contradict the games in any significant way and instead only added to the experience.
2 There Is A Mostly Complete Collection
The first comic that Dark Horse published was Mass Effect: Redemption in 2010, while the last was Mass Effect: Discovery in 2017, meaning it can be difficult to find issues individually. Thankfully, fans can find the core stories published in the Mass Effect: The Complete Comics collection released last year. To read the single-issue comics, readers will have to track down volumes one and two of the Mass Effect Library Edition or read them in a digital format.
1 Some Squadmates Don't Appear At All
With so many characters, it is no surprise that not everyone can be given the same attention. The members of Shepard's team that aren't featured in any issues are Grunt, Legion, Morinth, Samara, EDI, and Javik. Another reason for their omission likely came down to not contradicting player choice or that some of these characters didn't exist long before their introduction. Still, few would have complained if Legion was given their own comic to star in.