Set in the far reaches of outer space during a new Dark Age, WarFrame introduces the Tenno, a race on the brink of extinction after being enslaved by the Grineer for centuries. Players enter WarFrame on the cusp of the Grineer's victory over the Tenno until they begin to arm themselves with WarFrames - an ancient exo-skeletal technology only they can operate. Hidden within the Orokin Derelicts of a lost civilization, new WarFrames lie dormant and undiscovered. These artifacts are the Tenno's only hope for survival.

WarFrame is a free-to-play fast-action PvE shooter set in an evolving sci-fi world. Some would call it MMO-Lite as squads of four players band together to advance their characters and battle the oppression of the genocidal Grineer. Throughout their combat missions, players will continually increase the power and abilities of their WarFrame and weapons. Players will raid new areas of space searching for exotic and powerful weapons and WarFrame augmentations to customize their arsenal. With WarFrame's Automatic Mission Generator, the game will offer endless replay as levels are procedurally configured for a unique raid -- every time.

Digital Extremes announced today it has partnered with famed indie label Top Cow Comics to create an original Warframe comic series. Based on source material from the cooperative online action game and in collaboration with the Warframe development team, the series is written by Top Cow President/COO and Writer Matt Hawkins (Think Tank, The Tithe, Aphrodite IX) and Top Cow Editor Ryan Cady. An exclusive Con edition of Issue #1 will be distributed for the first time to all TennoCon attendees for free on Saturday, July 8.

This five-issue series expands the Warframe universe with intriguing new characters and original locations, and offers an imaginative character-driven tone to Warframe players and comic book fans alike. The narrative hinges on the lone Warframe, Excalibur, who is determined to protect a blinded young girl, the last survivor of a recently destroyed village on Earth. Seasoned Tenno may even find hints to future game updates in the series not yet revealed in the Warframe universe.

"I was immediately attracted to Warframe because of its storyline," said Top Cow President/COO and Writer Matt Hawkins. "For a writer, it's a very fertile place to create something fresh, from the mysterious Tenno origins to the faction battles to the Grineer Queens and more. It's a fantastic universe where I have lost many late night hours playing the game."

When Digital Extremes sought an experienced, gamer-savvy comic book publisher that could handle the complex, evolving Warframe universe and transpose it into the comic book medium, its first stop was with Top Cow. A leading independent comic book publisher with hits ranging from original titles such as Witchblade and The Darkness, Top Cow's keen understanding of the comic book scene and its ability to consistently recruit top level artist and writers has enabled the company to thrive and succeed for more than 25 years. Digital Extremes has worked with Top Cow on more than one occasion, creating an original comic book for the company's original game property, Dark Sector, along with collaboration in developing the video game based on the licensed comic book hit, The Darkness II.

"Matt and his team at Top Cow understand how to handle original story material with a sense of purpose, subtlety and urgency," said Sheldon Carter, studio head, Digital Extremes. "Their full embrace and understanding of the Warframe universe won us over and we couldn't be prouder of this first issue."

TennoCon attendees will have the opportunity to hear Hawkins speak in person at the TennoCon Panel, "Making of the first Warframe Comic." While TennoCon attendees will be the first to receive the exclusive Con issue, San Diego Comic-Con and New York Comic-Con attendees also have a chance to grab the Con exclusive free copy from the Top Cow booth. The Warframe comic will release to retail in October 2017.