Driver comic revs up

Comic-Con 2010 invades the San Diego Convention Center this Thursday through Sunday, and Ubisoft is welcoming the event with a comic book announcement of its own. Today, the publisher said it has partnered with legendary comic house DC Comics to put out a comic book set in the Driver universe.

DC Comics' Wildstorm Productions (Modern Warfare 2: Ghost, World of Warcraft, God of War, Gears of War) has been tapped to bring the comic to fans. As followers of the original video game know, Driver 3's narrative ended in a dramatic hospital scene, where the fate of two characters was left uncertain.

Illustrated by Greg Scott (Gotham Central, Case Files: Sam and Twitch) and written by David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Sparta USA, Young Liars), the comic book's narrative will tell the tale of what happened after the climatic ending to 2004's Driver 3 and the events immediately preceding the upcoming Driver: San Francisco. Additionally, the comic will probe deeper into protagonist Tanner's backstory, setting the stage for his vengeance-riddled return in the upcoming video game.

The Driver comic book doesn't have a more descript title than "Driver" and has no announced release date. However, those attending Comic-Con this week can pick up a special "Issue 0" preview edition of the comic at both Ubisoft's and DC Comics' booths. Additionally, the comic's cover was designed by Jock (The Losers, Judge Dredd, Batman), who will be on hand at Comic-Con signing free copies of the preview issue.

Driver: San Francisco will also be a throwback to previous installments in the franchise, featuring a matchup between original protagonist John Tanner and Driver 2 antagonist Charles Jericho. As the story goes, Tanner, a hard-boiled detective behind the wheel of a 1970s-era Shelby GT500, is on the hunt for Jericho, and the two will engage in vehicular duels on the streets of San Francisco.

As detailed in Ubisoft's E3 2010 press conference, the game will include more than 100 licensed vehicles, all of which are subject to damage. The game will also feature a supernatural element, as Tanner is apparently pursuing his mark from the confines of a coma. Tanner's situation impacts gameplay, as players will be able to pause time to hop to a new vehicle on the fly, as well as take a bird's-eye view of the city to jump to various locations.