Portal 2: Lab Rat Comic - Part 1 Released

Hectic Glenn

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[br]We got to see a short preview a few days ago but now the full first part is available from IGN comics and it was definitely worth waiting for! The comic follows Doug Rattmann, who we find out previously worked at Aperture Science, as Chell progresses through Portal 1 and escapes to the surface.[br]Doug also manages to escape but sees Chell being taken back inside and decides to help as he owes his freedom to her. The story is incredibly interesting and you absolutely must check out part one of the comic here.[br]Lastly - check out the image below of page 13 of the comic, look at the table. Is that a zero-point energy field manipulator...aka the gravity gun? Part 2 coming Monday, check back then![br]

 
you got to love the watermark

wait what, there's black mesa chargers on the wall.
 
Gravity Gun, Health and HEV rechargers all in one image? About time Valve gave us a cock tease.

Edit: Anyone notice on Page five it looks like dead people around Glados on the left?
 
I guess they stole them to reverse engineer them.
 
Or they were the first one's to make them.
 
Let me know when IGN's jizz stain isnt on each page. I would like to have an unsoiled version of this.
 
I guess they stole them to reverse engineer them.

Or they simply bought them and use them like any business would. We were assuming that all that stuff you saw from Black Mesa wasn't commercially available. Its possible that in the world of Half-Life things like HEV suits, medical assistance stations, and zero-point energy manipulators were made commercially available to businesses whom could afford them. Those might have been the early breakthroughs that allowed Black Mesa to continue receiving the government contracts that Aperture Science was trying to compete for. The equipment there looks like its for use in the lab, not being studied or reverse engineered.

Or maybe both. They are probably putting Black Mesa's discoveries to practical use, and probably also went about trying to reverse engineer the tech for use in their own products.
 
Barnz is right. Even though Black Mesa and Aperture Science specialized in different things, I guess it was important for both of them to be aware of what the other side is working on. Also, Aperture had to implement the Gravity Gun's abilities into the Portal gun.
 
Barnz is right. Even though Black Mesa and Aperture Science specialized in different things, I guess it was important for both of them to be aware of what the other side is working on. Also, Aperture had to implement the Gravity Gun's abilities into the Portal gun.

No, he's right. The portal gun can pick up objects and move them. Not shoot them, but if we want an in-game explanation, maybe they couldn't get it to that point.
 
FFS the enlarged versions are all giving 404s. I wanted to save them all.
 
Why didn't Valve host this on the Portal 2 website, like they did with "The Sacrifice" on the Left 4 Dead blog?
 
Also, I took the liberty to create a PDF for all of you folks in case you want to take this comic on the run with you and have a PDF reader on your phone (if you have a smart phone).

http://www.multiupload.com/XL822B00JS

There is the download. :D

ENJOY!
 
Gravity Gun, Health and HEV rechargers all in one image? About time Valve gave us a cock tease.

Edit: Anyone notice on Page five it looks like dead people around Glados on the left?
whooah. Euhm page 5? don't see glados.
 
@Shamrock - Valve already released a PDF on their site, see their extras section.
 
There is:"The Cake Is a Lie." in binary / ASCII code on nineth page.
 
There's also a Combine Charger. I guess my theory of Combine using Aperture Science's technology was right all along.
 
There's also a Combine Charger. I guess my theory of Combine using Aperture Science's technology was right all along.
I don't see a Combine Charger, but there is a H.E.V. suit on the second last page as well as a Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator. I though H.E.V. suits were Black Mesa developed (and sold to the military in the form of P.C.V.). I guess either it's different private firm makes them because I'd be surprised that Aperture would willing licence Black Mesa technology. I'd believe that the gravity gun might be stolen but if they stole the H.E.V. technology I'd imagine that they wouldn't use the exact same design for their chargers.

Also, was Doug the one who added gravity gun functionality to the ASHPD? (which I think the one in 2 doesn't even have)
 
I don't see a Combine Charger, but there is a H.E.V. suit on the second last page as well as a Zero Point Energy Field Manipulator. I though H.E.V. suits were Black Mesa developed (and sold to the military in the form of P.C.V.). I guess either it's different private firm makes them because I'd be surprised that Aperture would willing licence Black Mesa technology. I'd believe that the gravity gun might be stolen but if they stole the H.E.V. technology I'd imagine that they wouldn't use the exact same design for their chargers.

Also, was Doug the one who added gravity gun functionality to the ASHPD? (which I think the one in 2 doesn't even have)

Aperture's reputation is certainly low enough that you could assume that they've stolen and copied their competitor's plans. Though wasn't it Eli who designed the gravity gun during the Resistance Era? Doug adding its functionality to the portal gun seems plausible, but the HL2 one just sitting on the desk is most likely an Easter Egg.
 
No one really mentions where the gravity gun comes from. Alyx just said it was designed to carry hazardous materials but the resistance just use it for heavy lifting.
 
There's a Combine Charger on the bottom left in page 13. You can clearly see it. HEV Suit was developed by Gina, but I'm sure there was something else before that. Black Mesa has been doing teleporting experiments for a long time. Lambda Complex and Particle Labs are almost ancient. In the leak, Eli states that they have used the Gravity Gun to lift the heavy objects back in Black Mesa.
 
There's a Combine Charger on the bottom left in page 13. You can clearly see it. HEV Suit was developed by Gina, but I'm sure there was something else before that. Black Mesa has been doing teleporting experiments for a long time. Lambda Complex and Particle Labs are almost ancient. In the leak, Eli states that they have used the Gravity Gun to lift the heavy objects back in Black Mesa.

What you used in half life 1 was the mach 4 HEV suit, so there were earlier versions of it. Gina Cross didint make it, she was just the "model" for it in the hazard course.
 
Seriously, you're starting to piss me off, kiddo. In Decay, Dr. Rosenberg states that the HEV suit was designed by Gina Cross. Here's the quote from the game: "Thank goodness you survived. Those H.E.V suits of yours are well-designed, Dr. Cross."
 
Barnz is right even if his directions are horrendous. It's not on the bottom of page 13, it's at the bottom left of the largest panel on page 13. Raises some interesting questions. I doubt the scene shows happens after the 7 Hour War so are the Combine health stations just re-appropriated from an Earthly company who manufactures them like the guns they use?

Haven't played Decay in a while and I don't remember that line but I know I've heard the idea of Gina having made the HEV suits before. Though to be honest Colette having made them would make more sense seeing as she's the engineer.
 
Really well made comics, can't wait for more.

Haven't played Decay in a while and I don't remember that line but I know I've heard the idea of Gina having made the HEV suits before. Though to be honest Colette having made them would make more sense seeing as she's the engineer.
Gina is an engineer too, PhD. in mechanical engineering and bioengineering at Cal Tech.
 
Haven't played Decay in a while and I don't remember that line but I know I've heard the idea of Gina having made the HEV suits before. Though to be honest Colette having made them would make more sense seeing as she's the engineer.

Vague memory of it being in a manual, probably for Decay if so.
 
Seriously, you're starting to piss me off, kiddo. In Decay, Dr. Rosenberg states that the HEV suit was designed by Gina Cross. Here's the quote from the game: "Thank goodness you survived. Those H.E.V suits of yours are well-designed, Dr. Cross."

That is not proof Gina designed the HEV suits. I don't even think it's supposed to be. Language is ambiguous at the best times and this is a perfect example of it. He's most likely just addressing Gina and the "yours" reflects the fact that both Gina and Colette are wearing them.
 
It would seem pretty lame to think that one person designed the entire suit. If you look at the development of space suit's for example, a piece of technology like that evolves over a long time, with contributions from many different teams of people. I could believe a single person could claim to have designed the respirator, or the system that administers the adrenaline, or whatever, but not the entire suit.

Then again this is Decay we are talking about, I don't even consider Opposing Force to be canon, but that's just my personal opinion.
 
Actually Samon's right it doesn't mean Gina designed them. I guess the HEV suits, chargers and health stations are just liscenced out from Black Mesa or some other company. I wish I still had my manuals. Anyone know where I can get pdfs of them?
 
Well, there is nothing in those Decay manuals that would suggest that Gina ally by herself designed HEV suits, there is only one line in the Hazard Course training schedule that says "G.Cross - HEV Mk.5 Prototype testing".
 
The manual doesn't say much about Gina either. Simon seems to be right. I always thought she was the designer. From what I understand, the chargers are common in the market (Opposing Force, and Half-Life 2 supports the theory). HEV Suit, however, is only produced by Black Mesa.

Still, she might be the designer, seeing how Rosenberg only refers to Gina when talking about the suit.
 
That makes no sense. Only Black Mesa has Hasardous Environmet Suits but Hazardous Environment Suit chargers are common on the market. Do you think about the things you say Barnz? Aperture has HEV chargers with HEV writting in big letters on them. They aren't generic charging units, they are designed for use with HEV suits. Also, the PCV is clearly a version of the HEV or at least made from the same basic design.
 
I'm talking about the chargers in general, not HEV chargers, you dummy. Drill Instructor in the boot camp confirms it:

"Your PCV is able to recharge from battery power or it can interface and recharge with commercial, military and HEV charging stations." - Get it, there's commercial chargers out there. HEV Suit probably has an universal socket to draw power from the chargers.
 
Well if the PCV vests are commonly used by the military, then we can assume the chargers are as well. Though you would think the ones outside of Black Mesa wouldn't be titled "HEV".
 
Barnz, congrats on ignoring the middle part of my post. The charger in the comic is not a generic charger. It's intended for HEV suits. It says HEV on it.
 
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