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2027 is going to be a huge year for fans of Tomb Raider, but before that, Lara Croft is starring in a major release no fan should miss. In 2026, Lara is taking her slice of a billion-dollar franchise that's such a great fit for her adventures, it's shocking this is the first time they've merged.
2027 will see a range of Tomb Raider media release, from the reimagined Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis to new game Tomb Raider: Catalyst and a likely first look at the new live-action TV series starring Sophie Turner. Dark Horse will also publish Chronicles of the Tomb Raider - a new lore bible charting Lara Croft's fictive career so far.
However, that doesn't mean 2026 is a Lara-free zone. Dark Horse already launched a new comic series Tomb Raider: Sacred Artifacts, from Casey Gilley and Antonio Di Caprio. And in a few months, Lara will have her first ever crossover with G.I. Joe.
Lara Croft and G.I. Joe Crossover Coming Soon
Image Comics recently announced G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider #1 - from Kyle Higgins, Elena Casagrande, Alex Guimarães and Pat Brosseau. The comic crossover is the first time the franchises have combined, and will reveal Lara's past with iconic Joe Shipwreck, as they oppose Destro and the Baroness.
Fans just got a first look at this issue courtesy of AIPT, with preview pages revealing that the heroes and villains are racing to find an artifact known as the Dial of Aion, seemingly buried on Cobra Island.
Rather than having Croft and the Joes meet for the first time, the creative team are making the creative decision to have Lara and Shipwreck be longtime allies, on a mission to honor an old friend who seemingly perished in the hunt for this treasure. The issue's summary reads:
KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE. RAIDING IS THE OTHER HALF!
G.I. JOE and LARA CROFT meet for THE FIRST TIME EVER in an all-new limited series from superstars KYLE HIGGINS (RADIANT BLACK) and ELENA CASAGRANDE (Black Widow) that reveals the classified connection between these pop culture icons. Lara Croft has explored some of the most dangerous locations on Earth, but nothing as treacherous as Cobra Island. For this adventure, she’ll need the help of her old acquaintance, Shipwreck, and several squads of Joes to mount a dangerous expedition into the heart of the island to recover a treasure that’s been hidden there for decades. One that Destro and Baroness will do anything to get their hands on first...
One of Hasbro's biggest properties, G.I. Joe has pulled in billions with its toys, animated shows, live-action movies and comics, with G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider #1 set to add even more to that total.
Tomb Raider Plus G.I. Joe Is a Match Made in Heaven
While this is Tomb Raider's first crossover with G.I. Joe, the two properties are basically designed to work together. While G.I. Joe's overall mission is to defeat the terroristic Cobra, that involves traveling all over the planet to a variety of harsh environments, including secret islands, dense jungles, and punishing tundras.
Those are the same locales where Lara Croft spends her life, and it's not hard to imagine Croft catching a ride on the AWE (All Weather and Environment) dune buggy to reach a desert tomb. Now, with Destro and the Baroness busting into the latest tomb ahead of her, Croft is marrying her twin pistols to G.I. Joe's mission.
G.I. Joe Is Killing It on Lucrative Crossovers
While G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero enjoys its historic crossover with Tomb Raider, the franchise's separate comic continuity set within the Energon Universe (combining other franchises including Transformers and M.A.S.K.) is likewise impressing fans.
When the Energon Universe launched in 2023, it offered the ultimate '80s kid crossover - a whole ongoing universe where the various factions weren't just having one-off adventures, but had a whole connected backstory, bringing countless combinations of characters into conflict.
It's likely that G.I. Joe's success in the Energon Universe at least partly inspired the franchise's latest crossover with Tomb Raider (despite A Real American Hero being set within its own continuity) showing just how seamlessly the Joes can fit in with other franchises, especially those as focused on globe-trotting and plunder as Lara Croft's Tomb Raideradventures.
New series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raiderwill unite two of the biggest pop culture franchises of all time, as Shipwreck and Lara Croft face off against the Baroness and Destro to claim a powerful treasure.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider #1 is coming October 7 from Image Comics.
