It's usually a good idea to think and to plan ahead. Tokyopop and Blizzard are doing precisely that, in fact. The two have a publishing plan for the World of Warcraft and StarCraft franchises that spans three years. More about what the two companies have in mind after the jump.

Those of you who've read Book 1 of Mel Odom's Hellgate: London novel series know that the story ended with a cliffhanger. Fortunately, the author recently completed the second installment in the series. Entitled Hellgate: London - Goetia, the book continues the adventures of Simon Cross, his friends and his enemies.

More narrative goodness follows after the jump!

Blizzard and Tokyopop are reportedly collaborating on two new manga titles based on Blizzard's hit video game properties. One will be based on events occurring in World of Warcraft's Burning Crusade expansion while the other will be based on - brace yourselves - Starcraft. More details in the full article.

If you're hankering for more narrative goodness after Ian Edgington's Hellgate: London graphic novels and Mel Odom's books, then you may want to check out London comic">Arvid Nelson's Hellgate: London comic next. For those of you who may be looking for more of Jessica Sumerisle, take note:  Mr. Nelson's comic features a different cast of heroes.

Find out who the main protagonists are after the jump!

  

Barring the dark, demon-infested atmosphere of Flagship Studio's Hellgate: London, some people might be asking, "what's so special about this game compared to the bazillion other MMORPG's out there?" Well, here's the answer: not every MMORPG have their own manga based on their respective game and published by Tokyopop, a respected name in Japanese graphic novels.

While the people over at the official website are still pretty tight-lipped about the story, we were able to grab a few sketches of what they were projecting to be "the most unique take on the Hellgate universe yet."

The script is being written by the creator behind Red Mundi of Dark Horse comics fame, Arvid Nelson. Considering even someone like Johnny Depp is a big fan of Nelson's comics (in fact, Johhny Depp is going to star in a film based on Rex Mundi), the Hellgate manga seems like it's shaping up to be one interesting read.

Couple this with artwork budding Korean artist Jeong Mo Yang, people might want to keep an eye out for both the manga and the MMORPG when they finally come out. Hopefully, they'll be able to reveal more about the manga itself, until then keep coming back for more updates on Hellgate: London here at QJ.NET.

Warcraft and Diablo geeks in Europe, heads up: Fantasy author Richard A. Knaak is off to do a Blizzard book signing tour in Europe, and he's going to sign both Blizzard and non-Blizzard fantasy novels (such as the Dragonlance and Dragonrealm series).

Here's Knaak's itinerary for his Europe tour:

Germany:
Königstrasse 27-29
Stuttgart at Karstadt Stuttgart
September 4th at 2:30 pm

Slovakia:
ISTROCON / COMIC SALON 2007 (Special Guest)
SUZA in Bratislava, Slovakia
September 14-16

Czech Republic:
Arrakis bookstore
Veveri 24 (street address)
Brno
September 17th at 2-5 pm

Knaak certainly gets around in his involvement with Blizzard titles. Just so you know, he is also set to write two more Warcraft novels, entitled "World of Warcraft: Night of the Dragon" and an untitled manga for Tokyopop. Knaak is also the writer behind the Wii's Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire.

Fantasy novel genre fans in Europe shouldn't miss this event, so better grab your Warcraft or Diablo novels, plan your schedule ahead and make some time for the Knaak's Blizzard Tour!

Here's some news that's sure to delight Warcraft lore fans everywhere. According to Blizzplanet, Richard A. Knaak will be attending BlizzCon this year, which means folks will probably be flocking to Knaak's location to get autographs for their books.

For those not familiar with Knaak, he's the author of the War of the Ancients series of Warcraft novels, as well as novels set in the Diablo universe, among other notable worlds.

Knaak will be at the Tokyopop and Pocketstar Books booth promoting the Sunwell Trilogy manga book. They'll also be informing folks of the release of the compilation of the War of the Ancients trilogy, so you'll also want to take a look at that as well.

Blizzplanet also notes a possible surprise from Knaak, and we're hoping it means a new book is on the way. In any case, this is certainly one other reason that makes BlizzCon worthwhile.

Okay, let's just veer away for a while from guilds killing in-game bosses and Blizzard's continued nerfing of characters. Let's take the time to know the lore behind the World of Warcraft and the rest of the Warcraft universe through the TOKYOPOP comic book Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy.

Blizzard Europe is happy to announce that the brilliant creation of Richard A. Knaak is now available for free. The first volume of the series, Dragon Hunt, can be read online in weekly installments through the official WoW site's online comic reader feature. The whole trilogy ended back in February with Ghostlands.

Warcraft: The Sunwell Trilogy takes readers back to Azeroth and begins with the history of WoW. It then deviates from the main plot line and follows the character Kalec. He was a blue dragon who took the form of a human to escape from the Undead Scourge and a mysterious girl named Anveena.

The read link will take you to Blizzard's page for Dragon Hunt. Better start reading now because we're pretty sure that you don't want to go back to discussing the problems that are to be fixed by the latest patch just yet.

There are those who like World of Warcraft because of the gameplay. Others are attracted because of the rich story line. Most however find that both have their place and contribute to the mystique that is WoW. WoW: The Sunwell Trilogy published by TOKYOPOP is well made and executed with the final chapter of this epic as no exception.

Richard A. Knaak has once again crafted a captivating tale in the world of WoW. Jae Hwan Kim's stunning illustrations add to the further allure of this graphic novel. The climax of the story is not something to be missed if you've picked up the first two books. We highly recommend picking up a copy of all three chapters of the trilogy. If you do so, be warned that once you pick it up, you will not be putting it down until you finish reading the entire thing.

Codemasters has just announced the release of the ArchLord graphic novel. You've played the game, so why not read all about it as well? Created in collaboration with TOKYOPOP, the graphic novel is based exclusively on ArchLord's lore and set in Chantra’s past. Readers will get to follow the adventures of Leon, a descendant of the legendary Nathan Manas, the founder of human civilization in Chantra and renowned for mastering the power of the legendary Archons.

"The manga is an incredible compliment to the game, delving into the personal lives of characters that exist in the backdrop of the multi-player world," said TOKYOPOP Editor Luis Reyes. "It examines the mythology of ArchLord in a way that draws game enthusiasts closer to the overall story."

"The partnership with TOKYOPOP and the creation of the ArchLord graphic novel just goes to show that ArchLord's popularity is growing outside the normal boundaries of the MMO gaming audience," said Adam McGowan, Product Marketing Manager for Codemasters Online Gaming. "This is a testament to the depth of game play offered and means that ArchLord will continue to capture the imagination of both gamers and manga comic fans in the future."

The ArchLord graphic novel is already out in North America. You can grab one from most major book stores in the U.S. for US$ 9.99. A European launch is also in the works.

   

More images from the graphic novel after the jump!