It all begins here! A violent, bloody intergalactic planet-spanning science fiction franchise comes to Boom! Studios! They are the Black Templars - mankind's greatest hope in fighting the ravening hordes of invading Necrons, battering back the enemy with power gauntlet, chain-sword, and bolt rifle! Elite of the elite, they are The Chapter of the Eternal Crusade; world-shaking space marines who cleanse entire planets of their enemies. They are the heart of Warhammer 40K - from the Battle of Carrion Gulf all the way through the Torment Crusade. Centering on a new recruit to the Templars, to an advance warrior Sword Brethren, and all the way to an ancient man-machine Dreadnaught soldier, Warhammer 40K #1 serves as an accessible opening chapter introducing new and old readers alike to this bloody, dark, ravaged universe of science fiction and fantasy! Gods of War and Ancestors, bless us now, for we go to war.
Welcome to the 41st millennium – where vast armies wage bloody warfare across the galaxy in the name of humanity's supreme ruler. Countless souls upon billions of worlds whisper their supplication to the God Emperor – and those that oppose his sacred vision risk annihilation by his greatest warriors, the dread Space Marines. But how does one become a member of this most revered brotherhood? A simple man, from an obscure planet at the far end of the Imperium is discovering that to become a Space Marine will cost his family, his body – and quite possibly, his soul…
In the 41st Millennium, the infamous Space Marines wage holy war against all who defy the will of the God Emperor. Caught up in the bloody conflict against the alien Eldar is Raclaw, a deadly but inexperienced Marine in training. Torn from his home, he's already sacrificed his heritage at the altar of Imperial will. Now, he will learn that even the imposing, armored Space Marines can be destroyed - and that even the Emperor's most feared warriors must bear the pain of personal loss.
He's borne the loss of his mentor - now, the guilt-ravaged Raclaw is given another teacher. But in the never-ending holocaust that is the 41st millennium, there is little pity - even amongst the Space Marines themselves. And if Raclaw cannot gain the trust of his new master, it could cost the lives of his entire Chapter…
It is the 41st Millennium - and the young man called Raclaw yearns to be a Space Marine; to wage holy war in the name of humanity's blessed emperor. But he has become an outcast amongst his brotherhood, distrusted even by his latest trainer. What price must he pay to achieve their acceptance? How much blood will he spill - both his enemies' and his own - to become a Black Templar Space Mari
Raclaw has at long last proven himself to the Black Templars - now, it is time for him to be born again, baptized in blood and battle as a full-fledged Space Marine! Enemies will be destroyed. Heretics will be burned. But in the centuries to come, he who was once Raclaw, native to a backwater planet at the edge of known space, will become legend - and undergo even more radical rebirths...