And it's not just this nonsense about the Absolute Record. Remember the Spirit of Fire arc? It was a whole lot of nothing to set up a game that we haven't heard about since its announcement four months ago. And there was that arc that... I don't even remember. I just know it had something to do with Jackal pirates and shady ONI behavior that was never followed up on.

: I don't know. I really don't. I was enjoying things, it all looked like it
: was improving so much. Palmer was learning things, Thorne was likeable,
: Naiya was likeable, Ayit was great and I hope we see more of him, and
: things were getting interesting with the Sali vs Jul stuff...and then, it
: all comes to a crashing, screeching halt and an utterly limp end.

Saly 'Nyon is going to be a spectacularly dull replacement for Jul, if that's where they're going with this.

: I'm sorry, if anyone from 343i is reading this, but what on earth was that?

: What was the point of extending the story past Halo 5's release, if it
: stubbornly refuses to tie anything into Halo 5? I thought it was to avoid
: spoiling the effects the Absolute Record arc would have. Instead, we are
: left with an ending that not only has no consequences, it invalidates
: everything that came before, restoring the status quo without ever
: threatening it.

: I thought the Record might show Guardians activating across human space, as a
: prelude to Cortana's campaign; that the Spartans would destroy Jul's
: artefact collection, and that explains why the Prometheans go rogue, and
: lets Cortana Assume Direct Control. That there might be some consequences
: to these events. Instead, the Record treats Halsey like a frustrated
: parent. "I was about to hand you the keys to the car, and you just
: took a bat to the windshield you petulant child, so now I'm crushing it to
: teach you a lesson in humility."

How in the actual Hell did Halsey hack a Contender-class AI in the first place?

: I'm not even angry, I'm baffled. Were 343 that taken aback at the "why
: do I need to read the books" response to Halo 4 that they were afraid
: to make these comics have ANY consequences at all?

Quit buying the comics.

This deal with Dark Horse was supposed to result in better stories and better artwork. But the artwork in Escalations has ranged from "Almost good" to "My six-year-old kid could do better than this" and the stories are forgettable and utterly irrelevant to the rest of the Halo series.

There'll be more Halo comic series. Escalations was supposed to last, what, twelve issues? A full-year run? But it was profitable enough to extend all the way out to two years. There's going to be more comics after this, so sit tight and spend your money on something else until they show definite signs of improvement. And don't hold your breath.