Do The Old Republic web comics mark a worrying trend?

Bioware has just released the first of three web comics, in promotion of Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic.

Though this comic isn’t particularly my cup of tea, it’s the trend towards video game comics in general that’s concerning me today.

Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, The Old Republic… (coincidentally all EA releases) it seems that comics are fast becoming an essential element in any self-respecting AAA release. Now, I’m no major comic book buff, or even fan, and I’m in nothing like a position to comment qualitatively on comics in general – either for or against. I simply take issue with anything that potentially undermines the importance of interactive entertainment.

The dichotomy of video games’ relationship with film is well documented – we spend so much of our time pursuing filmic ideals, but also seek to foster an artform that stands on its own to feet. Now, the aesthetic similarities between comics and games, combined with the unfortunately huge overlap of themes and audience, appears to be encouraging still stronger a relationship, when really there should be almost none at all.

To be clear, I am not against video games based on comics, or vica versa. It just seems somewhat misguided to promote one artform (one that is struggling enough to establish its own identity) in the guise of another.