| Mass Effect: Foundation | |
|---|---|
 An alternate cover of the first issue, featuring Ashley Williams fighting a geth unit. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Dark Horse Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | July 2013 – July 2014 |
| No. of issues | 13 |
| Main character(s) | Characters appearing in the Mass Effect trilogy |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Mac Walters Jeremy Barlow |
| Artist(s) | Tony Parker Omar Francia Garry Brown Benjamin Carré (covers) |
| Penciller(s) | Matthew Clark |
| Inker(s) | Drew Geraci Sean Parsons |
| Colorist(s) | Michael Atiyeh |
Mass Effect: Foundation is a Canadian science fiction comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics featuring several secondary characters from the original Mass Effect trilogy. The fifth Mass Effect comic series to be produced, Foundation is a tie-in to 2013's Mass Effect 3: Citadel downloadable content, the story of Foundation explores the characters' backstories prior to their meeting with Commander Shepard. Much of its narrative is framed as reconnaissance by the antagonist of Citadel, Maya Brooks, as the point-of-view character, with the first issue exploring her childhood and origin story.
The series lasted 13 issues, from July 2013 to July 2014. Most issues function as standalone stories for each featured character, and some issues have direct ties to specific events in the games. Foundation was mostly written by Mass Effect series lead writer Mac Walters, with Jeremy Barlow joining as co-writer from Issues #11 to #13, and artwork was provided by Tony Parker, Omar Francia, Drew Geraci, Matthew Clark and Garry Brown for various issues.
As the first ongoing comic series in the Mass Effect franchise, Foundation was considered to be the most ambitious Mass Effect comic book series project at the time, with writer Walters committing to explore stories hinted at in the games while advancing a new narrative. The series has been received positively by critics, who praised the writing, artwork, and how it serves as a tie-in to various historical points in the Mass Effect trilogy.