Assassin's Creed: Templars 1

Assassin's Creed: Templars 1 is the first issue of the Titan comic book series Assassin's Creed: Templars. The comic, written by Fred van Lente with art by Dennis Calero was released on March 23, 2016.

Publisher's summary
''All-new adventures from the world of Assassin’s Creed. In 1927 Darius Gift arrived in Shanghai on his first assignment for the Templar Order. A minor misstep means he soon finds himself mixed up in the shadowy underworld of the, and mixed up with the mysterious, enigmatic, Black Cross...''

Plot summary
1927: London, England. At a musical performance, Thaddeus Gift is extorting a man indebted to him. Whilst using his influence as a Templar, it turns out that he has been actively stealing from the Order.

He is passed a card denoting a black Templar Cross. In a panic, he flees the theater and tries to escape via his personal carriage. A chain dart pierces the roof, and Thaddeus is pulled toward a masked individual. He goes by the title of Black Cross, and reads aloud the crimes that Thaddeus has made against the Order before killing him for his indiscretions.

At Thaddeus's funeral, his son Darius, now finds himself penniless. At the behest of Ferris, another Templar, Darius is promised a formal education in exchange for a task. Darius accepts, and is instructed to take a package to China to try and reinforce the Rite present there.

Upon arriving in China, Darius takes to a bar where he strikes up a conversation with a female dancer called Roo. After he briefly turns away, she escapes with his unattended package. Running out into the street, he is set upon by a small group of men who believe him to be the Black Cross. At this point, the actual Black Cross appears and Darius is seemingly saved.