Preview: H.A.R.D. Corps to Return in Harbinger Wars

The upcoming Harbinger Wars mini-series is already my most-anticipated comics event of the summer, but my enthusiasm has just reached a fever pitch with Valiant's announcement today that the H.A.R.D. Corps will be debuting in the new Valiant Universe in Harbinger Wars #3.

I was just reading the original, chromium cover H.A.R.D. Corps #1 this weekend, and was reminded just how great of a concept this series had, and how well it could do in the present Valiant Universe if executed properly by the right creative team.

The Harbinger Active Resistance Division (or H.A.R.D. Corps) are a mercenary outfit employed by Omen Industries, a corporation with an opposing interest to those of Toyo Harada and the Harbinger Foundation.  The H.A.R.D. Corps themselves are comprised of ex-military vets who have been awakened from comatose states, and given the option to live again and work for the H.A.R.D. Corps.  They're granted Harbinger powers from a computer network named Softcore, and can use any number of powers, one at a time.  The catch is that each member of the H.A.R.D. Corps is implanted with a kill switch, that will cause their heads to explode if they are caught or go rogue.

With the war between Project Rising Spirit and the Harbinger Foundation bringing the corporate espionage of the Valiant Universe to the forefront in this crossover, it'll be very interesting to see how the H.A.R.D. Corps are going to affect this dynamic, or what role they will play.

In short, F.U.C.K. Yes, H.A.R.D. Corps!

Christian's Week in Comics 17/10/12: Marvel Point One, Harbinger #5, Captain Marvel #5

Marvel NOW! Point One
Writers: Various
Artists: Various
Marvel

So since I enjoyed Uncanny Avengers a lot more than I expected, I've decided to give some of the Marvel NOW! books a chance, starting with the latest Point One issue.  First off, holy crap. This thing cost $5.99! I don't care if it's 64 pgs. For something that is basically just a glorified Previews catalog, I'm stunned. I bought it, because I'm a sucker, but damn Marvel.

So what did I think? Well, let's just say that out of the six titles previewed in this issue, at least four are on my Watch List and two are instant buys when their first issues come out. All in all, I thought it was pretty okay.

Nick Spencer and Luke Ross' Secret Avengers story didn't interest me in the least. This didn't surprise me, as I'm no fan of Spencer's writing in general. It's an overly talky scene that tries too hard to be clever and doesn't leave me wanting more. Moving on: Bendis and McNiven's Guardians of the Galaxy teased the new origins of Peter Quill, Starlord, but didn't leave me wanting more either. Instead, it just left me wondering why Bendis is writing Marvel Cosmic stories. Hmm. Is it just me, or have the Skrull's uniforms and weapons been retconned to make them look more like the Chitauri?

A big surprise for me was Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness' take on the new, kid-friendly Nova. I was expecting to hate this, but as it turns out, it was one of my favorite stories in the book. A small, self-contained adventure with Nova squaring off against one of his predecessors enemies, Diamondhead. Loeb seems to be having fun with this character, and that exuberance also comes across in McGuiness' cartooning, which is in fine form. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I am excited for a Jeph Loeb comic.

Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Mike Norton's Young Avengers was the highlight of the issue for me. Watching Miss America throttle Kid Loki over a plate of Korean BBQ was a thing of beauty. As it stands, this is one of my most anticipated titles of the relaunch. I will buy this without hesitation.

Matt Fraction and The Allred's FF story featuring Scott Lang as Ant-Man was a tragicomic story with some great art, but the more I thought about the odd storytelling choices and character motivations, the more I decided I didn't like it as much as my first impressions suggested. Lang wants revenge at Dr. Doom for killing his daughter, and he decides to vandalize his art show? Really? I love Mike and Laura Allred's work, but Fraction is on thin ice with me. This is a wait-and-see title.

Closing out this issue was a story previewing Cable and the X-Force by Dennis Hopeless and Gabriel Hernandez Walta, which is weird, because I'm pretty sure Salvador Larocca is scheduled to be the artist on the actual series. Again, I have to admit I'm shocked. Cable and the X-Force was not a comic I was looking forward to at all, but this weird little story featuring a future-shocked Forge repairing his own broken mind (I think?) and then ending the story with Cable and his little withered arm, was a strange but pleasant little surprise. This is definitely a title I'll be looking into when it debuts in December, and I haven't been excited about Cable since I was 10.

So there you have it. At $5.99, this is a steeply priced set of Previews, but at least 65% of the book was worth it, and now I'm excited about a handful of titles that I'm now looking forward to.

Harbinger #5
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Khari Evans
Valiant

Five issues in, and I think it's safe to say that Harbinger is my favorite title of the Valiant relaunch. Everything about this book excites me. The complicated drama, the intense level of emotion poured into the characters, the awesome display of psychic powers, and the complex real-world politics that the book deals with on a regular basis.

This was the most intense, action-filled issue of Harbinger yet. Grieving and full of rage after discovering the body of his murdered friend Joe, Pete Stanchek takes the fight directly to Harada, but of course things get more complicated than that. For more of this series, I have been very critical of Pete's actions and have found him to be a very selfish and destructive character. And yet, when he tells Harada, "the thing you've never understood about me Harada, [is] I was born to die" struck me as such a tragic statement that completely underscores where Pete is coming from.

As a person who has spent most of his life in institutions and struggling to survive in poverty on the streets, Pete's entire life has been one of desperate, leading towards death. He's never really known love (except when he forced Kris to love him), and barely knows how to respond to basic kindness. Pete is a damaged person, but he isn't worthless and he can't just be used like some pawn on a giant chess board. Pete's always known that life was a brutal game and he's been on the losing team since birth.

That's a long way of saying you should definitely be reading Harbinger. It is one of the best comics on the stands currently, and is more essential and relevant than anything being currently published by Marvel or DC.

Captain Marvel #5
Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick 
Artist: Emma Rios
Marvel

I was very critical of the first issue of the relaunched Captain Marvel series. Unfairly so. I am happy to report that this comic has been steadily improving with every issue. This issue continues where the last one left off, with Carol Danvers trapped in the past and trying to befriend her hero, who sees her more as competition than a comrade. The writing in this book has gotten much better. The rhetoric I complained of in the first issue has been toned down considerably, but this book is no less about women kicking ass in World War II. It's awesome.

Another improvement in this issue is the art by Emma Rios. Hers is the kind of expressive, impressionist art I'd expect more from an Image book than a Marvel comic. I love it, with one caveat: what the hell is wrong with Carol's face? Seriously. I am over the costume. I think the costume is bad-ass. Seeing photos of people cosplaying in the new Captain Marvel suit convinced me that it is an improvement over the Ms. Marvel getup. Seriously though, Carol's face in this issue is messed up.

I've been reading comics with a domino-mask wearing Danvers for years, and I never had a hard time recognizing her face. In this issue, there were several times when I lost track of who the hell she was. I understand that each artist wants to put their own individual stamp on the character, I get that, but at least try to make the character's facial features somewhat consistent with past appearances.

These minor gripes aside, this was a pretty good book, and makes me hope that someone at Marvel Studios has plans for Carol Danvers. I would love to see Captain Marvel in Avengers 2 or Guardians of the Galaxy.

Advance Review: Harbinger #3

Harbinger #3
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artists: Khari Evans & Lewis Larosa
Colours: Iain Hannin
August 15, 2012
Valiant

The first two issues of Harbinger have been very good at establishing Peter Stanchek as a character and  setting up the events that have created both his personality, and the world around him. These issues have introduced readers to the modern life of a psychologically unstable youth with incredible psychic abilities, and we have seen first hand what can happen when he uses those powers irresponsibly.

Issue #3 finally introduces us to the Harbinger Foundation, to Toyo Harada and his vision of the world, and to what happens when a young harbinger like Peter Stanchek is discovered by Harada and his vast international network.

Joshua Dysart has done an excellent job in updating Harbinger to fit our modern context, a period of 21st century late-capitalism, when corporate control over our daily lives far exceeds government intervention. When Peter snidely remarks to Harada that he wasn't aware he was escaping his life on the run just to work for a corporation, Harada tells Peter matter of factly, "we're not a corporation Peter, we're a culture," and it struck me as the single-most insightful thing I've read in a comic book in months, if not this year.

More than any other writer currently working for Marvel or DC, Dysart seems to appreciate just how outmoded the old paradigm of the individual vs. the corporation is in a world where corporations like Apple and Google control not only the dissemination and consumption of mass media, but are incorporated by individuals as defining factors of their personalities. These companies influence more than our lives, they influence how we think about ourselves, the construction of our very identity, and conversely, how we relate to other people with similar brand identifications. Apple and Google know that they have become lifestyle brands, and Dysart knows this as well.

Dysart and Evans recognize the impact these kinds of corporations have had on our society since the initial Harbinger series, and it shows in their representation of Harada and his network of corporate interests, from his goal of species cohesion (which sounds vaguely like Rupert Murdoch's crypto-fascist delcaration of "all media are one") to the branding of the world's most popular search engine as "Toyo." This series has officially raised the bar for any comic book series looking to tackle the individual vs. the corporation story.

Clearly, this is thought-provoking stuff, but is it any fun to read? Thankfully I can say without reservation that yes, this book is full of excitement and this issue gives us a real taste of the kind of full-on psychic battles I'm sure we'll be seeing more of as this series progresses. Khari Evans art has been improving with each issue, and this issue reached the highlight of the series thus far when he depicted a fight between an angry Peter and the assistant instructor of the Harbinger school.

It was a short, but satisfying battle between two psychics, and I can't wait to see more combat like this in upcoming issues.The action was flashy and electric but maintained a level of plausibility throughout, and it was easily more engaging than any fight between Marvel's heroes that I've read lately.

I should also mention that Lewis Larosa's art, seen in the flashback scene depicted in this preview, is a sight to behold. It fits the tone of Dysart's writing so well in this scene, and I hope that he continues to be a part of this book because I want to see more art this good.

Which brings me to another point, which I'm sure you'll hear from other writers: this is how a comic book about teenagers with powers should read. There hasn't been a New Mutants, Teen Titans, or equivalent teenage superhero book this good in years.

If you ever liked the concept of teenagers learning to use their powers responsibly and have taken that premise seriously, then you need to read Harbinger.

As a fan  of the original series from the 90s, I was cautiously optimistic that this reincarnation would live up to its predecessor, but if this series continues to be this good I am confident in saying that the new Harbinger will surpass the original in terms of overall quality.

This is a thought-provoking, frequently challenging work of art that like another comic I'm really enjoying these days, Saga, makes just about everything else in the mainstream comics biz look like it was produced by rank amateurs.

There is so much more I want to say about this book, but I want you to discover it for yourself. If you've held off on Valiant or this series so far, head to your local comics shop this Wednesday or go to Comixology and buy the first three issues of this series right now.

If you enjoy mature stories in realistic settings that deal with contemporary issues like the ones I've described above, then you will love Harbinger.

Don't make me use my mind powers on you.

Harbinger #2

Harbinger #2
"Omega Rising: Part Two"
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Khari Evans with Lewis LaRosa
Colours: Ian Hannin with Moose Baumann
July 11, 2012,
Valiant

Okay. As with my review of Bloodshot #1, to even speak about what was good about this issue of Harbinger is going to require some Spoilers. You have been warned.


Like the beginning of Harbinger #1, this issue opens with another memory of Toyo Harada's. This time, Harada is older, and is in Dharavi, Mumbai, India to investigate the birth of young harbinger; one with the power to make you relive your worst memories, more powerfully than when you first experienced them.

After a powerful scene involving a memory that gives us some important context to understanding Harada as a character, the plot picks up where Issue #1 left off with Pete, Kris, and Joe surrounded by armed soldiers from a mysterious organization being led (or coordinated) by the Mr. Tull, whose memories have been erased countless times by Pete.

Harada, speaking to Pete through his mind and using his powers to convince everyone that he is a dog, refuses to help Pete unless he unleashes his powers on the soldiers. Pete relents, and we see just how out of control of his own abilities Pete is as he is unable to calm down after injuring, and possibly killing, dozens of soldiers with his mind alone. Fans of Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira will find a lot to like about this issue of Harbinger.

Khari Evans' art has really improved with this issue, and he completely nails the realistic, modern day look and feel that this title aspires to. Unlike the debut issue, there are no panels with unclear or obscure depictions of what is happening. Everything in this comic made sense, from the character reactions and motivations to what was being depicted in the panels. The flashback scene involving Harada was especially well done. Likewise, Ian Hannin and Moose Bauman deserve their credits for the really great lighting and colour effects in this book.

I had just one issue with the production of this book: the lettering of the sound effects. I know. I know. This is the most nitpicky thing to criticize, but compared to the rest of the lettering in the book, the bright green, yellow, and red lettering of the sound effects just looks amateurish and cartoony, and detracts from the otherwise realistic style of the book.

This issue clarified a number of questions raised in the first. For example, not only do we learn what organization Mr. Tull and his soldiers represent, and what their motives are, Spoilers we learn enough about what happened between Kris and Pete in the first issue to reasonably suggest that if Pete did not actually use his powers to rape Kris, she was definitely sexually assaulted by him. Personally, I think her cries of "What did you do to me?...I'll kill you!...I'm going to cut your balls off you son-of-a-bitch!" pretty much says it all. End Spoilers. 


As a fan of the original Harbinger comics from the early 90s, I love the direction that Joshua Dysart and co. are taking this series, and cannot wait to see what happens when Pete is transported to the Harbinger Foundation in the next issue. 

Harbinger #2 is a very good follow up to a great debut. If you like superhero comics that deal with mature themes and are grounded in unflinching realism, I cannot recommend this title enough. Fans of Marvel's Ultimate Universe looking for something outside the House of Ideas, this is your book.