With The Renegade and his Psiot army on the loose in Psiot City, can The Harbinger recover in time to protect the city? If Faith and the others fall, what will become of Chicago and The Harbinger’s legacy? And if that’s not enough, wait until you get to the shocker at the end of The Harbinger #7!

When issue seven left us with The Harbinger being shot in the head, I was really curious about how writers Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing would continue the story from that point; would there be a reunification of the two Peter Stancheks, would the bullet have actually bounced off a hastily erected mind shield, or was it just a glancing blow? The answer to the last two is quickly given as The Harbinger is shown with his mind spreading out on the in an ever widening redness.

The Harbinger #7’s primary conflict comes in the form of Faith taking down the psiot who shot the Harbinger whilst the good Stanchek’s friends do their damndest to pick him up from the edge of death to fight again. It’s a tense book, and the art style of Robbie Rodriguez and Rico Renzi (artist and colourist respectively) and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou only enhances this. Granted, there are times when the visuals aren’t super clear in depicting what’s occurring on the page, but this is actually works in the book’s favour in adding to the panicked moments as the Harbinger’s brain slowly leaves his skull. It’s oddly rewarding to have to decipher the pages at times, spending that extra second to understand and then appreciate the visual design (and I’m saying it this way, “visual design”, because Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering is an integral part of how this book looks, and I want to recognize that specifically).

Kelly, Lanzing et al are certainly consistent issue to issue, and because of that you can always expect at the very least a good comic. The series has had its moments of brilliance, but when it’s not delivering those it’s still a damn fine read. The visual design may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s certainly a style I’m enjoying. The Harbinger may not be my favourite Valiant book on the racks right now, but it’s a step above some of the offerings we’ve had from the publisher over the last year.

Story: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing Art: Robbie Rodriguez
Colours: Rico Renzi Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

The high flying Faith Herbert confronts her past face to face with the Harbinger himself, Peter Stanchek, as the war for Chicago begins and none other than Psiot City is first in the line of fire! Peter now must learn from the past that had been stolen from him and stand alongside his friends put a stop to The Renegade and Blam. But as the battle just begins with Psiots everywhere being targeted, is it already too late to save the day? 

The Harbinger #6 picks up from where the previous issue left off, with Peter Stanchek being knocked to the floor by Faith, as if there wasn’t a beat missed (when you read this is trade, you’re gonna have a hard time delineating where the issues begin and end, but that’s not relevant here). Co-writers Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing take some time to reacquaint readers with Faith, with Stanchek remembering her love of all things geek culture in his narration boxes. The comic is actually fairly text heavy, which slows the speed a little but oddly give me a nostalgic feeling as the amount of reading in the issue is reminiscent of comics from thirty odd years ago; back when we used to walk to school uphill both ways in a blizzard in the middle of May, comics had a lot more story to them than they typically do today. The Harbinger #6 evokes those nostalgic feels because it is text heavy without it overwhelming the art work.

Robbie Rodriguez and Rico Renzi (artist and colourist respectively) and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou have a very distinct look for the comic, and personally I’m a fan. I enjoy the line work and the detail in the character’s faces and hair; there’s nothing overly complicated about the artwork, but it’s elegant in the scratchiness. With The Harbinger #6. once again the writers make this comic feel interconnected with the rest of the Valiant Universe, giving the book a very uniting sense both in and out of the story as Peter Stanchek tries to pull together Psiot City despite the best efforts of those opposed to him.

Ultimately this is another really solid entry to the series, and while it won’t set the world on fire, it’s checking every box of a good comic.

Story: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing Art: Robbie Rodriguez
Colours: Rico Renzi Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Peter Stanchek’s mission to “Be Better” as The Harbinger has emboldened him to become the hero he never thought he could be, but he’s attracted even more attention to his actions as a result. Both good and bad! As a monstrous behemoth tears through the city demanding Peter’s attention and testing his strength like never before, a certain high flying hero is furiously rushing in that will shock Peter to his core! The Harbinger #5 is one fans don’t want to miss!

The Harbinger #5 begins a new era for the new Peter Stanchek as he attempts to use his fresh start, free of his old memories, to embrace becoming a bonafide super hero by the name of the Harbinger. The comic opens up with a montage of people affected by his evil doppelgänger, the Renegade (my understanding is that the Harbinger and the Renegade are two sides of the same coin – literally) as he activates new Psiots and lets them run loose only for the Harbinger to do his superhero thing. Co-writers Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing spend the first dozen or so pages highlighting how the Peter Stanchek underneath the Harbinger’s mask is very different than who we’ve seen before, but there are similarities there; the need and desire for solace and solitude drove the old Stanchek to live in space at one point, although now he just wants to be in his apartment alone.

Robbie Rodriguez and Rico Renzi (artist and colourist respectively) and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou continue to give a relatively unique aesthetic to the comic, piling on a ton of detail and pulling the text into panels that deliver mini snippets of story for the psiots featured. We also see the Harbinger continue to try to avoid conflict, which But it’s the introduction of Faith that had me grinning from ear to ear when Faith, reacting poorly to somebody pretending to be Peter Stanchek, starts to throw the Harbinger around with casual ease. The casual narration throughout the scene didn’t match what was happening on the page, as the creative team show for perhaps the first time just how tough Faith can be. It was a fun twist to see a character known for her geeky side becoming a proverbial beast.

The Harbinger #5 keeps the series chugging along at a consistent quality – but what gives it the extra little steam whistle is that Kelly and Lanzing keep referring back to previous events which serves to remind readers that the Valiant Universe is all interconnected. This is something that Valiant’s books have been missing of late, and so it’s refreshing to see familiar faces and be reminded of events I read years ago, which makes this book another check in the win column.

Story: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing Art: Robbie Rodriguez
Colours: Rico Renzi Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.7 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.6 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW