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Review: The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada #2

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The deadly campaign of the most powerful psiot in the Valiant Universe continues! 

In the present: Toyo Harada finds himself and The Foundation Zone under attack by a coalition of world governments, as one of his own teammates begins to turn on him. In the past: Toyo Harada escapes Japan aboard a fishing vessel, and sets sail for the new world.

Lightening struck with the first issue of The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada, and while I obviously hoped to be shocked through my bones again when opening this issue, I was prepared to be a touch let down. I honestly wasn’t prepared to be hit once again with a bolt from the skies. That the comic opens amidst a raging storm, complete with some incredibly atmospheric artwork, was nothing but a wonderful coincidence.

The opening to the second issue is breathtaking in what it achieves within a handful of pages. Joshua Dysart explores blind faith in a messianic figure, the insignificance of man and the frailty of the human condition as a Toyo Harada becomes aware of what he’s going to be capable of.

I’ve honestly read this book three times since I’ve had a digital copy in my inbox, and each time the comic drew my attention in more completely than the last

Toyo Harada is the kind of character that doesn’t come around often, and when they do, they’re always divisively popular as they begin to make one question whether they are truly villainous or merely driven by their goals. Harada was often framed as the villain in Harbinger, though one can argue that was simply because of the side of the story we were following, rather than the character being evil (again, there’s the divisive aspect of the man – there are more times than not that I find myself agreeing with his goals, but not always his methods). As Alan Moore wrote in Watchmen “I understand. Without condoning or condemning, I understand.”

This is a complicated character who lives in the moral and ethical grey area, and Joshua Dysart doesn’t tell you how to feel about Harada; allowing the reader to come to their own determination as to whether he’s the hero, villain or somewhere in between. It’s this decision to allow you to form your own opinion, or to reinforce an already formed opinion, that’s a personal highlight.

Artistically, this book is just as wonderful as the first issue. Cafu is joined this issue by Butch Guice, and the two artists create a visual epic that dances between the deepest of human emotions and the serenity of unaided flight. There’s honestly very little about this issue that I can fault (and even that would be a stretch at this point), because between the artistic team and Dysart, Valiant have published the second issue in a pretty freaking amazing series.

Although it’s still (probably) too early to call this series a masterpiece, I’m getting a lot closer to using that word as an actual descriptor for this book. The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada is a series to make other publishers jealous.

Story: Joshua Dysart Art: Cafu with Butch Guice
Colours: Andrew Dalhouse and Dan Brown Letters: Dave Sharpe
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided a FREE copy for review, but this is a book I’ll be buying when it hits the racks.

Review: The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada #1

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The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada #1

The Atomic Age. 

Eisner Award-nominated writer Joshua Dysart returns to the Valiant Universe to continue crafting Toyo Harada’s controversial mission to save humanity from itself. Presented in an oversized format and featuring a lineup of all-star artists, including Mico Suayan, CAFU, and more, The Life and Death of Toyo Harada will place the planet’s most powerful man in the spotlight as he strives to control the course of history. But with the menacing mastermind’s resources dwindling after the downfall of the Harbinger Foundation and a target on his head, will the formidable psiot re-emerge as humanity’s greatest hero…or its most dangerous villain?

There are moments in a comics reviewer’s life when he must remember that he’s supposed to think critically about a comic. One of those moments came about five minutes after finishing this book and after staring at the screen digesting the pages that had just been read, and the only possible thing that can be held against The Life and Death of Toyo Harada #1 is that if you aren’t slightly familiar with the character’s story, specifically the events of Harbinger and Imperium then this book may not have the same impact on you. I say “slightly familiar” because I haven’t finished Imperium myself, and it has been far too long since I read Harbinger (though the collected editions are next to me waiting to be read for an upcoming, or old because it will have already been published, Underrated column), and I was still able to get lost in the first issue.

Toyo Harada is the kind of character that doesn’t come around often. He was often framed as the villain in Harbinger, though one can argue that was simply because of the side of the story we were following, rather than the character being evil. Indeed, the more I read about and the more I read that featured Harada, the more I began to question whether he was really a villain verses a hero with questionable methods. During the opening of this comic you’re able to make the same determination as we get glimpses of Harada’s life in the moments and years after the bombing of Hiroshima, so if you’re unfamiliar with the character you’re able to get a good feel for who he is and what he’s capable of without spending days reading back issues (although I would recommend you do this if you’re able).

That said, the review copy I read didn’t have a recap page, but the full print issue may very well have one, in which case bump the final score up a little.

This is a complicated character who lives in the moral and ethical grey area, and Joshua Dysart doesn’t tell you how to feel about Harada; allowing the reader to come to their own determination as to whether he’s the hero, villain or somewhere in between. It’s this decision to allow you to form your own opinion, or to reinforce an already formed opinion, that’s a personal highlight.

Artistically, to borrow a baseball term, the book is a four run homer. Or something – baseball was never really my jam (hockey, however, is another story). When Cafu‘s name is attached to a comic, you know the art will be fantastic – the same is also true for Mico Suayan. Between the two artists, there’s a dynamic visual one-two punch that will leave you reeling as we move from Hiroshima before and after the bomb to the far reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. It’s a visually impressive book that doesn’t let your eyes rest for a moment. There are details in the comic that may take a second read to discover (the subtle nod to a certain Marvelous metal manipulator, a character with whom Harada shares some moral similarities, springs to mind), and some page layouts that are really fun to behold.

Although it’s still too early to call this series a masterpiece, if the quality remains consistent for the next five issues, then I won’t have any hesitation in doing so. Is it the best place to start reading about Toyo Harada? Probably not, but this is a shining light on 2019 the comic book landscape, and firmly establishes the miniseries as a solid early contender for this reviewer’s Best of 2019 list.

Story: Joshua Dysart Art: Cafu and Mico Suayan
Colours: Andrew Dalhouse Letters: Dave Sharpe
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided a FREE copy for review, but this is a book I’ll be buying when it hits the racks.

Advance Review: The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada #1

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The Life And Death Of Toyo Harada #1

The Atomic Age. 

Eisner Award-nominated writer Joshua Dysart returns to the Valiant Universe to continue crafting Toyo Harada’s controversial mission to save humanity from itself. Presented in an oversized format and featuring a lineup of all-star artists, including Mico Suayan, CAFU, and more, The Life and Death of Toyo Harada will place the planet’s most powerful man in the spotlight as he strives to control the course of history. But with the menacing mastermind’s resources dwindling after the downfall of the Harbinger Foundation and a target on his head, will the formidable psiot re-emerge as humanity’s greatest hero…or its most dangerous villain?

There are moments in a comics reviewer’s life when he must remember that he’s supposed to think critically about a comic. One of those moments came about five minutes after finishing this book and after staring at the screen digesting the pages that had just been read, and the only possible thing that can be held against The Life and Death of Toyo Harada #1 is that if you aren’t slightly familiar with the character’s story, specifically the events of Harbinger and Imperium then this book may not have the same impact on you. I say “slightly familiar” because I haven’t finished Imperium myself, and it has been far too long since I read Harbinger (though the collected editions are next to me waiting to be read for an upcoming, or old because it will have already been published, Underrated column), and I was still able to get lost in the first issue.

Toyo Harada is the kind of character that doesn’t come around often. He was often framed as the villain in Harbinger, though one can argue that was simply because of the side of the story we were following, rather than the character being evil. Indeed, the more I read about and the more I read that featured Harada, the more I began to question whether he was really a villain verses a hero with questionable methods. During the opening of this comic you’re able to make the same determination as we get glimpses of Harada’s life in the moments and years after the bombing of Hiroshima, so if you’re unfamiliar with the character you’re able to get a good feel for who he is and what he’s capable of without spending days reading back issues (although I would recommend you do this if you’re able).

That said, the review copy I read didn’t have a recap page, but the full print issue may very well have one, in which case bump the final score up a little.

This is a complicated character who lives in the moral and ethical grey area, and Joshua Dysart doesn’t tell you how to feel about Harada; allowing the reader to come to their own determination as to whether he’s the hero, villain or somewhere in between. It’s this decision to allow you to form your own opinion, or to reinforce an already formed opinion, that’s a personal highlight.

Artistically, to borrow a baseball term, the book is a four run homer. Or something – baseball was never really my jam (hockey, however, is another story). When Cafu‘s name is attached to a comic, you know the art will be fantastic – the same is also true for Mico Suayan. Between the two artists, there’s a dynamic visual one-two punch that will leave you reeling as we move from Hiroshima before and after the bomb to the far reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. It’s a visually impressive book that doesn’t let your eyes rest for a moment. There are details in the comic that may take a second read to discover (the subtle nod to a certain Marvelous metal manipulator, a character with whom Harada shares some moral similarities, springs to mind), and some page layouts that are really fun to behold.

Although it’s still too early to call this series a masterpiece, if the quality remains consistent for the next five issues, then I won’t have any hesitation in doing so. Is it the best place to start reading about Toyo Harada? Probably not, but this is a shining light on 2019 the comic book landscape, and firmly establishes the miniseries as a solid early contender for this reviewer’s Best of 2019 list.

The comic comes to shelves March 13, 2019.

Story: Joshua Dysart Art: Cafu and Mico Suayan
Colours: Andrew Dalhouse Letters: Dave Sharpe
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided a FREE copy for review, but this is a book I’ll be buying when it hits the racks.

Underrated: Harbinger

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This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: the comic book publisher Harbinger

When Valiant Entertainment relaunched in 2012, one of the four books that the publisher started with was Harbinger. Arguably one of Valiant’s signature books, the original series launched in the 90’s with the publisher’s first incarnation. I have never read the 90’s series in full, but have dabbled in an issue here or there (specifically the two that contained chapters of the multi-book crossover Unity). I have, however, read the entirety of the modern Harbinger run, and own a smattering of individual comics and the three deluxe hardcovers containing the story; Harbinger Deluxe Edition One, Harbinger  Deluxe Edition  Two and Harbinger Wars 
Deluxe Edition. The latter also contains four issues of Bloodshot that tie into the Harbinger Wars miniseries – also four issues. The series is also collected in trade paperback as well (though I have no idea how many volumes). I realize I’m rambling at this point, so I’ll get back on to the subject at hand.

It would be easy to compare Harbinger to the various X-Men comics Marvel has released through the years; both feature teenagers with powers originating from a a genetic difference (although Valiant’s psiots need to be activated through risky painful procedures or times of extreme stress whereas Marvel’s mutants just need to hit puberty), and both have a villain character who is more complicated than you would initially expect. While the comparison is justified, it also does a disservice to the Harbinger comics to write them off as another publisher’s X-Men imitation.

Especially because Joshua Dysart’s run on the series (which also include Imperium, which I have inexplicably not finished yet) deals with some really interesting concepts that you don’t often find elsewhere. It’s for this reason that I hold his run as some of the very best team based comics that been published in the last ten years (honestly, I’d also go so far as to say that I’ve ever read).

The characters are wonderfully deep and complex, some are flawed and broken, searching for a redemption that may never come; others are desperately trying to make the world a better place no matter the cost; one wants to destroy a shadowy organization that may or may not have more worldly influence than they should regardless of the cost; and one wants to be a bonafide superhero in a world in which right and wrong and good and evil are not always on the same side. The series, at its most simple description, can be boiled down to two incredibly power psiots, Peter Stanchek and Toyo Harada having a disagreement, and at the outset you know who fills the typical hero/villain positions, but after a few issues you’ll begin to question who you should root for.

Should you root for anyone?

Dysart’s story is a wondrous thing. In giving us a gripping and emotional tale about people who just happen to be caught up in events, people who are just reacting – and not always well – to the stimuli around them, some of whom are super powered, he also leaves us questioning the traditional role of the hero and villain. Much like Magneto and Professor X were allegories for Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 60’s, Stanchek and Harada represent the world we live in today; shades of grey where ethically and morally questionable decisions are made by the people we’re supposed to hold in high esteem. Dysart uses these characters to remind us that beneath the power, the people we follow are just as flawed as the next person. Stanchek, with his position as a hero within the book, has made some pretty fucking awful decisions – ones where forgiveness shouldn’t be given lightly – but then is Harada any better?

We’re only scratching the surface here (and honestly, only the first trade or so if you’re going the non-deluxe route), and Dysart doesn’t let up throughout the run. His writing will educate you, encouraging you to think and develop yourself all while delivering one of the greatest stories in comics.

I don’t mean to discount the artistic contributions to the book, and it may seem that I have, but Harbinger, like almost every Valiant book, features some consistently brilliant artwork by artists, colourists and letterers that will have you asking why you hadn’t heard of them before (since the series wrapped, some have gone on to become more familiar to comic fans in general). I remember reading the comics for the first time and being in awe of what I was seeing; Harbinger remains one of the only series which I have framed on my wall simply because the interlocking covers to issues 7-10 by Mico Suayan are so damn pretty.

The art more than balances the story, which is an impressive feat.

This series is the subject of today’s Underrated because I had forgotten how amazing it was until I sat down and read the full run in almost a single sitting. And I realized that I seldom hear people talk about Valiant’s Harbinger comics, or Toyo Harada. With one of the most complex and interesting characters in the medium getting a six issue miniseries this year, I hope that changes.

Do yourselves a favour, add The Life and Death of Toyo Harada to your pull list now. Preorder the series because, and I say this after having read the first issue already, it’s going to be amazing.

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