We get a new title coming out from Valiant Comics, The Harbinger. Well, not ‘new’ exactly. The Harbinger has been the flagship title for Valiant since 1992. A fascinating question posited in this story is “ Can you make the world better if you can’t be better?” I’m not familiar with this story or title but I’m looking forward to reading this new iteration going forward.
Reading the press sample, the main character seems to have super powers. We don’t know yet whether he’s a hero or villain. On page one, he wakes up with amnesia as he recounts this experience to a second party. My first impression was that this second party is a therapist or confidante of some sort but after a moment that seems less likely the case. So far, he seems to have the power of flight and I’m sure super strength as well. The name Harbinger is of course ominous, and the conversation between the two voices becomes less than friendly so, the potential conflicts we could see stemming from this moment can a lot of fun and pretty interesting.
The art has a unique aesthetic. The style is closer to a pseudo-realism but the coloring isn’t what we would call ‘usual’. Much of the lighting among the backgrounds use more yellow and greens while we have darker blueish purple contrasted with brighter pink to convey an uncomfortable sensation within the main character as his powers are trying to manifest. I get that this pallet may be just used in this instance as the dialogue is expressing thoughts in the past tense but I’m digging the colors indecently of the overall art style. That said, the overall art style is exceptional in and of itself. The colors certainly add to the experience but the storytelling holds its own.
There are going to be a few different variant covers available for this one. Three beside a blank cover, a 1/250 Metal cover by Robbi Rodriguez and Travis Escarfullery, and pre-order cover by Damion Scott. The pre-order deadline is October 4th. The Harbinger #1 hits newsstands October 27th at $3.99. Call your local comic book guy today!
