Harbinger Vol. 4: Perfect Day

The fourth volume of Harbinger follows what happens to the group after the Harbinger Wars event. The Harbinger kids have been captured by Toyo Harada along with the Generation Zero kids from Project Rising Spirit.  Monica Jim plays a pretty central role in this volume as one of the P.R.S. kids her unique power is amazing & hopefully will set up some cool stuff in the future.  From the beginning of this book we think that Peter & the gang are all out in L.A. relaxing & laying low after the events that took place in Las Vegas but everything is not what it seems.  Everybody is a prisoner of the Harbinger Foundation & put in a dream like state.  There are some great character moments in this book between Charlene, Kris, Torkelson & Faith.  Kris however steals the show because she is the first to kind of figure out that something is wrong.  Animalia aka Monica has her little creations break her out of the dream.  There is a nice coyote road runner adventure that she goes on which was a great laugh in the way it was executed.  In this book Toyo Harada comes close to death through his own pride & arrogance.  I am looking forward to where this goes next but one thing is for sure the Harbinger kids are ready for some payback.

Harbinger Vol. 3: Harbinger Wars

Still tied into Harbinger Wars this third volume of Harbinger is almost all flashback to an early confrontation between Toyo Harada & Project Rising Spirit.  There are really two different stories being told here the first of which is between a young Harada & the director of Project Rising Spirit, the second is set during present day & shows how the Renegades proceeded to Las Vegas & what trouble they got into along the way.  This is really the first time they have functioned as a team the previous volume was finding & activating them.  The way this is written I really have to sympathize with Harada he's not an out an out villain instead he is a lot like Magneto for Marvel Comics & the Renegades are like the X-Men without Xavier.  I like where this is going it was a great compliment to Harbinger Wars.

Bloodshot Vol. 3: Harbinger Wars

This volume of Bloodshot gives a detailed account of Bloodshot's journey from his showdown with Toyo Harada to the Harbinger War in Las Vegas.  Bloodshot has a lot of inner dialog with the nanites that control the healing in his body.  This explains how he regenerates after the battle with Harada.  Kuretich chooses a side & pays for his choice in this volume.  Bloodshot gives Kara an out in this volume which explains why she is not seen in the main Harbinger Wars book.  The final showdown between Bloodshot & Harada takes place in this book & sets up where Bloodshot is going after this event.  

Harbinger Wars

This is the first major crossover in the new Valiant Universe.  This is basically the big showdown between the Harbinger Foundation & Project Rising Spirit with Bloodshot, several new psiots & the Renegades caught in the middle.  This is a great little crossover its only four issues it builds directly off of the events in Bloodshot Vol. 2.  Project Rising Spirit is almost decimated by Bloodshot & is looking at a hail marry attempt to contain the situation by unleashing the H.A.R.D. Corps.  One of the major questions that has been lingering since the beginning can Harada be injured or is he just too powerful,  well Bloodshot can certainly hurt him.  By the end of this event some characters are dead & the balance of power has shifted more in one direction for psiots plus Toyo Harada is still anonymous when it comes to the Harbinger Foundation's true purpose for the global landscape.

Harbinger Vol. 2: Renegades

Peter & Faith have taken the fight to Harada in with a vengeance.  Not only has Peter found out that Harada has been playing him but he takes out one of the Harbinger recruiters & then starts going after potentials himself.  By the end of this volume the Renegades have assembled just in time for the Harbinger War.  The new recruits that Peter is going after are outcast like himself but they help ground him & give him a purpose in life.  One of the mysteries going forward is who or what is the Rising Spirit?  This second volume has officially blown the first book out of the water.

Harbinger Vol. 1: Omega Rising

This is another good effort by Valiant Comics but not there best in my opinion I compared to X-O Manowar & Archer & Armstrong.  By the end of this volume though I was excited to see where this story is heading & how it is similar to X-Men in a way.  This title definitely has potential though & could truly be the book that Valiant shapes their universe around.