What do you think?
Rate this book
Harbinger (2012)
Harbinger, Vol. 1: Omega Rising
Super-powered teenager Peter Stanchek is on a dangerous path. Skipping across the country in a desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of the authorities, Peter is quickly realizing that he's a psionically-charged "harbinger" with the potential to reshape the course of human history. But Peter's plight has not gone unnoticed. Respected philanthropist and fellow harbinger, Toyo Harada, is about to offer Peter the chance at the things for which the boy has always longed - family, inner peace, self-control - and induct him into the sprawling, secret network of conspiracy and subversion known as the Harbinger Foundation. Now, Peter begins his long road towards a destiny that will shake the very foundations of the Valiant Universe. His first lesson? All power comes with a price!
By New York Times best-selling author Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier), acclaimed artists Khari Evans (Carbon Grey) and Lewis Larosa (PunisherMAX), this is the perfect place to catch up with the series that Comic Book Resources calls "superheroes at its best."
Collecting: Harbinger 1-5
By New York Times best-selling author Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier), acclaimed artists Khari Evans (Carbon Grey) and Lewis Larosa (PunisherMAX), this is the perfect place to catch up with the series that Comic Book Resources calls "superheroes at its best."
Collecting: Harbinger 1-5
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 9, 2013
20 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Dysart
389 books95 followersI write comic books, graphic novels and novels. I'm a three time Eisner nominee, two time Glyph award winner, New York Times bestseller, a recipient of The Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year award, and have been in competition twice at Angoulême.
I've worked on Hellboy, Swamp Thing, & Conan the Barbarian; I co-wrote a graphic novel with Neil Young; I helped restart Valiant Entertainment; and I've done on-the-ground research in Uganda (2007), Iraq (2014), & South Sudan (2016), writting graphic novels about war and famine in those regions.
Goodnight Paradise came out in 2018 with long time co-creator Alberto Ponticelli and is a murder mystery set in the houseless population of Venice Beach, Ca.
My first novel (novella - it's only 100 pages) has dropped. It combines my love of slasher horror, Agatha Christie fair-play mysteries, construction sites, and bugs. It's called BROOD X. Buy it wherever trash genre books are sold!
I've worked on Hellboy, Swamp Thing, & Conan the Barbarian; I co-wrote a graphic novel with Neil Young; I helped restart Valiant Entertainment; and I've done on-the-ground research in Uganda (2007), Iraq (2014), & South Sudan (2016), writting graphic novels about war and famine in those regions.
Goodnight Paradise came out in 2018 with long time co-creator Alberto Ponticelli and is a murder mystery set in the houseless population of Venice Beach, Ca.
My first novel (novella - it's only 100 pages) has dropped. It combines my love of slasher horror, Agatha Christie fair-play mysteries, construction sites, and bugs. It's called BROOD X. Buy it wherever trash genre books are sold!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
September 26, 2018
I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this!
Thing is, it's basically the same old story that we've all heard a thousand times:
Tough street kid - has special powers - hunted by the government- gets taken in by a (good/evil?) organization - stuff 'n things happen - hijinks ensue.
So, yeah. Even though I've seen this before, I was still turning the (digital) pages with an intensity that shocked me. Good stuff!
Looking forward to the next volume!
Thing is, it's basically the same old story that we've all heard a thousand times:
Tough street kid - has special powers - hunted by the government- gets taken in by a (good/evil?) organization - stuff 'n things happen - hijinks ensue.
So, yeah. Even though I've seen this before, I was still turning the (digital) pages with an intensity that shocked me. Good stuff!
Looking forward to the next volume!
September 4, 2019
The X-Men if they were started by Magneto. Toyo Harada is the most powerful man in the world, both financial and physical with his psiot powers that the public isn't aware of. He's become aware of Peter, a psiot to rival himself with mental health issues. Peter is being hunted by another organization, Project Rising Spirit from over in Bloodshot. Peter comes to Toyo's school for help where there may be more going on.
What I like about this book is everyone's flawed. Both sides make terrible choices. Peter may even be too flawed at the start. He does some awful things that are difficult to get past. Toyo is an end justifies the means type guy who thinks he and his Harbingers are the only hope to save humanity from itself.
The only thing subpar about this was the art. Khari Evans draws everyone as if they just smelled a fart. His art does get better as time goes on though. He's worked on a ton of Valiant books since this.
Note: If you have ever wondered the best order to read all of Valiant's comics in, here it is. https://www.reddit.com/r/valiant/wiki...
What I like about this book is everyone's flawed. Both sides make terrible choices. Peter may even be too flawed at the start. He does some awful things that are difficult to get past. Toyo is an end justifies the means type guy who thinks he and his Harbingers are the only hope to save humanity from itself.
The only thing subpar about this was the art. Khari Evans draws everyone as if they just smelled a fart. His art does get better as time goes on though. He's worked on a ton of Valiant books since this.
Note: If you have ever wondered the best order to read all of Valiant's comics in, here it is. https://www.reddit.com/r/valiant/wiki...
April 11, 2017
Wow just wow.
I Read X-O Manowar, a completely different writer, but I get the same feeling here. It seems Valiant books have taken old ideas with an adult theme and executed in a more modern and realistic twist.
This book explores the Harbingers. It doesn't state they are mutants, but that's basically what they are.
They have a professor X esque guy who is trying to change the world for the better by recruiting these mutants, but turns out when he recruits someone more powerful than him, Peter, his loyal followers betray him.
Peter is only a boy but has immense power and goes about recruting people to his own cause. Stopping this corporate mongul.
Love the execution and adult theme throughout. I just hope the rest are like this.
I Read X-O Manowar, a completely different writer, but I get the same feeling here. It seems Valiant books have taken old ideas with an adult theme and executed in a more modern and realistic twist.
This book explores the Harbingers. It doesn't state they are mutants, but that's basically what they are.
They have a professor X esque guy who is trying to change the world for the better by recruiting these mutants, but turns out when he recruits someone more powerful than him, Peter, his loyal followers betray him.
Peter is only a boy but has immense power and goes about recruting people to his own cause. Stopping this corporate mongul.
Love the execution and adult theme throughout. I just hope the rest are like this.
August 15, 2013
Peter Stanchek is a teenager on the run from shadowy government types who want him because he can make people do what he wants with his mind! He’s a super-powerful psychic who’s also being head-hunted by the leader of a secret school for psychics, who’s also a powerful psychic himself, and neither groups are particularly friendly to poor Peter. But Peter’s powers are growing by the day and, according to a monk that continually bleeds, he is... the Harbinger!
This is basically Valiant’s version of the X-Men. School for kids with remarkable powers, our hero is a conflicted “mutant” (though the word is never used), everyone in the school wears spacey uniforms and has nicknames like “Livewire” and “Hidden Moon”. Not that this is a bad thing, especially as the school could be argued as a good or bad entity based on this first volume - are they Xavier’s pupils or the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants? They’re a bit of both and its this ambiguity that makes the book stand apart from Marvel’s fare.
Take Peter, our protagonist. We’re supposed to be rooting for him and his plight but right away in the first issue writer Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier) throws us a curveball by having Peter encounter his pre-teen crush, a girl called Kris who remembers him but wants nothing to do with him. Peter, who has been pining for her for years, is heartbroken that she doesn’t even want to talk to him, but then he remembers he has his powers - and makes her fall in love with him. As if that weren’t bad enough, it’s implied he then rapes her! Oof. That’s a tough sell to the reader. I’m supposed to like this dude after THAT? But again, it’s this ambiguity that Dysart gives to all of the characters that makes Harbinger an interesting read - nobody is totally blameless, nobody is a complete saint or devil, just like in real life.
So why didn’t I like this book more? I think it was the constant angst that got to me in the end. Peter is certainly in tough situations throughout and under enormous stress, but his repeated efforts to push back against anyone and everyone, shouting and screaming at them while in private clutching his head in agony... it just got a bit overwhelming. At a certain point I couldn’t take the brattish attitude anymore, even though it’s in keeping with his character. That and the story went from mysterious to flat out superhero schtick by the end which was a tad disappointing. Though I like that one of the main characters is a chubby nerd girl called Faith who actually gets superpowers - if Dysart does this series right, he’s going to have legions of female fans with this title!
Harbinger, Vol 1: Omega Rising definitely has its moments and is a fast-paced action story similar to the movie Chronicle with plenty of X-Men thrown in. The art is just ok, the writing is fine, but the main character is really hard to like - hell, most of the characters, bar Faith and Joe, are total dicks! One of the marks of good writing is that no matter how unlikeable a character is, the reader can’t help but keep reading because the story is too good - and I’m not too fussed if I read another Harbinger comic to see what Peter Stanchek does next, or not.
This is basically Valiant’s version of the X-Men. School for kids with remarkable powers, our hero is a conflicted “mutant” (though the word is never used), everyone in the school wears spacey uniforms and has nicknames like “Livewire” and “Hidden Moon”. Not that this is a bad thing, especially as the school could be argued as a good or bad entity based on this first volume - are they Xavier’s pupils or the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants? They’re a bit of both and its this ambiguity that makes the book stand apart from Marvel’s fare.
Take Peter, our protagonist. We’re supposed to be rooting for him and his plight but right away in the first issue writer Joshua Dysart (Unknown Soldier) throws us a curveball by having Peter encounter his pre-teen crush, a girl called Kris who remembers him but wants nothing to do with him. Peter, who has been pining for her for years, is heartbroken that she doesn’t even want to talk to him, but then he remembers he has his powers - and makes her fall in love with him. As if that weren’t bad enough, it’s implied he then rapes her! Oof. That’s a tough sell to the reader. I’m supposed to like this dude after THAT? But again, it’s this ambiguity that Dysart gives to all of the characters that makes Harbinger an interesting read - nobody is totally blameless, nobody is a complete saint or devil, just like in real life.
So why didn’t I like this book more? I think it was the constant angst that got to me in the end. Peter is certainly in tough situations throughout and under enormous stress, but his repeated efforts to push back against anyone and everyone, shouting and screaming at them while in private clutching his head in agony... it just got a bit overwhelming. At a certain point I couldn’t take the brattish attitude anymore, even though it’s in keeping with his character. That and the story went from mysterious to flat out superhero schtick by the end which was a tad disappointing. Though I like that one of the main characters is a chubby nerd girl called Faith who actually gets superpowers - if Dysart does this series right, he’s going to have legions of female fans with this title!
Harbinger, Vol 1: Omega Rising definitely has its moments and is a fast-paced action story similar to the movie Chronicle with plenty of X-Men thrown in. The art is just ok, the writing is fine, but the main character is really hard to like - hell, most of the characters, bar Faith and Joe, are total dicks! One of the marks of good writing is that no matter how unlikeable a character is, the reader can’t help but keep reading because the story is too good - and I’m not too fussed if I read another Harbinger comic to see what Peter Stanchek does next, or not.
April 3, 2022
Not really breaking any new ground, but this Valiant Entertainment GN from 2013 was sure fun to read.
Casual comic book fans will know Marvel and DC because of the films. With some more experience, a fan will be able to delve deeper into the characters and storylines of the Big 2 universes.
But it takes a REAL fan to get to know the exceptional work of the many talented writers and artists of the many other publishers like Dark Horse, First (no defunct), Image, Dynamite, IDW and Boom!
Valiant Comics (now Valiant Entertainment) is a GREAT universe to sink your teeth into and the Harbinger storyline is really cool.
This has an X-Men vibe with young people discovering latent powers and a Professor X type guy who wants to teach them to use their powers to the maximum ability.
Actually, and I think another reviewer (Hey Chad!) said this, it would be like if Magneto founded the school. Toyo Harada is our school master and Peter Stanchek is our rebel with a cause and plenty of raw power to buck the system.
But is Toyo really bad? And is Peter altogether good? Complications and a cast of intriguing characters make this an over achiever. Writer Joshua Dysart does a very good job of setting the table for a FEAST of comic book action and I’m on to the next volume.
Casual comic book fans will know Marvel and DC because of the films. With some more experience, a fan will be able to delve deeper into the characters and storylines of the Big 2 universes.
But it takes a REAL fan to get to know the exceptional work of the many talented writers and artists of the many other publishers like Dark Horse, First (no defunct), Image, Dynamite, IDW and Boom!
Valiant Comics (now Valiant Entertainment) is a GREAT universe to sink your teeth into and the Harbinger storyline is really cool.
This has an X-Men vibe with young people discovering latent powers and a Professor X type guy who wants to teach them to use their powers to the maximum ability.
Actually, and I think another reviewer (Hey Chad!) said this, it would be like if Magneto founded the school. Toyo Harada is our school master and Peter Stanchek is our rebel with a cause and plenty of raw power to buck the system.
But is Toyo really bad? And is Peter altogether good? Complications and a cast of intriguing characters make this an over achiever. Writer Joshua Dysart does a very good job of setting the table for a FEAST of comic book action and I’m on to the next volume.
September 22, 2022
I liked it, but I didn’t FEEL anything. An interesting twist on the X-men theme, but something more like a promising pilot than a hidden gem.
April 12, 2013
That is some raw, furious shit they're writing about freshly-minted teen psionic hellion/saviour star of this energetic, amped-up how-can-they-possibly-keep-up-this-pace-for-long book.
The battles between the boy and the minions of Harada the Harbinger are merciless and surprising. The exposition and plotting between the battles are pretty standard for this kind of teen-coming-of-age-as-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world tale. You know, like every second book we read as kids (next to the Sweet Valley High and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Character Manual - oh, and the guidebook that came with all new video games).
I live how this doesn't try to resemble an early X-Man book - until it does.
The battles between the boy and the minions of Harada the Harbinger are merciless and surprising. The exposition and plotting between the battles are pretty standard for this kind of teen-coming-of-age-as-the-most-powerful-person-in-the-world tale. You know, like every second book we read as kids (next to the Sweet Valley High and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Character Manual - oh, and the guidebook that came with all new video games).
I live how this doesn't try to resemble an early X-Man book - until it does.
May 14, 2015
I am smack in the middle of my, 'getting to know Valiant,' comic book spree and I suppose out of the three titles I have read now (the other 2 being Bloodshot and Manowar) this is my least favorite.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, it's just that I liked the other two better. In fact, the only real reason I picked this one up alongside the others was so that I could stay on target with the Harbinger Wars crossover. I kind of knew what I would be getting with this title before going into it and I wasn't really all that amped for another typical 'teen trying to come to grips with his powers' story.
And that, essentially, is what this is. It's still an okay read, its just so full of angsty, fuck you, teenage behavior, that I had a hard time wanting to press forward. My plan, more or less, is to read this series to the end of Harbinger Wars and then let it go.
Of course, that could all change with the next volume. I may end up falling in love with it all.
I'm a fickle S.O.B. and reserve the right to do whatever I want, whenever I want.
I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it, it's just that I liked the other two better. In fact, the only real reason I picked this one up alongside the others was so that I could stay on target with the Harbinger Wars crossover. I kind of knew what I would be getting with this title before going into it and I wasn't really all that amped for another typical 'teen trying to come to grips with his powers' story.
And that, essentially, is what this is. It's still an okay read, its just so full of angsty, fuck you, teenage behavior, that I had a hard time wanting to press forward. My plan, more or less, is to read this series to the end of Harbinger Wars and then let it go.
Of course, that could all change with the next volume. I may end up falling in love with it all.
I'm a fickle S.O.B. and reserve the right to do whatever I want, whenever I want.
I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.
March 11, 2023
It has been awhile since i read this book... but i want to wright afew words about it 'cosue this book was amazing... a great start to Valiant Universe... our protogenist was a 19 year old kid with very powerful pyschic powers. He was the omega... a god like being with psytic powers and authorities were after him. They probably wanted to take him under control and use him as a weapon. This kid was really lost, he has been lost for all his life so far, didn't know what to do with his powers and afraid of them. he was not your avarage super hero who was a good heroic being... no, he was afraid, he was really lonely 'cause of his powers, he was an outcast, he was locked in an asylum and freshly out of there with a crazy friend at the begining of the book, robing a drug store for madication. This was a character who made mistakes that you wouldn't like and that made him more alive... just made him more than your avarage good super hero. I really liked that...and he made even worse mistakes as the story went forwad, and the villain of the book was a capitalist business man you just liked to hate. What can you ask more ? lol
August 27, 2020
I was fortunate enough to interview the writer, Joshua Dysart, for our youtube channel. Check it out here! https://youtu.be/NVSJLjQqEz8 Be sure to subscribe.
***second read***
So fucking good!
*****first read*****
I’m hooked.
This is unpredictable, fun, smart and exciting. I have no idea what direction this is going to take, but I know I need more. These characters are fascinating. Nobody is an archetype... they are unique and new.
The art is mostly just right, although at brief moments, I had a little trouble telling who was who. Was not a huge issue.
This is like X-Men for adults. It exists in a world that feels like the real one. The story has room to breathe and is not confusing. These 5 issues were truly a pleasure.
You need this in your life.
***second read***
So fucking good!
*****first read*****
I’m hooked.
This is unpredictable, fun, smart and exciting. I have no idea what direction this is going to take, but I know I need more. These characters are fascinating. Nobody is an archetype... they are unique and new.
The art is mostly just right, although at brief moments, I had a little trouble telling who was who. Was not a huge issue.
This is like X-Men for adults. It exists in a world that feels like the real one. The story has room to breathe and is not confusing. These 5 issues were truly a pleasure.
You need this in your life.
April 4, 2018
Wasn't quite sure what to expect but that was a hell of a lot of fun.
March 20, 2017
I've already read the second volume in this series, so I knew where this was going. It was still enjoyable though. The book does exactly what a first volume should do: introduces the reader to the characters and the world they operate in while setting the stage for things to come.
Peter Stanchek has superpowers and has been hunted along with his friend Joe for a while. When someone new approaches him that has abilities similar to his own, Peter can't resist the offer to join him. That man is Toyo Harada. I love the approach that is taken with him because it lays out reasons for the things that he does. This encompasses the businesses that he has amassed to bringing Peter under his wing.
The book also introduces characters that have an impact on a number of other Valiant books. It even sets the seeds for the animosity between the Harada Group and Project Rising Spirit (see Bloodshoot, volume 1 for more on them).
Anyway, the writing is good. The characters are believable and their speech is natural. I thought the book was a little lacking because it is setting the stage for things to come. It is more important as a way to get familiar with the Valiant universe and learn about Peter Stanchek than as a separate story. I like the art too. It fits perfectly into the style that Valiant has applied across its books. Definitely a good place to start with these characters.
Peter Stanchek has superpowers and has been hunted along with his friend Joe for a while. When someone new approaches him that has abilities similar to his own, Peter can't resist the offer to join him. That man is Toyo Harada. I love the approach that is taken with him because it lays out reasons for the things that he does. This encompasses the businesses that he has amassed to bringing Peter under his wing.
The book also introduces characters that have an impact on a number of other Valiant books. It even sets the seeds for the animosity between the Harada Group and Project Rising Spirit (see Bloodshoot, volume 1 for more on them).
Anyway, the writing is good. The characters are believable and their speech is natural. I thought the book was a little lacking because it is setting the stage for things to come. It is more important as a way to get familiar with the Valiant universe and learn about Peter Stanchek than as a separate story. I like the art too. It fits perfectly into the style that Valiant has applied across its books. Definitely a good place to start with these characters.
March 29, 2023
This new version of Peter Stanchek is already much better than Jim Shooter's original. Shooters's was too self-assured, a real dick of a person who wasn't afraid to use his telepathy to coerce people. This new one, written by Joshua Dysart, is a little like the original; except that before the first volume of this trade ended, this Peter has already tasted the bitter results of the consequences of his action. The childhood backstory made for this Peter to be a more nuance character as well.
Reading it this late; this series has already ended and has transitioned to several miniseries, only gives this reader the motivation to look for the other volumes in the chance those would be as good as this one.
Reading it this late; this series has already ended and has transitioned to several miniseries, only gives this reader the motivation to look for the other volumes in the chance those would be as good as this one.
December 27, 2017
BCDER: 74
Lazily, I could say psiots are Valiant's X-men. Super-powered teenager Peter Stanchek Is a powerful psiot coming to terms with both the control and use of his powers.
I love the character of gamer-girl nerd queen Faith.
Volume #1 laid a nice foundation. I'm not sure yet how I feel about Harada or even Peter because of what he did to Kris. I do look forward to the next story arc.
Lazily, I could say psiots are Valiant's X-men. Super-powered teenager Peter Stanchek Is a powerful psiot coming to terms with both the control and use of his powers.
I love the character of gamer-girl nerd queen Faith.
Volume #1 laid a nice foundation. I'm not sure yet how I feel about Harada or even Peter because of what he did to Kris. I do look forward to the next story arc.
May 15, 2015
Find this and many other review at Geekritique!
Valiant Comics is a publisher I've, up to a few days ago, known nothing of. They started in 1990, created a cohesive and realistic superhero universe amongst their characters, and after selling their rights down the line, it all fell apart. Recently (as in 2012), Valiant has been given a rebirth, as fans and creators bought the line and restarted it. Harbinger was one of their first titles to see the revamp. A friend introduced the first volume to me a few days back. Suffice it to say, I think I've been hooked.
Harbinger takes a lot of influence from elsewhere. Most notable would be the X-Men comparisons. NBC's Heroes also feels to have influenced it a bit. Psiots are essentially a next evolutionary step in mankind according to the series, particularly with the psionic powers they develop. There's a school for these gifted youngsters called the Harbinger Foundation where they go to hone their skills, and its owned by a very powerful Psiot known as Harada.
The major difference with the X-Men here would be the extreme realism, and level of character depth. If a kid really had these abilities to read others thoughts, hurt others with their mind, and so on, the kid would end up pretty messed up. Peter Stanchek, a psiot on the run is depressed, scared, confused, lonely and highly powerful. It makes sense he's a bit of a junkie and one heck of a delinquent. And he does do a lot of pretty messed up stuff, including getting a girl he used to be close with to fall in love with him through mental manipulation. But you do feel truly bad for the character. You can see his outward badness is a reflection of the turmoil trapped within, and that's frighteningly realistic. Scary even.
Other characters make for interesting, realistic choices also. So often in DC or Marvel comics we find that the only guys who ever get super powers are those that hit the gym with juice, and the girls always seem to be models stuffed with silicone. By contrast we get a heavy set girl, addicted to video games, and online chat rooms who has the ability to fly hidden within her. It's quite invigorating in it's nondiscriminatory choices. This goes throughout the entire introduced cast.
One of the main concerns I have with this volume was the lack of development of certain characters that ended up rebelling against the Harbinger Foundation. Poorly developed characters led to highly confusing motives. Why were they doing this? Whose side were they actually on? Who the heck are the good guys? And so on. I'm sure these are questions to be answered at another time.
There's some very cool ideas for powers within these pages, and as their hidden in such a realistic and creative world? Excellent. Some scenes are a little graphic, and some particularly traumatic things happen to main characters - things I considered quite shocking. This is a series worth checking out, and I have it on good repute that it only gets better from here. The art, by Khari Evans, is gorgeous. Every panel pops. The story, by Joshua Dysart, is one of the most captivating things I've read in a comic in a long while. And guess what? Sony is producing it as a new multi-film franchise. Be sure to check this out.
Grab this in Paperback
Valiant Comics is a publisher I've, up to a few days ago, known nothing of. They started in 1990, created a cohesive and realistic superhero universe amongst their characters, and after selling their rights down the line, it all fell apart. Recently (as in 2012), Valiant has been given a rebirth, as fans and creators bought the line and restarted it. Harbinger was one of their first titles to see the revamp. A friend introduced the first volume to me a few days back. Suffice it to say, I think I've been hooked.
Harbinger takes a lot of influence from elsewhere. Most notable would be the X-Men comparisons. NBC's Heroes also feels to have influenced it a bit. Psiots are essentially a next evolutionary step in mankind according to the series, particularly with the psionic powers they develop. There's a school for these gifted youngsters called the Harbinger Foundation where they go to hone their skills, and its owned by a very powerful Psiot known as Harada.
The major difference with the X-Men here would be the extreme realism, and level of character depth. If a kid really had these abilities to read others thoughts, hurt others with their mind, and so on, the kid would end up pretty messed up. Peter Stanchek, a psiot on the run is depressed, scared, confused, lonely and highly powerful. It makes sense he's a bit of a junkie and one heck of a delinquent. And he does do a lot of pretty messed up stuff, including getting a girl he used to be close with to fall in love with him through mental manipulation. But you do feel truly bad for the character. You can see his outward badness is a reflection of the turmoil trapped within, and that's frighteningly realistic. Scary even.
Other characters make for interesting, realistic choices also. So often in DC or Marvel comics we find that the only guys who ever get super powers are those that hit the gym with juice, and the girls always seem to be models stuffed with silicone. By contrast we get a heavy set girl, addicted to video games, and online chat rooms who has the ability to fly hidden within her. It's quite invigorating in it's nondiscriminatory choices. This goes throughout the entire introduced cast.
One of the main concerns I have with this volume was the lack of development of certain characters that ended up rebelling against the Harbinger Foundation. Poorly developed characters led to highly confusing motives. Why were they doing this? Whose side were they actually on? Who the heck are the good guys? And so on. I'm sure these are questions to be answered at another time.
There's some very cool ideas for powers within these pages, and as their hidden in such a realistic and creative world? Excellent. Some scenes are a little graphic, and some particularly traumatic things happen to main characters - things I considered quite shocking. This is a series worth checking out, and I have it on good repute that it only gets better from here. The art, by Khari Evans, is gorgeous. Every panel pops. The story, by Joshua Dysart, is one of the most captivating things I've read in a comic in a long while. And guess what? Sony is producing it as a new multi-film franchise. Be sure to check this out.
Grab this in Paperback
December 12, 2016
I recently heard someone talking about this and I was immediately intrigued.
My first impression was that it was an X-Men/Runaways wannabe hybrid, but the more I read the more hooked on it I got.
Really liked how dark the story got and it wasn't afraid to muddle the idea of the one not being a savior.
Not entirely sure where the story is going, but I look forward to finding out.
My first impression was that it was an X-Men/Runaways wannabe hybrid, but the more I read the more hooked on it I got.
Really liked how dark the story got and it wasn't afraid to muddle the idea of the one not being a savior.
Not entirely sure where the story is going, but I look forward to finding out.
February 11, 2015
This is a valiant effort (HAHAHA!), but Stancheck is so hateable that I find myself rooting for the evil mega corporation because the supposed hero is an unchecked mega-god that rapes a girl he had a crush on when he was 10. Plus, the art isn't great.
March 25, 2017
Seems more like a TV show than a comic book. I have liked Dysart's previous comics better.
August 1, 2016
Peter Stanchek is a Psiot; he's telepathic, telekinetic, and a little bit of an asshole. That last one isn't a Psiot thing, he's just a regular asshole. So when he finds himself on the run from the law and recruited by the mysterious Toyo Harada, he's pretty much ready to do whatever it takes to keep off the streets. However, as is often the case, all is not what it appears...
I was initially skeptical about this one. Three issues in, and I wasn't really feeling it. Mostly because Peter isn't a very likeable character. I don't have to love the main character, but I at least need to see where they're coming from. However, when he's introduced to the Harbingers and Harada, things kick into a higher gear, and the last two issues especially are pretty much pedal-to-the-metal awesome.
If X-O Manowar is your Captain America/Iron Man book, Harbinger is your X-Men. Kid with powers get recruited by older man who takes him to a school for gifted youngsters, but with the Valiant twist. It does take a while to get going, but this first arc introduces most of the characters and doesn't bother with a status quo, instead keeping everything constantly changing, which is just what I crave after years of stagnant superhero comics.
The art is shared by Khari Evans, Matt Clark, and one other artist whose name I've forgotten, but it's mostly cohesive to the point where I can't tell who drew what. The faces are a little squishy sometimes, but otherwise the visuals are solid, and the design-work on the backgrounds is great. From Faith's bedroom to the Harbinger base to the crack den, everything feels rooted in the real world, which makes the weird and wonderful things that happen resonant even more.
I was initially skeptical about this one. Three issues in, and I wasn't really feeling it. Mostly because Peter isn't a very likeable character. I don't have to love the main character, but I at least need to see where they're coming from. However, when he's introduced to the Harbingers and Harada, things kick into a higher gear, and the last two issues especially are pretty much pedal-to-the-metal awesome.
If X-O Manowar is your Captain America/Iron Man book, Harbinger is your X-Men. Kid with powers get recruited by older man who takes him to a school for gifted youngsters, but with the Valiant twist. It does take a while to get going, but this first arc introduces most of the characters and doesn't bother with a status quo, instead keeping everything constantly changing, which is just what I crave after years of stagnant superhero comics.
The art is shared by Khari Evans, Matt Clark, and one other artist whose name I've forgotten, but it's mostly cohesive to the point where I can't tell who drew what. The faces are a little squishy sometimes, but otherwise the visuals are solid, and the design-work on the backgrounds is great. From Faith's bedroom to the Harbinger base to the crack den, everything feels rooted in the real world, which makes the weird and wonderful things that happen resonant even more.
May 23, 2013
The only Valiant book that doesn't make me think of Rob Liefield *shudder* and it's an OK start. Unfortunately the author just doesn't quite have his voice yet (or that of any of his characters), so right now I'm supporting this out of hope for the future and the promising story line. Plus it's set in Pittsburgh. Gotta have some Steel City loyalty.
The issue is that Dyshart just doesn't write people believably. None of the dialogue makes sense. Some of it can be explained away by Peter being delusional and Harada being melodramatic, but eventually it's just too much and unnatural. There are also some really poor character choices. Peter mind controlling a girl to sleep with him? Feeling in love with her after 15 years of no contact? Edward killing someone with literally no reason (ok so he's set up to just be evil...maybe)? Worst of all: Amanda turning on Harada LITERALLY ONE PAGE after she tells him how loyal she wants to be and after saying she just wants Peter gone? Just...come on. Throw us a bone here.
What's more worrisome is the art. There are some sketches that make it seem like the actual pencils are good, but the inks are ridiculously oversaturated. It's like someone was using the paintbrush feature in Paint to trace a drawing. It's just too much and gives the whole thing a shiny and undetailed feeling.
Again, I'm being critical because I have such high hopes for the story. The character of Faith is really someone who saved it. I genuinely want to root for her and the concept is pretty fun. Nothing revolutionary, but there's promise. Let's make it happen people.
The issue is that Dyshart just doesn't write people believably. None of the dialogue makes sense. Some of it can be explained away by Peter being delusional and Harada being melodramatic, but eventually it's just too much and unnatural. There are also some really poor character choices. Peter mind controlling a girl to sleep with him? Feeling in love with her after 15 years of no contact? Edward killing someone with literally no reason (ok so he's set up to just be evil...maybe)? Worst of all: Amanda turning on Harada LITERALLY ONE PAGE after she tells him how loyal she wants to be and after saying she just wants Peter gone? Just...come on. Throw us a bone here.
What's more worrisome is the art. There are some sketches that make it seem like the actual pencils are good, but the inks are ridiculously oversaturated. It's like someone was using the paintbrush feature in Paint to trace a drawing. It's just too much and gives the whole thing a shiny and undetailed feeling.
Again, I'm being critical because I have such high hopes for the story. The character of Faith is really someone who saved it. I genuinely want to root for her and the concept is pretty fun. Nothing revolutionary, but there's promise. Let's make it happen people.
December 29, 2013
The origin of Peter Stanchek in the new Valiant universe (company relaunched 2012) is unearthed - was it worth the wait? Yep.
Author Josh Dysart is a master of character development. While OMEGA RISING is primarily about Stanchek, we see Harada - the complex leader of the Harbinger Foundation, Bleeding Monk, a mysterious and dangerous psiot, as well as Ion, Stronghold and Livewire - members of the Harbinger Foundation, each with their own unique skill set and ability.
What I enjoyed the most about OMEGA RISING is that there doesn't seem to be a definable protagonist. Harada wants to help the world through his teachings at the Harbinger Foundation yet his methods are somewhat questionable and downright cruel at times. Whereas Peter, uses his powers early on to manipulate a teen crush into falling in love with him, only to sleep with her and ultimately turn her loose when he’s brought to the foundation. Both are hardly typical heroes.
Apart from the first two issues in this #1-#5 collection of HARBINGER, I thought the pacing was a tad slow, yet I can see how that's warranted given this is the first arc of a new reimaged series. That said, overall I was very pleased with OMEGA RISING and will continue to do back to it as the HARBINGER ongoing monthly comic contiues.
Author Josh Dysart is a master of character development. While OMEGA RISING is primarily about Stanchek, we see Harada - the complex leader of the Harbinger Foundation, Bleeding Monk, a mysterious and dangerous psiot, as well as Ion, Stronghold and Livewire - members of the Harbinger Foundation, each with their own unique skill set and ability.
What I enjoyed the most about OMEGA RISING is that there doesn't seem to be a definable protagonist. Harada wants to help the world through his teachings at the Harbinger Foundation yet his methods are somewhat questionable and downright cruel at times. Whereas Peter, uses his powers early on to manipulate a teen crush into falling in love with him, only to sleep with her and ultimately turn her loose when he’s brought to the foundation. Both are hardly typical heroes.
Apart from the first two issues in this #1-#5 collection of HARBINGER, I thought the pacing was a tad slow, yet I can see how that's warranted given this is the first arc of a new reimaged series. That said, overall I was very pleased with OMEGA RISING and will continue to do back to it as the HARBINGER ongoing monthly comic contiues.
January 16, 2013
I was underwhelmed by this one; it seems like a treatment for a cookie-cutter paranormal "Heroes"-like television show. The art is of that glossy, too-real variety that gives away the storyboard nature of the comic.
Plus ... when you set your protagonist up as a rapist within the first few pages, you've lost the ability to have him be a SYMPATHETIC protagonist. The author does not, in this volume, treat his protagonist as the vile criminal that he is. Practically the only acknowledgement of his crime (the word rape is never used) is that they give him an antagonist (the word "villain" doesn't really apply, because who then is the hero?) in the convenient form of his rape victim; this will no doubt pay off dramatically in later volumes, but too late! They lost this reader in this volume.
Frankly, I'd rather read a comic with Kris (the raped woman) as the protagonist, tracking down her superpowered rapist and meting out justice against the backdrop of the psychic Illuminati's machinations.
Plus ... when you set your protagonist up as a rapist within the first few pages, you've lost the ability to have him be a SYMPATHETIC protagonist. The author does not, in this volume, treat his protagonist as the vile criminal that he is. Practically the only acknowledgement of his crime (the word rape is never used) is that they give him an antagonist (the word "villain" doesn't really apply, because who then is the hero?) in the convenient form of his rape victim; this will no doubt pay off dramatically in later volumes, but too late! They lost this reader in this volume.
Frankly, I'd rather read a comic with Kris (the raped woman) as the protagonist, tracking down her superpowered rapist and meting out justice against the backdrop of the psychic Illuminati's machinations.
March 24, 2013
The book certainly has potential, but this first collected volume was just a bit underwhelming. I mean, we've seen this all before--kids with powers they can't control, coming under the protection of a seemingly-benevolent, older person with the same powers. It's the basic premise of the X-Men (or, in this case, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants). The artwork is decent throughout and the brief flashbacks to other times are well-done and intriguing. But there just isn't enough there, storywise, to really make me want to come back to this again. I mean, I'll probably read the second volume when it comes out, if I can find it at my local library, but there's really nothing about this storyline that is compelling enough to make me look forward to it with great anticipation. **ARC provided by NetGalley
September 19, 2020
oh, wow, that was bad. and very weird. the general premise is fun if not a little tired for the genre, but stanchek is a very insufferable protagonist - i mean, he minds control a girl into sleeping with them (so, like, assault) and although he seems to.. feel "bad"... he doesn't really suffer for it? he's instead immediately made into a hero, coddled by harada who essentially ensures stanchek it's "not his fault." he's then positioned as the only one who can defeat harada because he's evil actually (despite not seeming that evil to me.) the characters and story just make little sense and i don't like how stanchek seems to get a pass for what he's done as if it can just be forgiven. incredibly jarring, probably the worst from valiant i've read so far.
March 29, 2014
Damn. This book man, this book nailed it. As far as "teens with powers" books go, this one really takes off, with believable characters and dark scenarios that don't pull any punches. The world is stunningly realized between Dysart's expert pacing and Evans' surprisingly effective designs. The dialogue is natural and fun, and the plot hooks you in for whatever may come. I can't wait to see where this title goes.
March 13, 2020
In an early issue of Stan Lee's run on X-Men, Professor X attempts to recruit a mutant circus performer named Fred J. Dukes, a.k.a "The Blob." Fred comes to the X-Mansion, clashes with the other X-Men and ultimately declines Xavier's offer for him to join. Xavier proceeds to wipe Fred's mind. However, it doesn't work. When Fred later realizes what Xavier tried to do, he attempts to destroy the X-Men and becomes one of their most persistent villains.
This comic tells a story along the same lines but from the perspective of the Blob instead of the X-Men. Peter Stancheck is a volatile, angry homeless kid who was born with superpowers, including telepathy, telekenisis, and mind-control. He is recruited into the Harbinger Foundation, a "school" for superpowered individuals, but clashes with his teachers and ultimately rebels against them.
It's hard to judge from just the first 5 issues but I think it has potential.
This comic tells a story along the same lines but from the perspective of the Blob instead of the X-Men. Peter Stancheck is a volatile, angry homeless kid who was born with superpowers, including telepathy, telekenisis, and mind-control. He is recruited into the Harbinger Foundation, a "school" for superpowered individuals, but clashes with his teachers and ultimately rebels against them.
It's hard to judge from just the first 5 issues but I think it has potential.
May 3, 2020
Really enjoyed this storyline.
October 18, 2013
Ya he podido echarle un ojo a la segunda colección de Valiant que publica este mes Panini. Este “Harbringer: El Nacimiento de Omega” que recopila el primer arco de 5 números de la serie americana, nos pone en la piel de Peter Stanchek y su único amigo. Peter tiene la capacidad de influir en las mentes de los demás para conseguir lo que quiera. La parte negativa de este poder es que puede escuchar los pensamientos de todo el mundo, así como tener un pitido constante en la cabeza hasta el punto de que su único alivio parecen ser las drogas.
A decir verdad, no es el único inconveniente, Peter es perseguido por alguna clase de organización que trata de volver a meterlo en un psiquiátrico, y es por eso que Peter y su colega que esta también muy mal de lo suyo, viven huyendo de ciudad en ciudad. Todo se sale de madre cuando son localizados y Peter monta un pifostio de nivel "mutante chungo".
Este hecho hace que entre en escena la fundación Harbinger, que recoge a muchachos con poderes psíquicos de distintas clases. Esta fundación está respaldada por una megacorporacion liderada por otro megamutante (no son mutantes, pero es igual) de nivel total, que parece querer ayudar a Peter a controlar, canalizar y desarrollar sus habilidades mas allá de lo que ya lo hace.
Para empezar esta tanda de colecciones de Valiant tengo que decir que Harbinger me ha gustado mas que X-O Manowar. No es que sean comparables ya que no tratan temas ni minimamente parecidos, a pesar de que luego las series vayan a interelacionarse en crossovers. La presentación de personajes y de entorno es mas compleja y tras 5 números lo que te queda claro mas que ninguna otra cosa, es que linea que separa buenos y malos, va a ser mas bien difusa.
Me ha parecido interesante, cruda, malrollera y con buenas posibilidades a futuro. Me interesa saber mas de Harada, del monje sangrante y del destino de Peter como chaval inestable de poderes absolutos y rodeado de gente de dudosas intenciones. El dibujo tiene sus momentos, pero me parece mucho mejor el de los flashbacks que el del presente, siendo como son ambos de dibujantes diferentes. Ademas por el mismo precio que X-O Manowar, tiene un numero mas, pero esto viene definido por los arcos argumentales americanos completos, lo cual es de agradecer.
A decir verdad, no es el único inconveniente, Peter es perseguido por alguna clase de organización que trata de volver a meterlo en un psiquiátrico, y es por eso que Peter y su colega que esta también muy mal de lo suyo, viven huyendo de ciudad en ciudad. Todo se sale de madre cuando son localizados y Peter monta un pifostio de nivel "mutante chungo".
Este hecho hace que entre en escena la fundación Harbinger, que recoge a muchachos con poderes psíquicos de distintas clases. Esta fundación está respaldada por una megacorporacion liderada por otro megamutante (no son mutantes, pero es igual) de nivel total, que parece querer ayudar a Peter a controlar, canalizar y desarrollar sus habilidades mas allá de lo que ya lo hace.
Para empezar esta tanda de colecciones de Valiant tengo que decir que Harbinger me ha gustado mas que X-O Manowar. No es que sean comparables ya que no tratan temas ni minimamente parecidos, a pesar de que luego las series vayan a interelacionarse en crossovers. La presentación de personajes y de entorno es mas compleja y tras 5 números lo que te queda claro mas que ninguna otra cosa, es que linea que separa buenos y malos, va a ser mas bien difusa.
Me ha parecido interesante, cruda, malrollera y con buenas posibilidades a futuro. Me interesa saber mas de Harada, del monje sangrante y del destino de Peter como chaval inestable de poderes absolutos y rodeado de gente de dudosas intenciones. El dibujo tiene sus momentos, pero me parece mucho mejor el de los flashbacks que el del presente, siendo como son ambos de dibujantes diferentes. Ademas por el mismo precio que X-O Manowar, tiene un numero mas, pero esto viene definido por los arcos argumentales americanos completos, lo cual es de agradecer.
March 31, 2016
Teenager has problems because superpowers. Who is after him? The government!? But wait, a secret psychic recruits him to his power school. They are the X-Men. Are they good X-Men? BAD X-MEN? Morality!
It gives me pause that I thought this book was so groan inducingly formulaic and predictable but I'm actively planning my schedule for today such that I can make it to the comic shop to buy the new trade of They're Not Like Us (which, spoilers, is the exact same premise, down to the individual superpowers). Basically, Harbinger is not nearly as well written and also Peter is an asshole and I have no interest in his redemption or whatever. I am a little curious about where this goes based on the backmatter synopsis of the second trade (Now we start our OWN angry teenage X-men to fight the other X-men!), but unless somebody actively puts it in my hand at no cost I doubt I'll ever feel compelled to get around to reading any more of this.
There's also one other, huge, misshapen, melty reason that I didn't like this book: the art. It sucks. I don't get it; some of the panels look great, but it's like Khari Evans is re-learning to draw human beings by following rote instructions given to her by a very scrupulous friend sitting across the table from her on every page. Eyes and mouths float eerily across and around distended faces, as though seen through a fisheye lens. Shirtless characters are covered in a horrible pastiche of "muscles" that cause them to largely resemble lithe, snake-like naked mole rats. Worst of all are the hands, which are consistently evocative of a terrible race of alien spiders. I know drawing comics can be an impossible race against time and fight against multiple artistic visions, but you would think the artist would want to take a sec to look at the finished pencils and be able to say, "yeah, OK, that doesn't really look like a face, let me fix this."
It gives me pause that I thought this book was so groan inducingly formulaic and predictable but I'm actively planning my schedule for today such that I can make it to the comic shop to buy the new trade of They're Not Like Us (which, spoilers, is the exact same premise, down to the individual superpowers). Basically, Harbinger is not nearly as well written and also Peter is an asshole and I have no interest in his redemption or whatever. I am a little curious about where this goes based on the backmatter synopsis of the second trade (Now we start our OWN angry teenage X-men to fight the other X-men!), but unless somebody actively puts it in my hand at no cost I doubt I'll ever feel compelled to get around to reading any more of this.
There's also one other, huge, misshapen, melty reason that I didn't like this book: the art. It sucks. I don't get it; some of the panels look great, but it's like Khari Evans is re-learning to draw human beings by following rote instructions given to her by a very scrupulous friend sitting across the table from her on every page. Eyes and mouths float eerily across and around distended faces, as though seen through a fisheye lens. Shirtless characters are covered in a horrible pastiche of "muscles" that cause them to largely resemble lithe, snake-like naked mole rats. Worst of all are the hands, which are consistently evocative of a terrible race of alien spiders. I know drawing comics can be an impossible race against time and fight against multiple artistic visions, but you would think the artist would want to take a sec to look at the finished pencils and be able to say, "yeah, OK, that doesn't really look like a face, let me fix this."
August 25, 2018
At first I had no idea what was going on and ultimately I was getting a headache. But after the first two chapters, I started getting into it.
There are a lot of unanswered questions that keep you interested and some good action, though I prefer a more fleshed out fight rather than illustrations of the key hits. The art style is good for the tone of the story, though it’s not exactly my cup of tea.
And I don’t understand the obsession with piercings. Even with ears. Why put a hole in your body only to dangle something shiny out of it? It’s irrational.
Basing the rating on the above criticism, 3/5 with potential for improvement so it’s worth continuing.
There are a lot of unanswered questions that keep you interested and some good action, though I prefer a more fleshed out fight rather than illustrations of the key hits. The art style is good for the tone of the story, though it’s not exactly my cup of tea.
And I don’t understand the obsession with piercings. Even with ears. Why put a hole in your body only to dangle something shiny out of it? It’s irrational.
Basing the rating on the above criticism, 3/5 with potential for improvement so it’s worth continuing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews