Armor Hunters: Harbinger

Harbinger (2012)

by Joshua Dysart (Writer), Robert Gill (Artist)

Under siege and out of control!
The Harbinger Renegades are still reeling from a tragic death in their ranks, but in the face of monumental destruction they'll find unlikely allies in a fellow group of super-powerful teenagers. But is Generation Zero here to help... or are they just looking out for themselves?
Join New York Timesbest-selling writer Joshua Dysart (Harbinger) and rising star Robert Gill (Batgirl) as the breakout stars of last summer's Harbinger Wars - the volatile strike force known as Generation Zero - step out of the shadows and into the crosshairs of a devastating extraterrestrial attack!

Collecting: Armor Hunters: Harbinger 1-3, Harbinger Wars 1

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Fiction, Science Fiction, Superheroes

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2014

About the author

I 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!

Reviews

[Des Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. I was riding my Armor Hunters high right into this one, but I was let down, ya'll. On the positive side of things, we get to hang out with Generation Zero, even though most of the Renegades are MIA, and there's some neat art and designs in this book. On the other side though, the story feels strained, and weirdly out of tone with the other Armor Hunters books. The story is only three issues, and the most interesting aspect the pregnant psiot is never even explored. The Gen Zero kids basically fight some weird bugs, and Zephyr and Torque are there too I guess. The Armor Hunters themselves don't even make an appearance. This story felt entirely superfluous to both the Armor Hunters event and the Harbinger comics. What makes it worse is the added padding in the back is just a reprint of the first Harbinger Wars issue. This trade is four issues, one of which is a reprint of something you have likely already read, and at 15 bucks, that's a bad value.

Totally bummed out by this one. Skip it.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

*this review will encompass the main event as well as all tie in TPBs*


This was a spectacular crossover event. Everything felt appropriately built up. The way each player entered the scene was artfully done in a way that maximized excitement, seemed necessary and natural, and didn’t feel like a cheap, exploitative excuse to bludgeon people with recognizable IP.

The main event was a dramatic and high energy masterpiece. The X-O Manowar tie-ins added some much needed world building and context, the Bloodshot tie-ins were straight-up BADASS, Unity was probably the most essential piece outside the main event mini, and the Harbinger book, while good, was probably the weakest addition.

There were many climaxes. It’s great to see Valiant come into it’s own like this, showing that a Valiant event can indeed stand toe to toe with the biggest big two events.

I plan on reading this again. I’d like to own the hardcover that compiles all of these issues, but first I need to arrange more shelf space!

Definitely get into Valiant so you can enjoy this shit!!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review covers the entirety of the Armor Hunters event, including all of the tie-ins.


The Main Event - Robert Venditti + Doug Braithwaite - 4 stars
The Armor Hunters have made it to Earth, and they want to kill Aric of Dacia - and they're not going to let anyone get in their way.

What surprised me most about this event is the fast pace. In a world where most events are 6-12 issues long, Armor Hunters is four issues and an aftermath, all of which take place over a matter of days. Each issue has some huge revelations involved, and some devastating events that echo out across the Valiant Universe. I think some of the impact of the series might be lost if you've not read X-O Manowar up to this point, but it does stand very well on its own. It's nice to see that Venditti can spin a tale that puts Aric on the world stage (again) without alienating new readers, and tell a complete story in four issues (although some of the tie-ins are pretty important).

Both here and in the Unity issues, we're reminded just how god damn powerful Livewire is as well, and I'm seriously surprised she hasn't had her own ongoing series at this point. There are some real fist-pump moments, especially in the final issue, and I had a smile on my face when I finished this, which is always a good sign (and not something I can say about a lot of events recently either). There's also a lasting impact, which is something else I haven't said much recently either; Unity and X-O Manowar have very different status quos on the other side of Armor Hunters than they did before, and it's not something they can instantly go back on, which is great. The Valiant Universe always feels like it's evolving rather than regressing or staying the same, and this is a good reason why.

I've made no secret that I really like Braithwaite's art; I find that it works a lot better on more mystical or supernatural books because of the wispiness to his linework, but he really manages to hammer this one home and solidify himself in my mind as an artist that can tackle anything.

X-O Manowar - Robert Venditti + Diego Bernard - 4 stars
These tie-in issues tell the secret origin of the Armor Hunters, as we witness the rise of Primary and the fall of Malgam.

There's not a lot of relevance to the main storyline, which is fair since a lot of Venditti's plot points take place in the Armor Hunters mini itself, so these issues offer some much needed background that paints the Armor Hunters in a very different light, almost justified in what they've been doing across the universe. Of course, they still want to kill our main characters so there's got to be a twist, but even so, they're effective at enhancing the main story.

The focus remains on Malgam for the final issue as well, as we see his final fate in the wake of the battle in Armor Hunters; it shows just how compassionate and caring Aric is, and why he's such a good leader and king. Good character work, for a constantly evolving character.0

I mentioned Diego Bernard in the prelude volume, and he continues strongly here. He fits the Valiant house style very well, and really makes these characters his own.

Unity - Matt Kindt + Stephen Segovia - 4 stars
If X-O Manowar can't stop the Armor Hunters, maybe Unity can? But even with Bloodshot to bolster their ranks, the Eternal Warrior, Livewire, and Ninjak may have bitten off more than they can chew.

These issues serve more to fill in the gaps that the Armor Hunters series doesn't get to touch on; we see some more of Unity fighting against the Hounds, and the emotional toll that the battle takes on Livewire, as well as some backstory on GIN-GR which I wasn't expecting in this book either. The story does jump around a bit, because it tends to cliffhanger on things that are then followed up in another book, so this one doesn't really stand well on its own, but as part of the Armor Hunters package I'd call it almost essential reading.

There's also some time for some humanization of the characters which I also didn't expect - Ninjak gets a lot of heart put into him, which we haven't see a lot of in his other appearances, while I've already mentioned how good Livewire is. If anything, you'd have thought Kindt might have leaned into the Eternal Warrior's battle expertise a bit more, since he seems a bit superfluous, especially once Bloodshot shows up.

Stephen Segovia's artwork is instantly recognizable from his distinct facial expressions, but he slots himself nicely into the series - there's an almost entirely silent issue that wouldn't work half as well without a good artist, and yet there's no lack of clarity at all.

Armor Hunters: Harbinger - Joshua Dysart + Robert Gill - 3 stars
This three issue mini-series features Generation Zero, as well as Faith and Torque (since the Renegades have kind of broken up at this point), and deals more with the fallout of the main book than anything else, including the recovery effort.

The first thing I noticed about this book was how well it highlights the differences between GenZero and what's left of the Renegades; they may all be psiots, but their upbringing and their relationship with their powers puts them at odds with each other, and the Mexican authorities as the two groups are forced to team up to stop an infestation as a result of the events of the main Armor Hunters book.

This one's hardly essential to the overall story, but it's a fun addition that shows a little more of how the Armor Hunters 'disinfect' the worlds tarnished by the Armors, and since there wasn't an ongoing Renegades book at this point, it would have been nice to see the characters again.

I like Robert Gill's art, but the real star of the show here is Romulo Fajardo on colours, who adds some impressive depth and detail to the proceedings, especially the giant bug monsters. Very, very pretty bug monsters.

Armor Hunters: Bloodshot - Joe Harris + Trevor Hairsine - 3 stars
I was a little confused at first as to why this series exists, since Bloodshot is a main player in both the main Armor Hunters book and the Unity tie-in, so there's a bit of overlap here.

This is mostly just an excuse for Bloodshot to be Bloodshot and murder his way through the Armor Hunters' forces, and it's pretty impressive. It reads a bit like the end of the first Terminator movie, with Bloodshot using whatever he can to take down Lilt and recapture Malgam while escaping the MERO base.

The artwork in this one feels a little rushed and scratchy; I'm not sure what Hairsine was going for, but it doesn't match up to the consistency of the other Valiant books, or even Hairsine's contributions elsewhere. Bloodshot's torso is out of control in certain panels too; he's ripped, but he's not meant to be top heavy.

Like Harbingers, this one's not essential reading, but it's fun.

[David Dalton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have just recently read several Armor Hunter collections, to include the Bloodshot Armor Hunters collection, both X-O Manowar Armor Hunter collections, and the Armor Hunter collection itself. Now I knocked out the Harbinger Armor Hunter collection, and just started the Unity Armor Hunters.

So far, I would say this is the weakest entry in the whole Armor Hunters storyline. I can see why I stopped collecting this series once Peter left the Harbingers. Not crazy about Generation Zero or even Faith & Torque from the Renegades. Little kids fighting to save the world? Nah....

[47Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never been a fan of comics featuring kids or teens with superpowers. This story is entirely skippable as it adds little to the armor hunters arc other than the detail on how the planet becomes purged after the armor wielder is killed. The kids' powers are cool, but the characters themselves aren't my cup of tea.

Generation Zero decides to help the survivors of the Mexico City bombing. Meanwhile, the acting president of Mexico has his helicopter downed by a strange tentacled creature in the middle of the explosion. Faith and Torque reach him first and save him, then they team up with Generation Zero to explore the subway where the creature has expanded. It laid thousands of eggs that hatch a swarm of large flying insects. One of the kids figures out that the creatures are meant to purge the planet they are on, then auto-dismantle to allow the planet to be recolonized. She triggers the latter and the swarm is destroyed.

[Xavier Marturet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probablemente sea lo más prescindible de toda la saga de Armor Hunters.
Los protagonistas de Harbinger se ven inmersos en todo lo relacionado con la volatilización de Ciudad de México, pero en un guión que parece tener como único objetivo demostrar y presentarlas habilidades de cada uno de los jóvenes superhéroes de la serie Harbinger.
Quizá ha faltado algo más de ambición, o algún punto más de interés en la trama, pues da la sensación de ser una miniserie que más que un tie-in, es un expositor de personajes.
Eso sí, con un dibujo de agradecer.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taking place in the middle of the Armor hunters storyline, this story is far more focused than the Bloodshot, Unity, and X-O Manowar collections.

If this were a $10 collection of the three issues, this would be a four star review, as I really enjoyed the story, and its focus on Generation Zero, and Faith and Torque from The Renegades. But it's three issues, plus harbinger Wars #1, which they aready collected in the Harbingers Wars trade, and it's $15.00, so I have to knock it down a star.

[Sean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Generation Zero gets spotlighted here, for some reason. What first seemed interesting has fallen very flat, very quickly. This team lacks personality, has a ridiculous power set, and services no purpose. I'm not sure the point of this book as it didn't add to the already underwhelming Armor Hunters story. The art wasn't great but there were a couple of standout panels. Overall, a book that shouldn't have seen the light of day.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting beast - peripherally part of the Armor Hunters crossover, the characters have no interaction with the main Armor Hunters story. Instead, they take on what was never even highlighted as an issue in the main series, discover it is an apocalyptic threat, and manage to defeat it. I'm not sure if I like or dislike it as part of the larger crossover, but it does manage to be action packed and high stakes. It also isn't really Harbinger, as the Generation Zero characters are the center of the plot, although Faith and her boyfriend do play a role. But still, aside from those caveats, it's a pretty strong, action-packed offshoot that stands on its own as easily as it fits into the overall story, which is a challenge for a crossover.
One note - the digital edition I read has some extra pages, including the entire issue #1 of Harbinger Wars (which takes place long before this volume does), as well as interspersed previews from the regular digital issues. It makes reading the actual story kind of messy, but that's just a formatting issue and I don't believe it affects the print version.

[Ritinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Garotos bem enxertados na borrasca armagedeónica. Com uma escrita segura e uma arte que ora oferece bons layouts como gera efeitos grotescos (sim, há aqui mixed feelings).

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's good to see Generation Zero again, and Dysart places them in an appropriately horrific apocalyptic environment, creating the opportunity for big-picture heroics. I don't think the resulting story is as great as the main Armor Hunters comics because it doesn't have the same scope and because Generation Zero is too large of a cast to appreciate appropriately. Still, this is an enjoyable miniseries. Call it 3.5 stars.

[Josh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, but really unneeded and skippable in the grand scheme of the Armor Hunters crossover. Other than that, the book's only real fault is that after volumes and volumes since Generation Zero's introduction, Valiant's writers continue to try and sell how important these characters are but they just never seem to be.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really a Generation Zero and not a Harbinger arc. And non Armor Hunters appear in this story.

I think I like this better than Peter's team, but my least favorite of the Armor Huntes tie ins.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it's ok. The cover is a bit misleading, but the story is fine.