HARBINGER WARS 2 (Valiant Entertainment, November 2018) Paperback, 146 pages. ISBN # 1682152898 / 9781682152898
Summary from the Goodreads website . . . . .
From New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (X-O MANOWAR. DIVINITY, Mind MGMT), and Academy Award-nominated writer Eric Heisserer (Arrival), and superstar artists Tomas Giorello (X-O MANOWAR), Raul Allen (SECRET WEAPONS) and Patricia Martin (BLOODSHOT REBORN) the most powerful Valiant event ever attempted erupts in full force as X-O Manowar, Livewire, the Harbinger Renegades, Bloodshot, the Secret Weapons, Ninjak, and a cast of thousands draw their battle lines in HARBINGER WARS 2!
For the rare and immensely powerful subset of humanity known as psiots, their unique abilities have come with an enormous cost. Once, their existence was known only to a select few. Now, the revelation that thousands of these latent telekinetic "harbingers" secretly live among us...with the potential to be activated at any moment...has led the American government to a dramatic tipping point...
Armed with new extra-governmental authority, the deep-black military contractor known as Omen has been authorized to identify, evaluate, and, if need be, eliminate all super-normal threats to the homeland. H.A.R.D. Corps units have been deployed into cities and towns across the United States to enforce their orders.
In the East, one of the most powerful minds on Earth, Peter Stanchek, is leading his band of Renegades across the country, activating any potential psiots willing to join them, and building an insurrection force of ultra-powerful and unwieldy new abilities that will soon bring war to Omen's doorstep...and the unstoppable force known as X-O Manowar raging back to Earth.
In the West, Livewire - the telekinetic technopath with the ability to bend machines and computers to her will - will be forced to choose between her former allies...or her newfound team of Secret Weapons. As the situation escalates beyond human control, the United States will be plunged into darkness from coast to coast, launching Bloodshot and Ninjak into a dangerous mission to neutralize their one-time teammate - and setting the stage for the most shocking, most violent, and most consequential clash of powers ever witnessed in the history of the Valiant Universe!
Collecting HARBINGER WARS 2: PRELUDE #1, HARBINGER WARS 2 #1-4, and HARBINGER WARS 2: AFTERMATH #1.
My review, with minimal spoilers, based on reading the individual issues . . . .
HARBINGER WARS 2 PRELUDE (Valiant Entertainment, May 2018) Eric Heisserer, writer. Raul Allen and Patricia Martin, art. Borja Pindado additional colors and inks. Patricia Martin, letters.
HARBINGER WARS 2 #1-4 (Valiant Entertainment, May - August, 2018) Matt Kindt, writer. Tomas Giorello and Renato Guedes, art. Diego Rodriguez, colors. Dave Sharpe, letters.
HARBINGER WARS 2 AFTERMATH (Valiant Entertainment, September 2018) Matt Kindt, writer. Adam Pollina, art. Diego Rodriguez, colors. Dave Sharpe, letters.
If you’re an avid reader of super-hero sagas, enjoy the team books, but are fed up with the never-ending “event” issues that promise epic storylines with ground-breaking changes - - don’t throw in the towel until you’ve experienced how Valiant handles things.
Sure, once in a while a comics publisher gets it right and delivers a worthwhile reading experience. But the number of clunkers, duds and flat-out tedious reading efforts far outnumber the ones you will remember and even consider a second or third reading of.
For my comics dollar, I’ll always prefer the Valiant events over the never-ending epics that the Big Two publishers pile one on top of another year after year. Valiant has been doing it right, and doing it well for a number of reasons:
1) The stories deal with big concepts but manage to wrap up within five or six issues, not the eight to twelve issues that the Big Two publishers will often stretch and pad them out.
2) Valiant doesn’t use the events as a reason to cross over into every other title with the idea of taking advantage of completists who will buy all these extra books, even though the stories are vaguely related to the main plot and usually inconsequential.
3) An “epic event” at Valiant is a bigger deal. The stories have actual consequences that usually include changes or a progression that is lasting and affects the whole line of titles. The conclusion won’t be ignored or treated as imaginary/alternative, and future titles will respect the continuity.
4) Every issue of a Valiant event includes a concise synopsis or story guide on the opening credits pages, so that readers can jump right into the storyline without needing an extensive knowledge of who, what, where, when and why. Also, readers could still skip the Valiant event series and not be lost when they pick up any regular books that follow after it.
The highlights for me were:
PRELUDE: Rather than a teaser lead-in to the main event, this gets right to the key incident that escalates tensions and results in the “war”.
Confrontations between psiots and the government are increasing in frequency and intensity. After failing to come to an understanding, negotiations between Livewire (Amada McKee) and Homeland Security break down when she realizes she’s being lied to. That leads to her decisive action which Livewire hoped would dissuade government forces from trying to enforce a nationwide effort to capture, contain or eliminate psiots.
There’s a dramatic scene near the end where Amanda reunites with her young charges during a meteor-like shower of falling satellites. Amanda answers the question of what did she do by replying: “The wrong thing for the right reasons.”
ISSUE #1: Many of the psiots are innocent and scared youngsters, and the parallels to what’s being done in the real world to immigrant children on the U.S. - Mexico border come to mind immediately. X-O Manowar gets involved on the government’s side but begins with a pre-battle conversation with Livewire, in which she utters some memorable lines: “They’re putting children in prison. All tyranny needs to win is for people of good conscience to do nothing.”
ISSUE #2: There’s lots of action and meaningful battles this issue. However, the highlight for me was a short conversation where Livewire travels to Russia to try and persuade Abram, the ultra-powerful cosmonaut from DIVINITY to get involved and make Earth a safer place.
Livewire: “You can fix all of this with a snap of your fingers. Protect the psiots and end this war before it starts. Save lives.”
Abram’s answer: “I could do what you say. But, then what? What does humanity learn? They learn to come to me to solve their problems? I am not a God . . . nor do I wish to become one.”
ISSUE #3: This is the issue I’ll remember for the incredible fight scenes. Heroes on both sides of the battlefront begin to ask questions and have some decisions to make regarding the path forward.
ISSUE #4: Saved the best battle for last: the confrontation between Livewire and X-O Manowar.
AFTERMATH: Actions and words have consequences, as the future relationships between Livewire and X-O Manowar, Snowbeard and Peter Stancheck, Livewire and Ninjak are challenged and changed from this point forward.
Back issues of the series, as well as the trade paperback may be found at your local comics shop. A deluxe hardcover edition is also scheduled to be published mid-year 2020.
RATING SYSTEM
STORY: An intriguing storyline with lots of little surprises and great interaction and exchanges between the characters. The story makes sense and has a point to it all. 2.5 POINTS
ART: The minimalist art style of Raul Allen is particularly well-suited to the Prelude issue, especially in the multiple-panel pages of conversation and action. The photo-realistic art in the following issues and dynamic fight scenes illustrated by Giorello are awesome to behold. 2.5 POINTS
COVERS: Great character montages on every issue. The facial expressions and close-ups are a knock-out. 2 POINTS
READ AGAIN? There’s plenty to enjoy more than once. 1 POINT.
RECOMMEND? Definitely, especially if you want to read an “event” book that is done right. 1 POINT
TOTAL RATING: 9 OUT OF A POSSIBLE 10 POINTS. A SUPERIOR EFFORT.
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