Comic Book Review: Harbinger #0

Review by Nolan P. Smith-Pastrami Nation

Writer: Joshua Dysart

Artists: Mico Suayan and Pere Perez

Publisher: Valiant Entertainment

We are a product of the world we live in: nothing is clearer than that after reading the epic zero issue for Valiant’s Harbinger.

Toyo Harada is one of the most powerful and influential men in the world, as well as being the most powerful psionic on Earth thus far. But where did it all start? How does such a man come into being, as well as rule with such authority? That is what we see when a young Harada lose everything at Hiroshima. What Harada has done in his pursuit of power is inexcusable, but to see where he came from certainly helps as see why he does what he does.

Joshua Dystart crafts a dual tale, as we switch between Harada’s past and the present, in which the CEO guides a young psionic through a violent mission. It really is an amazing issue, as Harada tries to be there for this young ward as no one was left for him to lean on as a kid. Also, to see what a young Harada does with his emerging powers in a war torn, kill or be killed world shows that he isn’t all that bad… is he?

This is a vital book for not only the Harbinger series, but for the entire Valiant stable of books. Sure, the young hero Peter Stanchek is not in the spotlight here, but Harada is just as important if not more in the grand scheme of things. This is how a zero issue should be done, and this is a can’t miss. Highly recommended, I give Harbinger #0 a perfect @@@@@ out of FIVE.