Harbinger Wars Volume 1 TPPublisher: Valiant Entertainment
Release Date: October 1, 2013
Price: $14.99
Creators: Joshua Dysart, Duane Swierczynski (writers); Clayton Henry, Pere Perez (artists)
Format: 128 pgs., Full-Color, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-9393-4609-4
Age Rating: N/A
ICv2 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
For decades a secret cold war has been waged between two covert organizations, Project Rising Spirit and the Harbinger Foundation, fought over and with Harbingers, adolescent superhuman telekinetics also known as psiots. Both sides have acquired small armies of weaponized humans and when a small group of them escapes from PRS led by Peter Stanchek. They are relentlessly pursued by both sides and, for reasons of his own, are aided by the nearly indestructible soldier called Bloodshot, and when the opposing forces finally converge the cold war turns hot on the streets of Las Vegas.
This volume collects Harbinger Wars #1-5, the crossover event from the publisher Valiant which brings together all of the major players in their shared universe. Ordinarily I would have called them "heroes" but none of the characters in Harbinger Wars could really be considered a hero, super or otherwise. Clearly PRS are the bad guys in the equation but ethically speaking Harbinger Foundation founder Toyo Harada isn't much better. It's even hard to root for the band of the runaway abused teen soldiers and their struggle to be free, given that their powers make them a potential danger to everyone around them.
As someone who's absolutely unfamiliar with the current incarnations of these characters, and has only a nodding acquaintance with the original versions from the 80’s I can definitely say Harbinger Wars does a good job of introducing the characters and situations. But while it's written and drawn well enough it never really makes me care about anyone in the large cast, Bloodshot especially.
--Steve Bennett: Writer and retail services consultant