Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

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Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by DirtbagSailor »

My (admittedly harsh) review of Harbinger Wars II #2.

http://all-comic.com/2018/harbinger-wars-ii-2/

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by sonicdan »

That last page cliffhanger tho!! :o
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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by jxm640 »

I think that the issue was a nice glimpse into the basics attributes of many characters.

As expected, Divinity was handled well. I would agree with you DBS about Peter Stanchek, but if he wants to be somewhat subtle (I don't know why he is doing this now), he would travel by foot as opposed to drawing attention to himself.

The ending reveal was good as well.

Otherwise, I kind of agree with your points.

As I said in an earlier post, I think that this series is a trade series as opposed to a single issue series.
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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by Keith »

Agree with your review, DBS. Was Palmer’s history here different from what we saw in H.A.R.D. Corps #0?

All in all, though, I enjoyed this issue more than I did #1. I wasn’t so surprised that Ninjak was able to get the drop on Peter, and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that Ninjak could create a solution to apprehend Peter temporarily, at best.

I liked the brief cameo with Divinity, and the reveal of who is keeping the Loveboat going was a definite surprise. And the whole thing with the crazy octopus psiot kid... is someone unknown coming in next issue to save him/the town? Harada, perhaps?

Speaking of which, still not sure how they’re going to tie in Harada/Solomon/The Alpha into this with 2 issues and an aftermath left to go...
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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by TheFerg714 »

I'm not sure if I liked it... The story was so-so. Nothing really grabbed me and the fight was a little underwhelming. I'm still in though and can't wait for the next one.

However, my biggest problem is the art. This is EASILY Giorello's worst outing for Valiant. His X-O and Ninja-k are just significantly better, in every way. Proportions just feel off and I don't feel like the framing is very good either. On top of that, I hated Guedes' art. It felt very haphazard and rushed. It didn't mesh with Giorello's style at all, the colors felt muddled, Animalia was too little, Faith's face was ugly, and for some reason all you could see in every panel during the Livewire/Divinity scene was like half of Amanda's face. Seriously, it was very weird. Just zoom out a little! :!:

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by markie7235 »

I actually liked issue 1 better, as it was starting to set the tone, lines, and pace

Issue 2 just felt all over the place, and with I believe only two more issues to go, I feel like the pacing of 2 was far too slow to actually go anywhere. Either this whole Hw2 will end up more of a cold war with little actual action, or issues 3 and 4 are going to really have to cram everything in, making them feel rushed.

I was very hopeful, but starting to share concerns others have mentioned that this entire arc is going to end up with lots of plot holes, feeling rushed, and just being over-hyped. This issue needed to cover a lot more ground than it did.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by nonplayer »

Harbinger wars 2 isnt doing it for me. I read it fast didnt really care felt more like a job or commitment.
It still doenst make sence. Amanda should just turn her self in and face the consequenses. This would be a big learning lesson for the kids and teach them to use their powers responsibility.
I dont get bloodshot. Why is xo there if he is thinking about helping or not. Peter walking Peter getting cought. Peter looks really bad. The art of this comic.

Xo book was good and its making more sence than the previous issue unfortunately HW2 is a big dissapointment. Feels like its not happening like a parallel world.
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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by Bl00dsh0t »

Great to see Divinity and Tama in this but the book doesn't feel like its part of the Valiant U - then again we don't have as much cohesion as we did with HW1 with both Bloodshot and Harbinger titles tied to the event. I don't even know what is 'present day' in this Valiant universe:

XO - barbarian days
Bloodshot - 4002 / deadside
Shadowman - revisiting the past
Ninja-K - obviously not present day given HWII, perhaps set just prior to?

Quantum and Woody - present day tie-in to HWII

I liked HWII #2 better than 1 but it reads more like Ninjak Vs The Valiant Universe rather than a major in-continuity event.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by hawkeyeps »

DirtbagSailor wrote:My (admittedly harsh) review of Harbinger Wars II #2.

http://all-comic.com/2018/harbinger-wars-ii-2/
Spot on review, I agree this story just seems naive and not well thought out. I also didn't see the need to waste a bunch of pages on useless flashbacks, the XO flashback was practically an ad for what happening in his own book which I also care nothing about right now.

I think it's time for Kindt to step away.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by Bl00dsh0t »

hawkeyeps wrote:
DirtbagSailor wrote:My (admittedly harsh) review of Harbinger Wars II #2.

http://all-comic.com/2018/harbinger-wars-ii-2/
Spot on review, I agree this story just seems naive and not well thought out. I also didn't see the need to waste a bunch of pages on useless flashbacks, the XO flashback was practically an ad for what happening in his own book which I also care nothing about right now.

I think it's time for Kindt to step away.
+1

Yep, Kindt needs to move on.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by WrathOfArmstrong »

At this point, I bet Solomon shows up in the last panel of the last page and says 'All according to plan.' Muwhahahaha... and maybe Alpha is on a leash or something....and then they won't be seen again for a year or two.

That said, I didn't dislike this issue, but I came into it hoping you all were completely off base and overly critical. But I definitely see what you're saying. I just hope my patience with it pays off and this is not Dead Drop 2. Honestly, it feels a lot like MindMGMT without all the writing in the margins...like I'm missing the key charm and background info.

Tomas is seriously letting me down with this art. He's normally one of my favorites and for an event... it all seems rushed, careless. Peter looks terrible.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by Ryan »

DirtbagSailor wrote:My (admittedly harsh) review of Harbinger Wars II #2.

http://all-comic.com/2018/harbinger-wars-ii-2/
Really good breakdown of why this whole premise was poorly thought out from the beginning.

When I looked through Kindt's twitter, it's like 85% hype for his multitude of creator-owned projects. Which I understand, those are the stories he completely owns and are fully created by him. It just makes me wonder why someone who has so much on his plate already writes so many of the Valiant books. It makes more sense now that some of his storylines don't really connect at the end (X-O) and seem poorly thought out (HW2). He's obviously a skilled writer, so it's too bad he has to work at such a pace that nothing can ever be fully thought through and polished to a fine point (imo).

I agree the art is a mixed bag. Some stuff looks really beautiful, I love the way he draws Bloodshot and machinery. Some of the figures look really off (heads way too big) and I'm not a fan of fancy panel layouts that are just there to be fancy. Why does Pete look 40? Why are everyone's eyes always in shadow? Also I wish he would ink the pencils. The whole 'pencil work straight to colors' look works good on a fantasy book like Conan, but doesn't really suit a big time crossover like this.

Last thing, I know it's the next issue, but can we talk about this cover?
Image

What is going on with Bloodshot's head? Why does Faith look like that? Neither of those faces look consistent with how the characters usually look, not to mention they are strange and off-putting. Shouldn't the characters look appealing on the cover of the major crossover event? And these are the 2 characters that have movies in development? facepalm

edit: I just noticed, maybe he spent too much time drawing the huge spaceship that is COMPLETELY COVERED UP BY THE HUGE LOGO facepalm

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by grendeljd »

If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue [& XO Manowar [2017] #16, & Quantum & Woody [2017] #7], please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr169/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to any who listen in :thumb:
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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by DirtbagSailor »

Ryan wrote:
DirtbagSailor wrote:My (admittedly harsh) review of Harbinger Wars II #2.

http://all-comic.com/2018/harbinger-wars-ii-2/
Really good breakdown of why this whole premise was poorly thought out from the beginning.

Last thing, I know it's the next issue, but can we talk about this cover?
Image

What is going on with Bloodshot's head? Why does Faith look like that? Neither of those faces look consistent with how the characters usually look, not to mention they are strange and off-putting. Shouldn't the characters look appealing on the cover of the major crossover event? And these are the 2 characters that have movies in development? facepalm

edit: I just noticed, maybe he spent too much time drawing the huge spaceship that is COMPLETELY COVERED UP BY THE HUGE LOGO facepalm
Yes we can talk about it. So Charlie Palmer is using MRI/IMI Desert Eagle .50 Cal pistol.

The Eagle is not a combat weapon; it is macho statement that is rarely used by tactical forces ANYWHERE, EVER (except perhaps Poland’s JW GROM and Portugal’s Special Operations Group)! It DID show up in all three Matrix movies though, so there is that.

They jam easy, weigh nearly 5 lbs, and only carry 7 rounds in the magazine (which makes it far less practical than say the 2.1 lb Sig Sauer P226 that Navy SEALs carry into combat that carries between 15-20 rounds in the magazine and pretty much NEVER jams).

Info to creators, artists, and writers: a pistol NOT an offensive small arms weapon; it is a defensive weapon for situations when your rifle jams or runs dry.

This cover also shows Charlie Palmer using a (poorly executed) "Weaver" shooting stance. This was the "thing" back in the 1950s when people really did not know anything. All you has to do is take a look at what the world’s most successful shooters use and you will not see a single one using a "Weaver" stance. It is not balanced for engaging hostile targets one to either side equally, and FAR less stable/accurate than the "Isosceles" shooting stance. When I was working with the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) in the Philippines, our Army SF and Navy SEALS all shot using an "Isosceles" shooting stance. I train Navy Security Forces to use the "Isosceles" shooting stance as well.

Charlie Palmer is gripping the pistol so low that recoil management, round placement (accuracy), and combat credibility 120% suck! Any trained shooter would yell at him and make him fix his grip! He needs a high, tight grip, with BOTH thumbs on the same side, and his trigger finger straight and off the trigger until he intends to fire! All Palmer needs to do is trip or bump something with his finger on the trigger and BOOM, he just shot his teammate in the back of the head accidently!

Of course, the slide recoiling will likely slice his improperly placed thumb open and cause him to bleed all over the damn place.

Image

ALSO...

Colonel Jamie Capshaw (the tough-as-nails Director of M.E.R.O. (later G.A.T.E.)) is wearing the silver oak leaf rank insignia of a Lieutenant Colonel (Paygrade O-5) as opposed to silver spread eagle rank insignia of a Colonel (Paygrade O-6). This would not be an issue, except that she is the FREAKING COMMANDING OFFICER / DIRECTOR for G.A.T.E. (with X-O Manowar serving as her Executive Officer (aka X-O)). The earth has been attacked by hostile alien forces SEVERAL times, and there is ZERO chance that an 0-5 would EVER be in command of such a unit. Hell, there is pretty much ZERO chance that an 0-6 would either, but that is a different discussion.

Colonel Capshaw is wearing the usual awards for a Major (O-4) or Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) with no Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria campaign awards; no combat awards (e.g. no Bronze Star; no Air Medal; etc). She does appear to have (what might be) a Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) but it is impossible to say and questionable at best anyhow since she would have had to have been involved in actual combat during a time of declared war and also operating in that same AOR.

Not to mention that she has no Rifle or Pistol Qualification Badges, which EVERY Marine will have (since EVERY Marine is a rifleman and MUST maintain his/her qualifications). That is, unless she is somehow in the Army (and mistakenly depicted as wearing a Marine uniform) where the closest possible Army uniform would be the World War II-era pinks and greens uniform that is only recently being tested for wear.

It stands to reason that an O-6 who leads UNITY and G.A.T.E. to protect the earth from Vine invasions, Armor Hunter Invasions, and everything else that has happened would at a minimum have earned the honor bestowed by award of a Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, or Navy/Marine Corps Medal for heroism. But instead, her highest award is an administrative Meritorious Service Medal (with no stars) which would indicate that she gets overlooked a LOT by her superiors or performs at a sub-par level. Since this is not indicated in the Valiant Universe, we have to assume that it is really just a matter of the artist doing minimal research on anything military related and making it up as they go.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by TheeBaldMoose »

grendeljd wrote:If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue [& XO Manowar [2017] #16, & Quantum & Woody [2017] #7], please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr169/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to any who listen in :thumb:

Crazy Question for you (great show, BTW), the Cthulhu character and the part where he is searching for "medicine" to stop the tentacles. Combining it with your theory (regarding the reading of books), could this somehow have something to do with the upcoming Incursion?

Now, I know that it's supposed to be an "alien dead side crashes with our dead side", but the resemblance kind of keyed me into this thinking. It's a slim shot, but it could be something
Moose

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by Ryan »

DirtbagSailor wrote:
Yes we can talk about it. So Charlie Palmer is using MRI/IMI Desert Eagle .50 Cal pistol.

The Eagle is not a combat weapon; it is macho statement that is rarely used by tactical forces ANYWHERE, EVER (except perhaps Poland’s JW GROM and Portugal’s Special Operations Group)! It DID show up in all three Matrix movies though, so there is that.

They jam easy, weigh nearly 5 lbs, and only carry 7 rounds in the magazine (which makes it far less practical than say the 2.1 lb Sig Sauer P226 that Navy SEALs carry into combat that carries between 15-20 rounds in the magazine and pretty much NEVER jams).

Info to creators, artists, and writers: a pistol NOT an offensive small arms weapon; it is a defensive weapon for situations when your rifle jams or runs dry.

This cover also shows Charlie Palmer using a (poorly executed) "Weaver" shooting stance. This was the "thing" back in the 1950s when people really did not know anything. All you has to do is take a look at what the world’s most successful shooters use and you will not see a single one using a "Weaver" stance. It is not balanced for engaging hostile targets one to either side equally, and FAR less stable/accurate than the "Isosceles" shooting stance. When I was working with the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) in the Philippines, our Army SF and Navy SEALS all shot using an "Isosceles" shooting stance. I train Navy Security Forces to use the "Isosceles" shooting stance as well.

Charlie Palmer is gripping the pistol so low that recoil management, round placement (accuracy), and combat credibility 120% suck! Any trained shooter would yell at him and make him fix his grip! He needs a high, tight grip, with BOTH thumbs on the same side, and his trigger finger straight and off the trigger until he intends to fire! All Palmer needs to do is trip or bump something with his finger on the trigger and BOOM, he just shot his teammate in the back of the head accidently!

Of course, the slide recoiling will likely slice his improperly placed thumb open and cause him to bleed all over the damn place.

ALSO...

Colonel Jamie Capshaw (the tough-as-nails Director of M.E.R.O. (later G.A.T.E.)) is wearing the silver oak leaf rank insignia of a Lieutenant Colonel (Paygrade O-5) as opposed to silver spread eagle rank insignia of a Colonel (Paygrade O-6). This would not be an issue, except that she is the FREAKING COMMANDING OFFICER / DIRECTOR for G.A.T.E. (with X-O Manowar serving as her Executive Officer (aka X-O)). The earth has been attacked by hostile alien forces SEVERAL times, and there is ZERO chance that an 0-5 would EVER be in command of such a unit. Hell, there is pretty much ZERO chance that an 0-6 would either, but that is a different discussion.

Colonel Capshaw is wearing the usual awards for a Major (O-4) or Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) with no Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria campaign awards; no combat awards (e.g. no Bronze Star; no Air Medal; etc). She does appear to have (what might be) a Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) but it is impossible to say and questionable at best anyhow since she would have had to have been involved in actual combat during a time of declared war and also operating in that same AOR.

Not to mention that she has no Rifle or Pistol Qualification Badges, which EVERY Marine will have (since EVERY Marine is a rifleman and MUST maintain his/her qualifications). That is, unless she is somehow in the Army (and mistakenly depicted as wearing a Marine uniform) where the closest possible Army uniform would be the World War II-era pinks and greens uniform that is only recently being tested for wear.

It stands to reason that an O-6 who leads UNITY and G.A.T.E. to protect the earth from Vine invasions, Armor Hunter Invasions, and everything else that has happened would at a minimum have earned the honor bestowed by award of a Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, or Navy/Marine Corps Medal for heroism. But instead, her highest award is an administrative Meritorious Service Medal (with no stars) which would indicate that she gets overlooked a LOT by her superiors or performs at a sub-par level. Since this is not indicated in the Valiant Universe, we have to assume that it is really just a matter of the artist doing minimal research on anything military related and making it up as they go.
lol, I was just going to say that I thought Palmer's head looked too big. It's just sad when the fans seem to put more thought and care into these characters and stories than the creators who get paid to do it. I've liked JG Jones work in the past, but I thought Livewire's face on #1 cover looked really weird and unappealing too, especially since she's supposed to be the star of the series. These guys are all in LA right? So is it a cocaine problem? Are they all just sitting around in a high-rise doing lines and making these books up on the fly in wild bursts of energy? That may sound preposterous, but the mental image helps me deal with all of this.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by grendeljd »

I think I'll need to re-read this issue again to try & glean more from it, but I have to say it was a dissapointing experience the first time through for me. Although I have to be fair and say that I think a big part of the problem is managing my own expectations to some extent.

So far, this story has nothing much going on in it that I was hoping to see happen, and a whole lot of other stuff that feels a bit like clumsy filler because it isn't getting to the point of what I *thought* this mini-series was going to be about. How can it be half over without seeing any sign of Solomon or Alpha? How is Toyo Harada *still* not involved in this book?! Peter is just (literally :roll: ) running around desperately activating psiots, and still nothing interesting is happening with any of them? (Okay, a hint of something started to happen in this issue with *one* of them). And now we've got the geomancer randomly tossed in there? Instead of feeling like an epic event with global consequences centered on the psiots, it just feels... small. And that's even taking into consideration what Livewire has done.

As to that - the set up and delivery of what Livewire has done to set this off... I still have a big problem with that as it's grossly out of character to me, 3 issues in. There are good moments in the prelude by Heisserer to build her motivations, but I think it could have used a little more well placed, precision dialogue somewhere since, to clarify to what extent she shut down the grid.

This is fiction after all, and I don't want to get too hung up on nit-picky details about how realistic it is, but when we as readers on average can think of a ton of terrible implications that would result in significant losses of *innocent* life in the scenario *as described*, well... it makes Amanda look like a horrendous monster, and I don't believe she is, or would ever be capable of an act so careless. Surely she would have thought of some of the implications & not taken it as far as it is being portrayed...

I almost hope this is a deliberate plot device to not hear her say what she did exactly until the end, so that she *appears* to be monstrous but really had it all under control the whole time.
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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by Dr. Solar »

TheeBaldMoose wrote:
grendeljd wrote:If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue [& XO Manowar [2017] #16, & Quantum & Woody [2017] #7], please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr169/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to any who listen in :thumb:

Crazy Question for you (great show, BTW), the Cthulhu character and the part where he is searching for "medicine" to stop the tentacles. Combining it with your theory (regarding the reading of books), could this somehow have something to do with the upcoming Incursion?

Now, I know that it's supposed to be an "alien dead side crashes with our dead side", but the resemblance kind of keyed me into this thinking. It's a slim shot, but it could be something
Incursion is a crossover with the Dynamite Gold Key characters, so I don't think so.

[CRAZY THEORY TIME!]


Aside from that insanity, my guess would be that it is just coincidence, but maybe not. Maybe this will somehow be the spark for that event, but we'll see.

I've never been a fan of Cthulhu mythos, so my personal hope is that it doesn't reference that too much.
Image

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by Dallow Spicer1 »

Before reading this issue I re-read issue and I thought that improved on second read. This issue unfortunately was a backward step in terms of quality. I agree with the points about Livewire acting out of character, especially with relationship with Ninjak ( current ninja-k happens before HW2) so why do they now seem like colleagues again? :?

Did NOT like the Bloodshot wings thing, that seemed stupid facepalm

I was confused by the Palmer flashbacks to when he was 18, he was asking for ‘shield mode’, was he n HARD Corps then or was that him in current day asking for shield mode?

Divinity page seemed unnecessary to me, but it can understand why Kindt added that in as fans would have been asking “where’s Divinity” in all of this like we are for Harada.

I’m hoping the rest of the series picks up, there was a long build up to this and it’s not living up to th3 hype....yet.

3/5 - ok read but should have been much better

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by agent_graves »

I didn’t like this issue at all, art, writing, nothing.... facepalm

The quick cameo by my favorite Valiant character (Divinity) just irritated me even more, considering X-O’s next arc deals with the ramifications from Eternity, but thus far doesn’t appear to feature Divinity or Myshka. :!:
#StayValiant

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Ryan
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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by Ryan »

I have respect for the creators and the difficult job that they do, to try and please fans that can be difficult to please sometimes. It just kind of ruffles my feathers when it doesn't seem like we're getting the creators' best efforts. As fans we just want to feel like the creators are caring about the work as much as we care about it.

The other part is that a high profile book like this has the ability to bring in new fans or turn off potential fans forever. The hardcore fans love the characters through thick and thin, so we're pretty forgiving. But what about the fans on the fence who are looking for a good action story but aren't all invested in the universe yet? They aren't going to stick around for this and some may never try a Valiant book again if they don't like it. They are asking fans to invest $4 for 10-15 min. of entertainment, it better be good or at least logical.

I get that 'name' creators can help sell a book, but if the 'names' are just using Valiant for a quick paycheck and quickly turning out 3rd rate work so that they can use their best ideas and best efforts for their creator-owned or Big 2 books, I'd rather they find lesser known creators who would at least (in theory) bring their passion and best efforts to these characters. :twocents:

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by otomo »

Chuck Dixon's rules of comics is that you should have at least 3 pieces of action in a comic. For a superhero event, especially so. Too much talking, too slow a pace. For a "Wars" there's not a lot of war going on.

"Really you blokes should take at least a beginner's class in mind management" - is really hilarious and epic indie self-promotion within the book tho lol. I laughed pretty hard at that. Event's pretty underwhelming so far and I say that as a guy who is ultimate Kindt fanboi and with Giorello being my favorite valiant artist. Needs more meat and action.
Like XO Manowar or Conan The Barbarian? Check out my new graphic novel, DEUS VULT on IndieGoGo now: Deus Vult: http://igg.me/at/deusvult.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by sonicdan »

Harbinger Wars II original art gallery for those who'd like to take a look:

http://sonicdan.com/giorello/harbingerwars2.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:thumb:
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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by nonplayer »

DirtbagSailor wrote:
Ryan wrote:
DirtbagSailor wrote:My (admittedly harsh) review of Harbinger Wars II #2.

http://all-comic.com/2018/harbinger-wars-ii-2/
Really good breakdown of why this whole premise was poorly thought out from the beginning.

Last thing, I know it's the next issue, but can we talk about this cover?
Image

What is going on with Bloodshot's head? Why does Faith look like that? Neither of those faces look consistent with how the characters usually look, not to mention they are strange and off-putting. Shouldn't the characters look appealing on the cover of the major crossover event? And these are the 2 characters that have movies in development? facepalm

edit: I just noticed, maybe he spent too much time drawing the huge spaceship that is COMPLETELY COVERED UP BY THE HUGE LOGO facepalm
Yes we can talk about it. So Charlie Palmer is using MRI/IMI Desert Eagle .50 Cal pistol.

The Eagle is not a combat weapon; it is macho statement that is rarely used by tactical forces ANYWHERE, EVER (except perhaps Poland’s JW GROM and Portugal’s Special Operations Group)! It DID show up in all three Matrix movies though, so there is that.

They jam easy, weigh nearly 5 lbs, and only carry 7 rounds in the magazine (which makes it far less practical than say the 2.1 lb Sig Sauer P226 that Navy SEALs carry into combat that carries between 15-20 rounds in the magazine and pretty much NEVER jams).

Info to creators, artists, and writers: a pistol NOT an offensive small arms weapon; it is a defensive weapon for situations when your rifle jams or runs dry.

This cover also shows Charlie Palmer using a (poorly executed) "Weaver" shooting stance. This was the "thing" back in the 1950s when people really did not know anything. All you has to do is take a look at what the world’s most successful shooters use and you will not see a single one using a "Weaver" stance. It is not balanced for engaging hostile targets one to either side equally, and FAR less stable/accurate than the "Isosceles" shooting stance. When I was working with the Joint Special Operations Task Force (JSOTF) in the Philippines, our Army SF and Navy SEALS all shot using an "Isosceles" shooting stance. I train Navy Security Forces to use the "Isosceles" shooting stance as well.

Charlie Palmer is gripping the pistol so low that recoil management, round placement (accuracy), and combat credibility 120% suck! Any trained shooter would yell at him and make him fix his grip! He needs a high, tight grip, with BOTH thumbs on the same side, and his trigger finger straight and off the trigger until he intends to fire! All Palmer needs to do is trip or bump something with his finger on the trigger and BOOM, he just shot his teammate in the back of the head accidently!

Of course, the slide recoiling will likely slice his improperly placed thumb open and cause him to bleed all over the damn place.

Image

ALSO...

Colonel Jamie Capshaw (the tough-as-nails Director of M.E.R.O. (later G.A.T.E.)) is wearing the silver oak leaf rank insignia of a Lieutenant Colonel (Paygrade O-5) as opposed to silver spread eagle rank insignia of a Colonel (Paygrade O-6). This would not be an issue, except that she is the FREAKING COMMANDING OFFICER / DIRECTOR for G.A.T.E. (with X-O Manowar serving as her Executive Officer (aka X-O)). The earth has been attacked by hostile alien forces SEVERAL times, and there is ZERO chance that an 0-5 would EVER be in command of such a unit. Hell, there is pretty much ZERO chance that an 0-6 would either, but that is a different discussion.

Colonel Capshaw is wearing the usual awards for a Major (O-4) or Lieutenant Colonel (O-5) with no Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria campaign awards; no combat awards (e.g. no Bronze Star; no Air Medal; etc). She does appear to have (what might be) a Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) but it is impossible to say and questionable at best anyhow since she would have had to have been involved in actual combat during a time of declared war and also operating in that same AOR.

Not to mention that she has no Rifle or Pistol Qualification Badges, which EVERY Marine will have (since EVERY Marine is a rifleman and MUST maintain his/her qualifications). That is, unless she is somehow in the Army (and mistakenly depicted as wearing a Marine uniform) where the closest possible Army uniform would be the World War II-era pinks and greens uniform that is only recently being tested for wear.

It stands to reason that an O-6 who leads UNITY and G.A.T.E. to protect the earth from Vine invasions, Armor Hunter Invasions, and everything else that has happened would at a minimum have earned the honor bestowed by award of a Legion of Merit, Defense Superior Service Medal, or Navy/Marine Corps Medal for heroism. But instead, her highest award is an administrative Meritorious Service Medal (with no stars) which would indicate that she gets overlooked a LOT by her superiors or performs at a sub-par level. Since this is not indicated in the Valiant Universe, we have to assume that it is really just a matter of the artist doing minimal research on anything military related and making it up as they go.
Wow bud Im inpressed by this. And Id like to point out thease mistakes are all mistakes made by someone who is new in the industry and didnt do their reserch.
I Miss the good old days.

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Re: Harbinger Wars II #2 Discussion

Post by nonplayer »

grendeljd wrote:I think I'll need to re-read this issue again to try & glean more from it, but I have to say it was a dissapointing experience the first time through for me. Although I have to be fair and say that I think a big part of the problem is managing my own expectations to some extent.

So far, this story has nothing much going on in it that I was hoping to see happen, and a whole lot of other stuff that feels a bit like clumsy filler because it isn't getting to the point of what I *thought* this mini-series was going to be about. How can it be half over without seeing any sign of Solomon or Alpha? How is Toyo Harada *still* not involved in this book?! Peter is just (literally :roll: ) running around desperately activating psiots, and still nothing interesting is happening with any of them? (Okay, a hint of something started to happen in this issue with *one* of them). And now we've got the geomancer randomly tossed in there? Instead of feeling like an epic event with global consequences centered on the psiots, it just feels... small. And that's even taking into consideration what Livewire has done.

As to that - the set up and delivery of what Livewire has done to set this off... I still have a big problem with that as it's grossly out of character to me, 3 issues in. There are good moments in the prelude by Heisserer to build her motivations, but I think it could have used a little more well placed, precision dialogue somewhere since, to clarify to what extent she shut down the grid.

This is fiction after all, and I don't want to get too hung up on nit-picky details about how realistic it is, but when we as readers on average can think of a ton of terrible implications that would result in significant losses of *innocent* life in the scenario *as described*, well... it makes Amanda look like a horrendous monster, and I don't believe she is, or would ever be capable of an act so careless. Surely she would have thought of some of the implications & not taken it as far as it is being portrayed...

I almost hope this is a deliberate plot device to not hear her say what she did exactly until the end, so that she *appears* to be monstrous but really had it all under control the whole time.
Great point about amanda. My take on it was Dinesh and co was planning to kill her off. But she is a beloved charater and female and we all know female is much more important theases days than male charaters. i think dmg re wrote hw2 so amanda doesnt die following the events in death of books. So they can capatalize on a charater who can make them more money than say harada or pete or luke skywalker compaired to Rey yes I went there.
Re structuring the books to 6 issues rather than 4 is more money and they can change is as they see fit.
And now we have a live wire comic coming out.
I Miss the good old days.


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