Harbinger: The Beginning - Your Reviews!

[greg]

A place for your reviews of the Harbinger: The Beginning hardcover.

[acc205]

Have to say this is the nicest graphic novel I own. The dustjacket is very professional, the book cover itself is even better looking (im tempted to remove the dust jacket and display the hard cover that way)! I'm also impressed by the paper quality.

The recoloring is far better than I expected. Interestingly, I spotted lots of detail I never saw in the original water color version.

The new story - lots of meat in those few pages. Lots to think about. Classic Jim Shooter. I'm still trying to figure out which of the two is the new KEY character

[ManofTheAtom]

Does the book come sealed in a plastic bag like DC's hcs, or is it loose like Marvel's?

[StarBrand]

The new story - lots of meat in those few pages. Lots to think about. Classic Jim Shooter. I'm still trying to figure out which of the two is the new KEY character

So, there are two new characters?

[ManofTheAtom]

So, there are two new characters?

The wife and the madam...

[400yrs]

Does the book come sealed in a plastic bag like DC's hcs, or is it loose like Marvel's?

As I said in another thread, I'm very impressed with the quality of this book. I like the recoloring alot. The paper used is top quality. The new story packs in a lot into those 8 pages and the art in it is very true to the rest of the hardcover, yet modernized. I only noticed one grammatical error which I probably would've fixed. Only other gripe, which I've said before, is the inking on the dust-jacket cover. Looks like it was inked as a line art piece although the pencils aren't line art (see Pete's outline).

I wouldn't say it's the nicest hardcover I own, but it's definitely no slouch by any means.

For it being the first product put out by VEI, I'm impressed and encouraged with what is to come. I give it:

out of 5

[greg]

Here's the review I posted at Amazon.com...


Harbinger: The Beginning ... more please!, August 21, 2007
Harbinger: The Beginning is a retelling of the first eight Harbinger comics from Valiant Comics in 1992 in a new format. Those eight comics tell a single story, and have never been together in a single book before, since the earlier trade paperbacks for Harbinger only included four or five of these eight. This hardcover has digital re-coloring for the original inks, giving a "modern twist" on books that had become almost instant classics at the time. Looking from page to page through the book, there are cases where I prefer the original coloring from 1992, and there are pages that seem much more vibrant with the new digital coloring. There are new corrections and consistency between panels of the story, and some new effects that were not possible before digital coloring.

Though 192 of the 200 pages in this book have been seen in print before, I am certain that many comic collectors still have not read them. Unless you already own this book, I know that you haven't seen these pages in digital coloring. Comic collectors often believe that they already know about Valiant Comics, but unless they were collectors from the very beginning in 1991, they probably haven't had the opportunity to read the earliest stories which formed the foundation for the Valiant fan, such as Harbinger: The Beginning.

Many comic collectors like myself did not find Harbinger until around the tenth issue, and the earliest issues were priced far above my budget in the backissue market at the time. Only after re-starting my comic collecting via internet auctions did I find (and afford) backissues for the earliest Valiant books and finally sit down to read the books in the order they were released.

This hardcover makes that task much easier than searching out all the backissue comics. There is a reason that the earliest Valiant Comics were so prized when they were new, and why they still have a strong following today. I believe that Harbinger: The Beginning is a sign of good things to come. Valiant Entertainment Inc. is now guiding the Valiant universe, and this first product is very high quality. From the full-color dust jacket to the textured hardcover underneath, it doesn't appear that VEI has spared any expense. The pages themselves are very colorful, and the original story is presented in a new way, without changing the impact of the original. A new story included by Jim Shooter, "Origin of Harada", takes the characters a little further than before... and opens several possibilities for Valiant's future.

I would imagine that there will be many discussions about "what might be next" for Valiant based just upon the few pages of new story. What we do know is that VEI doesn't mind paying extra for a quality product, without passing those costs on to the customer. At $24.95 retail, this book is a bargain compared to others on the shelf, and with Amazon's discounted pricing it becomes a "must read" for any budget, especially if you've never read it before.

If you're a fan of the current story-telling in television shows such as "Heroes" or the more realistic comic-based movies being produced today, you might be surprised to find many of the same ideas and concepts in this early 1990s story. I've been a fan of Valiant since 1992, I've been a "rejuvenated fan" since the late 1990s, and I'm a supporter of Valiant's return since long before this book was even possible. It's exciting to see Valiant return, and hopefully, this is the first in a long line of quality Valiant products by VEI. Best of luck to them.

I hope you'll give Harbinger: The Beginning a try if you're wondering why anyone ever cared about Valiant Comics in the first place. Valiant was in the top three of comic companies with Marvel and D.C. for a short period of time. How could that happen so quickly? Why are Valiant fans still so passionate? This book is "The Beginning" of the answer.

[ManofTheAtom]

I only noticed one grammatical error which I probably would've fixed.

That grammatical error, is it in the new story or in the old ones?

[ManofTheAtom]

Here's the review I posted at Amazon.com...


Harbinger: The Beginning ... more please!, August 21, 2007
Harbinger: The Beginning is a retelling of the first eight Harbinger comics from Valiant Comics in 1992 in a new format. Those eight comics tell a single story, and have never been together in a single book before, since the earlier trade paperbacks for Harbinger only included four or five of these eight. This hardcover has digital re-coloring for the original inks, giving a "modern twist" on books that had become almost instant classics at the time. Looking from page to page through the book, there are cases where I prefer the original coloring from 1992, and there are pages that seem much more vibrant with the new digital coloring. There are new corrections and consistency between panels of the story, and some new effects that were not possible before digital coloring.

Though 192 of the 200 pages in this book have been seen in print before, I am certain that many comic collectors still have not read them. Unless you already own this book, I know that you haven't seen these pages in digital coloring. Comic collectors often believe that they already know about Valiant Comics, but unless they were collectors from the very beginning in 1991, they probably haven't had the opportunity to read the earliest stories which formed the foundation for the Valiant fan, such as Harbinger: The Beginning.

Many comic collectors like myself did not find Harbinger until around the tenth issue, and the earliest issues were priced far above my budget in the backissue market at the time. Only after re-starting my comic collecting via internet auctions did I find (and afford) backissues for the earliest Valiant books and finally sit down to read the books in the order they were released.

This hardcover makes that task much easier than searching out all the backissue comics. There is a reason that the earliest Valiant Comics were so prized when they were new, and why they still have a strong following today. I believe that Harbinger: The Beginning is a sign of good things to come. Valiant Entertainment Inc. is now guiding the Valiant universe, and this first product is very high quality. From the full-color dust jacket to the textured hardcover underneath, it doesn't appear that VEI has spared any expense. The pages themselves are very colorful, and the original story is presented in a new way, without changing the impact of the original. A new story included by Jim Shooter, "Origin of Harada", takes the characters a little further than before... and opens several possibilities for Valiant's future.

I would imagine that there will be many discussions about "what might be next" for Valiant based just upon the few pages of new story. What we do know is that VEI doesn't mind paying extra for a quality product, without passing those costs on to the customer. At $24.95 retail, this book is a bargain compared to others on the shelf, and with Amazon's discounted pricing it becomes a "must read" for any budget, especially if you've never read it before.

If you're a fan of the current story-telling in television shows such as "Heroes" or the more realistic comic-based movies being produced today, you might be surprised to find many of the same ideas and concepts in this early 1990s story. I've been a fan of Valiant since 1992, I've been a "rejuvenated fan" since the late 1990s, and I'm a supporter of Valiant's return since long before this book was even possible. It's exciting to see Valiant return, and hopefully, this is the first in a long line of quality Valiant products by VEI. Best of luck to them.

I hope you'll give Harbinger: The Beginning a try if you're wondering why anyone ever cared about Valiant Comics in the first place. Valiant was in the top three of comic companies with Marvel and D.C. for a short period of time. How could that happen so quickly? Why are Valiant fans still so passionate? This book is "The Beginning" of the answer.

[400yrs]

I only noticed one grammatical error which I probably would've fixed.

That grammatical error, is it in the new story or in the old ones?

Old.

[ManofTheAtom]

I only noticed one grammatical error which I probably would've fixed.

That grammatical error, is it in the new story or in the old ones?

Old.

What issue, page, and panel?

I'd like to compare it with the original to see if it has the same mistake.

[stephenpakula]

Hey guys, just a heads up that the Sequart.com review of Harbinger: The Beginning should be up on the site by the end of the week, if not sooner. I think the book looks great so far. I'll post the link when the review is live.

Take care,

Stephen

[greg]

Hey guys, just a heads up that the Sequart.com review of Harbinger: The Beginning should be up on the site by the end of the week, if not sooner. I think the book looks great so far. I'll post the link when the review is live.

Take care,

Stephen

Thanks for the note Stephen... looking forward to another review!

[Unblessed]

Completely remastered

What is this? Music?

[x-omatic]

Got mine from Amazon. For the most part I really liked the re-coloring. There were a few pages that seem a little muddy to me and I think that may have been due to the process used to get the B&W artwork back from printed pages. I noticed that there were different teams that worked on the re-color process. I am at work now and don't have the book infront of me, but the only part I really didn't like was the "water effect" used in either Harbinger 4 or 5. I have never really liked the new computer water effect that creates a kind of texture look.
Anyway, I liked the new story. I find it interesting that this little story may be something that takes place once a year. As there was mention of the date and a meeting again next year. I also like that it shows Harada does have some "good" intentions in his actions.

[Unblessed]

Don't like the "new" colors. Feels like a current Marvel DC book in your hands.

[Harbinger7]

It will be a joyous day when I can flip through the HC.

[Jaknife]

Don't like the "new" colors. Feels like a current Marvel DC book in your hands.

I agree. the hand coloring is what made valiant so unique.

[schi0249]

I was real worries about the recoloring. do I love it? Not, I'm a fan of the old finished art. Did I think it was bad? Hell no, still was a better read than Countdown or most of the other new books out these days.

[slym2none]

By no means an end, but a start -

I liked this, overall. It was VERY professionally done, top quality throughout the book. And WOW, does the old TPB pale in comparison, just because 1-7 NEEDED to be told/read in one sitting.

I am still a toss-up on the new colouring. It doesn't detract from the book, in any way, but it does have a too-modern feel to it. Would it have been too much trouble/expense/whatever to have used the old colours, that a total digital "re-mastering" was more effective in whatever way? Either way, I am not bagging it - just curious.

The new story... still digesting it. I'll get back to y'all on that later...



-slym

[IMJ]

I've still got to land a copy of this.

[ManofTheAtom]

Ok, now that I got it I can comment on the one thing that's been bugging me.

I really like the new coloring, but in some panels (due to how the process was done) it seems like the coloring has over taken the pencils as they now look faded.

Did anyone else notice that?

Note to VEI

I inmediately requiere a new printing of Second Death, my old one is falling apart due to opening it too much for reference when argue... er, debating with people on this board

[magnusr]

Did anyone else notice that?

I also noticed that in some places. Not too bad. The blacks (except for the texts) were not isolated in the originals either.

/Magnus

[dino]

Ok, now that I got it I can comment on the one thing that's been bugging me.

I really like the new coloring, but in some panels (due to how the process was done) it seems like the coloring has over taken the pencils as they now look faded.

Unfortunately, the degradation of the black line is a result of removing the existing colors for the digital recoloring process.

[ManofTheAtom]

Ok, now that I got it I can comment on the one thing that's been bugging me.

I really like the new coloring, but in some panels (due to how the process was done) it seems like the coloring has over taken the pencils as they now look faded.

Unfortunately, the degradation of the black line is a result of removing the existing colors for the digital recoloring process.

Yeah, I imagined as much.

Thanks for the answer