Harbinger #2 Discussion Thread (of course with spoilers)

[erwinrafael]

The advantage of living in the Philippines, aside from having a higher chance of getting a Marco Suayan cover signed, is that our Wednesdays come earlier. So yeah, I have already read Harbinger #2 and Bloodshot #1 twice. I also made an unjustified fit in the shop when I can not find my X-O #3. Forgot that it's supposed to ship next week.

Anyway, this is a very intense issue. Much better artwise compared to the first. Maybe Khari Evans is really comfortable doing more action scenes.

Peter's separation from Kris and Joe is the highlight of the story for me. I did not anticipate Joe's reaction which made for more emotional impact. I think the "8 words" that Robert Venditti alluded to were Joe's last words in this issue.

[greg]

I also made an unjustified fit in the shop when I can not find my X-O #3. Forgot that it's supposed to ship next week.

Good point. I've updated the countdown note at the top of this board.

[erwinrafael]

^ right, that's where I got the subliminal message that X-O #3 is supposed to arrive today.

[caxiotis]

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[Dr. Solar]

The 8 words that V-Ditti hinted at were "those soldiers were members of Project Rising Spirit".

And what eight wonderful words they were!

This issue was incredible. Better than the first, and I loved the first.

[depluto]

I liked the way he released his hold on Kris, and then her instant reaction. Story is definitely on a great track. Maybe some of the dialogue was heavy-handed and "comic-booky."

[ian_house]

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Just Thor?

[caxiotis]

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Just Thor?

I loved, loved, loved harbinger 2.

My favorite parts were Peter turned on his power, released Kris from loving him and when Joe said that Peter was the most terrifying person he had ever met. Great.

I also did not realize that Toyo was actually there when all of the fighting went down. I thought he was projecting himself from the Harbonger Foundation (if that is what it is called). I will have to reread issue #1 to figure this out.

[BugsySig]

Loved this issue. Evans art was really good here, and even great in some of those action panels. Best book overall thus far for me.

The Rising Spirit connection was spoiled for me by a review with no warnings, which I still found awesome at the time, but limited the impact as I read the issue.

I thought the Harada in disguise thing was great, but it was partially spoiled by the info box at the beginning. Would have been cooler if it was a surprise when he transformed in that one panel.

Does Kris' reaction and "I'll cut off his balls" comment confirm that they had sex, or is it still too ambiguous to say for sure?

Also, I don't want to pull out my Harby trade to check, but were any of those Harbinger kids from the original series?

[Tim]

Loved it!

[sonicdan]

Loved this issue!
The Project Rising Spirit line was not spoiled for me...a pleasant surprise.
I am glad they are forming connections already! I also didn't realize
Harada was physically there and disguised as the #talkingdog.
It was cool to see the return of Eddie Sedgwick aka Stronghold.
Joe's "Mind-dou¢he these tools" made me seriously lol.
Kris is seriously *SQUEE* and I wonder how that will play out.
Harbinger is my favorite of the line so far!
DAN

[BugsySig]

Loved this issue!
The Project Rising Spirit line was not spoiled for me...a pleasant surprise.
I am glad they are forming connections already! I also didn't realize
Harada was physically there and disguised as the #talkingdog.
It was cool to see the return of Eddie Sedgwick aka Stronghold.
Joe's "Mind-dou¢he these tools" made me seriously lol.
Kris is seriously *SQUEE* and I wonder how that will play out.
Harbinger is my favorite of the line so far!
DAN

Stronghold! Of course. How about 'Rachel'? Do we know her from VH1?

[rpellech83]

Was Rachel the name of the girl Harada sent to shoot Pete in the back of the head in the old series?

[Zaphod]

The 8 words that V-Ditti hinted at were "those soldiers were members of Project Rising Spirit".

And what eight wonderful words they were!

This issue was incredible. Better than the first, and I loved the first.

huh, and here when I read it the 8 words that stood out to me were, "Welcome to the Harbinger Foundation Peter. Get in!"

yours makes more sense though. The start of the story was very interesting, the end felt incredibly anti-climatic.

[tchalla8]

I have to admit...upon first read, I had no idea which 8 words were the game-changer everyone was talking about. I guess in hindsight the Rising Spirit line makes sense though.

[Zaphod]

I definitely liked how this issue felt like all the good parts of Heroes season 1. The groundwork for a vast, interlocking struggle has been laid by these first 2 issues and of course Bloodshot #1.

Corporation wars seem to be on the agenda, hopefully we'll get cameo's by Omen and Orb industries soon.

[Donovan]

My only complaint art-wise is that I still sometimes have to make the effort to figure out who Pete and Joe are. Facially, they look identical. One panel in particular, I actually had to go back and 'do the math' to figure out who was in the front seat and who was in the back with Kris before understanding who was talking.

[Dr. Solar]

I confirmed with V-Ditti this morning that the rising spirit line is indeed what he had in mind when he teased the 8 words

[manga4life]

Wow, I didn't think they'd be able to top the first issue of Harbinger....but they just totally did! I loved Kris' reaction toward Peter after he released the hold he had on her, especially on the last page where she threatened to cut his ____ off, that gave me a hell of a laugh. Seeing Peter go all out and take out a bunch of dudes was fun and overall I thought the dialogue was fun, and the art was exceptionally great. At first I didn't get the whole beginning thing with the baby though, but I guess that will just have to be explained at a later time or something unless I'm blind or I missed something. I'll be re-reading both this and Bloodshot #1 later on tonight so maybe I'll catch on to the whole first few pages then....

[erwinrafael]

I confirmed with V-Ditti this morning that the rising spirit line is indeed what he had in mind when he teased the 8 words

Oh. I thought it was "you're the most terrifying person I've ever known", which made me imagine future plotlines where Peter would become the biggest threat in the Valiant universe. Hehehe

[etos45]

First, the art was a LOT better this issue. I knew everything I was looking at.

The opening fight scene was amazing! I thought it was pretty cool when they revealed that the dog actually was Harada. The reveal thing with Kris was also awesome, but I have to wonder how much threatening I would do to the guy that just did what Pete did. I thought we were supposed to see some great betrayal to Joe too, but it looks like there's nothing there (yet?). And I don't know if it's me trying to read into things, but the way they said goodbye didn't sound like two guys that were "just friends". I thought they were going to kiss there for a second.

[BugsySig]

First, the art was a LOT better this issue. I knew everything I was looking at.

The opening fight scene was amazing! I thought it was pretty cool when they revealed that the dog actually was Harada. The reveal thing with Kris was also awesome, but I have to wonder how much threatening I would do to the guy that just did what Pete did. I thought we were supposed to see some great betrayal to Joe too, but it looks like there's nothing there (yet?). And I don't know if it's me trying to read into things, but the way they said goodbye didn't sound like two guys that were "just friends". I thought they were going to kiss there for a second.

I think the betrayal was leaving him behind. Leaving a paranoid schizophrenic with a bunch of strangers with wierd powers in an unmarked van when you are the only support and protection he has known and relied on for years...that's a pretty big deal

[The Dirt Gang]

I have to admit from a concept standpoint Harbinger is not my favorite of the Valiant line but after this issue it might be might favorite read so far. Dysart writes really great dialogue. It's sounds very natural to me. Evans art was definitely better. I really liked the intro and Darpan's reveal was fantastic. Harada pulling Darpan from his dead mother was a very interesting rebirth.

I love Dysart's handling of Harada in general and I love that he showed up as a dog. It will be hard to wait another month for #3. Fortunately, VEI is hitting home runs on all fronts right now, at leas for me.

Corporation wars seem to be on the agenda, hopefully we'll get cameo's by Omen and Orb industries soon.

Interesting, Zaphod never thought of this. I loved what WildCats did with "superheroes" and corporations and it would be interesting to see a similar dynamic in the VEI world.

Harbonger Foundation (if that is what it is called).

Is there where Joe goes? An alternative to the Harbinger Foundation, where everyone self medicates and nothing gets accomplished.

[The Dirt Gang]

By the way, I also loved Joe's line about Peter being the most terrifying person he's known. It was genuinely a heartbreaking moment.

[Zaphod]

I have to admit from a concept standpoint Harbinger is not my favorite of the Valiant line but after this issue it might be might favorite read so far. Dysart writes really great dialogue. It's sounds very natural to me. Evans art was definitely better. I really liked the intro and Darpan's reveal was fantastic. Harada pulling Darpan from his dead mother was a very interesting rebirth.

I love Dysart's handling of Harada in general and I love that he showed up as a dog. It will be hard to wait another month for #3. Fortunately, VEI is hitting home runs on all fronts right now, at leas for me.

Corporation wars seem to be on the agenda, hopefully we'll get cameo's by Omen and Orb industries soon.

Interesting, Zaphod never thought of this. I loved what WildCats did with "superheroes" and corporations and it would be interesting to see a similar dynamic in the VEI world.

IIRC, they set up this kind of a future in Rai #0 and briefly dealt with the Harbinger wars in Timewalker (unsatisfyingly)

With the further vilification of Corporations in the past 2 decades it is a natural progression.