Harbinger #14 Discussion

[Bone-A-Fach-ee]

I was very into every aspect of this issue. Crazy to see Harada unleash in anger when Griffon is killed. I like how the monk is (depicted as 40 years younger as well). Makes you wonder when whatever happened at his temple occurred?
Did Faith learn how to use the other flyer's "companion field", or was that just a heat seeking missle? If so, Faith cannot only fly, but carry something, and is a low level telepath. It'll be cool to see how else she develops her powers.
Liked seeing the soft side of Torque at the end as well.
Someone asked about Pete's eyes glowing at the end. I took it as him shielding the team from Harada. And of course they lost their first battle! Look who they were up against! How could they possibly win? although, they must have thought they were hot stuff because they were new to the game. They need training. We'll see where they get that from?
Did like seeing the orange jumpsuited kids being hauled away, just so we know what happened to them as well.
Great great issue.

On the other note, I think we shouldn't jump ahead issues in the spoiler threads. I didn't want to know about #15 yet either. Sorry, but that's my opinion on it.

[lorddunlow]

So I just read the issue. I loved it! The scene with Carter was the best. I so hope he isn't gone for good. It would be so awesome if he did get inside Harada's head. Surely Dysart isn't going to waste one of the single most interesting psiot powers by only using him in one issue. (Did anyone get a Frank Bender/Dr. Eclipse vibe to Carter?)

Bleeding Monk in the kiddie pool FTW! He is showing the sheer scale of his manipulation of events. He's soooooo evil. I'm telling you all right now. I more and more get the feeling that the Bleeding Monk is a puppet master trying to bring about a specific future event.

I was very confused by the "time perversion" statement by the Bleeding Monk. Perhaps Harbinger's 1969 timeline is what is going to crossover into Unity and the Faraway?

[BugsySig]

So I just read the issue. I loved it! The scene with Carter was the best. I so hope he isn't gone for good. It would be so awesome if he did get inside Harada's head. Surely Dysart isn't going to waste one of the single most interesting psiot powers by only using him in one issue. (Did anyone get a Frank Bender/Dr. Eclipse vibe to Carter?)

Bleeding Monk in the kiddie pool FTW! He is showing the sheer scale of his manipulation of events. He's soooooo evil. I'm telling you all right now. I more and more get the feeling that the Bleeding Monk is a puppet master trying to bring about a specific future event.

I was very confused by the "time perversion" statement by the Bleeding Monk. Perhaps Harbinger's 1969 timeline is what is going to crossover into Unity and the Faraway?

That's a line I forgot to mention earlier...The perversion of time? Could Harada actually have travelled or been transported through time as a result of the encounter with Carter? He wasn't seen again for a few years and the Monk assumed he had hidden his own mind as a defense mechanism. But what if the memory loss was a result of something else? Could 1969 Harada end up having an encounter in the Faraway with our various heroes only to have his mind wiped by present day Pete?

[SJS4]

Speaking of Carter, i got a very mothergod-ish vibe when he was talking about time. Curious to see if its just coincidence or if this has something to do with Unity.

[String]

A terrific issue. Dysart does an amazing job filling in the details in between the panels of HW.

I'm glad Faith 'survived'. And I think she actually did, for as some have mentioned, she is narrating this story, plus, she is seen as the missile exploded. If her fate were to be left open, I would think that they would show only the explosion and leave us wondering if she got caught in the blast.

Besides, if she is 'dead', then Dysart is a monster of a writer, giving us such a sweet reunion scene at the end only to find out it's Peter's fantasy. That would be soooo brutal and mean.

Again, looking forward to Cronus' association with Harada. Their difference on the word 'freedom' implies that Cronus may soon learn that he has traded one master for another. This is going to be good.

The flashback scenes were good, brutal how Griffon and Hunter died. I was confused over the time perversion statement as well. Since Carter's powers seemed to be escalating, I took it to mean that his 'death', along with Harada's ploy of hiding his mind, was enough to block and confuse the Monk's visions. Still, quite a bit can happen within two years so there may be hidden secrets in there. (Plus, I think Carter imparted himself, or portions of his mind, into Harada. The Monk did say he was a type of psiot never seen before or since so how does Toyo know he is truly 'clean'?)

Hm, a lab rat psiot.....what kind of powers would a lab rat psiot (or a Goat ) have?

[AnthonyF]

Speaking of Carter, i got a very mothergod-ish vibe when he was talking about time. Curious to see if its just coincidence or if this has something to do with Unity.

Me too, I was thinking - Mothergod is going to a PRS crazie.

[Big Red]

People made such a big deal about "the fate of Faith" when it was just a plug for the next issue. I'm surprised anyone actually thougt she was going to die.

Me too. Especially since she is on the cover of issue 15.

[Big Red]

I have a question...

This is the solicitation for this issue:

"As the Harbinger Wars reach their boiling point, Peter and his team must decide what role to play as the lines between friend and foe blur and the casualties pile high all around them. But just when all seems lost, a new ally will emerge from the unlikeliest of places – and Peter Stanchek’s ragtag band of teenage psiots will add a new hero to their ranks. Who will join the Harbinger Renegades?!"

I was expecting one of the psiot children to join Pete's team. And I was very disappointed that this wasn't even addressed.

What's going on?

[BugsySig]

I have a question...

This is the solicitation for this issue:

"As the Harbinger Wars reach their boiling point, Peter and his team must decide what role to play as the lines between friend and foe blur and the casualties pile high all around them. But just when all seems lost, a new ally will emerge from the unlikeliest of places – and Peter Stanchek’s ragtag band of teenage psiots will add a new hero to their ranks. Who will join the Harbinger Renegades?!"

I was expecting one of the psiot children to join Pete's team. And I was very disappointed that this wasn't even addressed.

What's going on?

Hmmm...interesting. I really don't read the solicits (or I just glance over them) but they come out so far in advance I never remember them anyway. Could have been a late change that will happen eventually.

There is an issue coming up focusing on Animalia (cartoon animal girl) and then there is the question of what happened to Little Castle (Isaiah). They're the two most likely candidates to join the crew, I would think.

[String]

I have a question...

This is the solicitation for this issue:

"As the Harbinger Wars reach their boiling point, Peter and his team must decide what role to play as the lines between friend and foe blur and the casualties pile high all around them. But just when all seems lost, a new ally will emerge from the unlikeliest of places – and Peter Stanchek’s ragtag band of teenage psiots will add a new hero to their ranks. Who will join the Harbinger Renegades?!"

I was expecting one of the psiot children to join Pete's team. And I was very disappointed that this wasn't even addressed.

What's going on?

Hmmm...interesting. I really don't read the solicits (or I just glance over them) but they come out so far in advance I never remember them anyway. Could have been a late change that will happen eventually.

There is an issue coming up focusing on Animalia (cartoon animal girl) and then there is the question of what happened to Little Castle (Isaiah). They're the two most likely candidates to join the crew, I would think.

When they return, what about Traveler and Hive?

[grendeljd]

I re-read this issue again last night, it's definitely my favourite issue of the month.

The 1969-71 portion was plain awesome & creepy as hell, with the bizarre revelation of Carter's disturbing exposed brain, psionic power & how that played out. Felt like I was watching a cool cult horror film while reading those portions. Loved that Harada disappeared for a few years, both from the public eye & his own self awareness. Really intrigued more than ever about the Bleeding Monk's long game in orchestrating all of Harada's moves with regards to all the psiots of the world.

The fate of Faith.

BIG sigh of relief, and man - how cool is she in this series?! What a great super hero she is turning into - I love that her inspiration to be one comes from not only having a good heart, but also growing up as a big geeky nerd reading all the comics we do, in the VEI world. Really love what Josh is doing to develop her powers far beyond the original VH1 Faith. I wonder if she couldn't learn to 'slingshot' a secondary object eventually, instead of what happened when she was trying to pull the missile & barely being able to move faster than it? Could she learn to force an object to move ahead of herself?

I also absolutely loved her narration. So good. Really makes me feel something tremendously positive for her character. This kind of writing is Josh putting on a clinic in how to handle repeating events with a fresh angle within a larger crossover, and still moving the story forward to a satisfying conclusion.

[lorddunlow]

We need a Harbinger: 1969 mini. Fo realz yo!

[BugsySig]

We need a Harbinger: 1969 mini. Fo realz yo!

I would totally rock a Harbinger '69 t-shirt...as long as Flamingo was on it

[Shadowman99]

We need a Harbinger: 1969 mini. Fo realz yo!

I would totally rock a Harbinger '69 t-shirt...as long as Flamingo was on it

Ha, I'm not sure Charlene would have been *born* yet!

[hawkeyeps]

I re-read this issue again last night, it's definitely my favourite issue of the month.

The 1969-71 portion was plain awesome & creepy as hell, with the bizarre revelation of Carter's disturbing exposed brain, psionic power & how that played out. Felt like I was watching a cool cult horror film while reading those portions. Loved that Harada disappeared for a few years, both from the public eye & his own self awareness. Really intrigued more than ever about the Bleeding Monk's long game in orchestrating all of Harada's moves with regards to all the psiots of the world.

The fate of Faith.

BIG sigh of relief, and man - how cool is she in this series?! What a great super hero she is turning into - I love that her inspiration to be one comes from not only having a good heart, but also growing up as a big geeky nerd reading all the comics we do, in the VEI world. Really love what Josh is doing to develop her powers far beyond the original VH1 Faith. I wonder if she couldn't learn to 'slingshot' a secondary object eventually, instead of what happened when she was trying to pull the missile & barely being able to move faster than it? Could she learn to force an object to move ahead of herself?

I also absolutely loved her narration. So good. Really makes me feel something tremendously positive for her character. This kind of writing is Josh putting on a clinic in how to handle repeating events with a fresh angle within a larger crossover, and still moving the story forward to a satisfying conclusion.

I thought the 69-70s stuff from Hairsine was very reminiscent of freaky old 1970s Neal Adams and I loved it!

I also wonder if Carter is sill with Harada on that last panel, earlier in the story Carter offered Harada a drink and he said "no, water is fine" yet in that last panel he is sitting there all swaggy and it looks like he's having some sort of booze on the rocks. The bottle and the glass are right up front, I wonder if that was a hint?

There is also something going on with the lab rat, Josh posted on FB this was the debut of a major character and when Carter is flipping out on Harada the rat is there watching it go down (maybe it's Rai ).

As for Faith's companion field I can see this being the Renegade's version of the "fast ball special", Faith could pick up Torque in the field and fly at a target at great speed then pull up rapidly and release him slinging him at said target..."the slingshot condition"

[BugsySig]

I re-read this issue again last night, it's definitely my favourite issue of the month.

The 1969-71 portion was plain awesome & creepy as hell, with the bizarre revelation of Carter's disturbing exposed brain, psionic power & how that played out. Felt like I was watching a cool cult horror film while reading those portions. Loved that Harada disappeared for a few years, both from the public eye & his own self awareness. Really intrigued more than ever about the Bleeding Monk's long game in orchestrating all of Harada's moves with regards to all the psiots of the world.

The fate of Faith.

BIG sigh of relief, and man - how cool is she in this series?! What a great super hero she is turning into - I love that her inspiration to be one comes from not only having a good heart, but also growing up as a big geeky nerd reading all the comics we do, in the VEI world. Really love what Josh is doing to develop her powers far beyond the original VH1 Faith. I wonder if she couldn't learn to 'slingshot' a secondary object eventually, instead of what happened when she was trying to pull the missile & barely being able to move faster than it? Could she learn to force an object to move ahead of herself?

I also absolutely loved her narration. So good. Really makes me feel something tremendously positive for her character. This kind of writing is Josh putting on a clinic in how to handle repeating events with a fresh angle within a larger crossover, and still moving the story forward to a satisfying conclusion.

I thought the 69-70s stuff from Hairsine was very reminiscent of freaky old 1970s Neal Adams and I loved it!

I also wonder if Carter is sill with Harada on that last panel, earlier in the story Carter offered Harada a drink and he said "no, water is fine" yet in that last panel he is sitting there all swaggy and it looks like he's having some sort of booze on the rocks. The bottle and the glass are right up front, I wonder if that was a hint?

There is also something going on with the lab rat, Josh posted on FB this was the debut of a major character and when Carter is flipping out on Harada the rat is there watching it go down (maybe it's Rai ).

As for Faith's companion field I can see this being the Renegade's version of the "fast ball special", Faith could pick up Torque in the field and fly at a target at great speed then pull up rapidly and release him slinging him at said target..."the slingshot condition"

Good catch on the booze...a makes you think...

If Rai is a rat I will swear off VALIANT for life

[leonmallett]

We need a Harbinger: 1969 mini. Fo realz yo!

I think that would be a cool idea. With the right artist (someone like Hairsine, or artists like Butch Guice or Doug Braithwaite to lend the right kind of follow-on feel to what we have see - not asking too much am I?).

[Shadowman99]

There is also something going on with the lab rat, Josh posted on FB this was the debut of a major character and when Carter is flipping out on Harada the rat is there watching it go down (maybe it's Rai ).

I noticed the lab rat there as well, with it's psiot 'power activated' eyes, and thought it was simply to fill a gap in the art with something remotely interesting, as I couldn't see any particularly obvious relevance to anything

I suppose it could make for a plot device though...

[bygranddesign]

We need a Harbinger: 1969 mini. Fo realz yo!

I would totally rock a Harbinger '69 t-shirt...as long as Flamingo was on it

Ha, I'm not sure Charlene would have been *born* yet!

good for you ... you obviously don't have a dirty mind or you would have got that joke

[lorddunlow]

We need a Harbinger: 1969 mini. Fo realz yo!

I would totally rock a Harbinger '69 t-shirt...as long as Flamingo was on it

Ha, I'm not sure Charlene would have been *born* yet!

good for you ... you obviously don't have a dirty mind or you would have got that joke

[BugsySig]

We need a Harbinger: 1969 mini. Fo realz yo!

I would totally rock a Harbinger '69 t-shirt...as long as Flamingo was on it

Ha, I'm not sure Charlene would have been *born* yet!

good for you ... you obviously don't have a dirty mind or you would have got that joke

+1

I think its obvious by now that I do have a dirty mind

[BugsySig]

There is also something going on with the lab rat, Josh posted on FB this was the debut of a major character and when Carter is flipping out on Harada the rat is there watching it go down (maybe it's Rai ).

I noticed the lab rat there as well, with it's psiot 'power activated' eyes, and thought it was simply to fill a gap in the art with something remotely interesting, as I couldn't see any particularly obvious relevance to anything

I suppose it could make for a plot device though...

It's a precursor to the next VALIANT Super-Team: Eek! PET Weapons!

Roll Call: Psiot Rat! Vincent Van Goat! Hasenpfeffer the Ghost Bunny! Hearst the Dodo! Dinosaur Flo! Dogpile!

[lorddunlow]

There is also something going on with the lab rat, Josh posted on FB this was the debut of a major character and when Carter is flipping out on Harada the rat is there watching it go down (maybe it's Rai ).

I noticed the lab rat there as well, with it's psiot 'power activated' eyes, and thought it was simply to fill a gap in the art with something remotely interesting, as I couldn't see any particularly obvious relevance to anything

I suppose it could make for a plot device though...

It's a precursor to the next VALIANT Super-Team: Eek! PET Weapons!

Roll Call: Psiot Rat! Vincent Van Goat! Hasenpfeffer the Ghost Bunny! Hearst the Dodo! Dinosaur Flo! Dogpile!

[BugsySig]

There is also something going on with the lab rat, Josh posted on FB this was the debut of a major character and when Carter is flipping out on Harada the rat is there watching it go down (maybe it's Rai ).

I noticed the lab rat there as well, with it's psiot 'power activated' eyes, and thought it was simply to fill a gap in the art with something remotely interesting, as I couldn't see any particularly obvious relevance to anything

I suppose it could make for a plot device though...

It's a precursor to the next VALIANT Super-Team: Eek! PET Weapons!

Roll Call: Psiot Rat! Vincent Van Goat! Hasenpfeffer the Ghost Bunny! Hearst the Dodo! Dinosaur Flo! Dogpile!

Tell me you wouldn't buy that? Someone get Dino on the phone! Tell him I got a pitch for him.

[lorddunlow]

I would definitely buy that. Throw in a crossover issue with Poyo, and VEI would have the #1 book of the decade!