Hi, I'm Joshua Dysart...

[pixierosa]

Welcome to the board and thanks for putting up with us lot! I really enjoy Harbinger's character development and storyline. It's my favorite book. You've also done an excellent job of working with a large cast in Harbinger Wars. Having one writer on board for several arcs is always a plus in helping to define a book's voice, but having you be exclusive? What a coup. From a creator's point of view, that has to be both exciting and a relief. I'm not sure how I would feel about handing over my baby to someone else.

BTW, Valiant never did explain how they got a hold of my teenage diary. That's the only possible explanation for why Kris reminds me so much of myself at that age, from the 'tude right down to the Buzzcocks (C'mon, who HASN'T flipped off a security camera?)

[jmatt]

Hi Josh, welcome to the board. I'm enjoying your books very much. The character development in the last three issues has been terrific! Thanks!

[FormerReader]

Thank you Josh for all your hard work! We fans appreciate everything you and everyone else have put into the company.

[nonplayer]

That is so cool to be able to talk to the writer of my favorite comic. Thanks for Joining.!:-)
I am really enjoying Harbinger thank you for devoting so much of your time to makeing it kick *SQUEE*
My questions.
Please Make harbinger emblem patches we all want one? If you cant. pass it along to someone who can.
What movie did you see?

Jason aka nonplayer
Victoria BC Canada

[KXXX]

We've been Busieked! That's not really Josh, it's Greg in a dress!

Seriously though... way to be approachable. Harbinger is going to continue being a bigger *SQUEE* deal with every issue if you keep up the work you've been putting out.

[Bone-A-Fach-ee]

Who is Josh Dysart?
Just kidding, sir!
Questions:
1) What's a guy gotta do to get a character named after him.... other than Elveen?
2) Someone already mentioned Harby patches, but we need the Pete jacket too! Keep asking Dinesh!
3) Any plans for a Harby movie, and if so, would you be involved in writing? (I hope that one wasn't inappropriate. If so, just giv eme one of these : )

And yes, Harbinger continues to be my favorite book, not only in Valiant, but all of comics at the moment. Whatever your'e doing, don't change a thing!
Oh, and I still credit you with bringing me back into comics last summer.
Finally,
4) Will you be at the Los Angeles Times Parade of Books at USC this coming weekend?
Much respect.
-Jordan

[JonesyAZ]

Josh! It is a pleasure seeing you on the boards! Congratulations on the exclusive writing gig and for all the great work and energy you've brought to comics and Valiant so far!

I only have one question at the moment:

1) Does Flamingo have a broken heart tattoo on her chest? I feel like I saw it on a few pages in Harby 11 yet do not recall it prior to the Harby Wars arc?

Namaste!

Jonesy

[blujay]

Glad to see another creator on the boards we only have 3 more to go, assuming we don't scare you off with all the talk about Canadians and ice cream.

A Few Questions for you:

1. Was Woody in the piano recital in issue 7?
2. What's your favorite ongoing comic? (beside your own)
3. Have you read any VH1? If so what's your favorite title?

[Stringer]

Wow, this is awesome. It's really great to have you and Justin around.

Welcome to the board, sir.

I'll definitely think up of some questions, soon as I'm done fanboying though. Haha.


Hopefully you guys haven't asked all the good questions already!

[magnusr]

Welcome to the board and thanks for putting up with us lot! I really enjoy Harbinger's character development and storyline. It's my favorite book.

+1

/Magnus

[drmirage]

+2

Welcome to the board and thanks for putting up with us lot! I really enjoy Harbinger's character development and storyline. It's my favorite book.

+1

/Magnus

[myron]

+2

Welcome to the board and thanks for putting up with us lot! I really enjoy Harbinger's character development and storyline. It's my favorite book.

+1

/Magnus

+3

[jedimarley]

Hi Josh.

Has Dino shown you his pube collection yet?

[myron]

Hi Josh.

Has Dino shown you his pube collection yet?

[erwinrafael]

Hello, Joshua. I am really interested in how you write your scripts. Based on what I have read, I assume that you basically use full scripts. Am I correct? I love the transition panels changing from one artist to another specially in Harbinger #0 with Mico Suayan and Pere Perez. The transitions were very "Watchmen"-like, for lack of a better term. Are you consciously writing to the different art styles when you do your script for multi-artist books like Harbinger Wars #1, Harbinger #11 and the early Habringer issues with Khari Evans and Lewis LaRosa.

Finally, you and Pere Perez's work Harbinger #9 is amazing. One of the best single comic book issues of the past couple of years. Faith is such an amazing character. And it's good that her spotlight issue is really amazing.

[jaden_sai]

Hi Joshua,

Welcome to the boards.
I have been enjoying Harbinger and am happy to hear that you want to write this title for the long term.
Knowing how much of your heart and soul you put into your books, the news that you are now exclusive to Valiant has me looking forward to (hopefully) reading two Dysart Valiant titles in the future.

[Dr. Solar]

Welcome to the bored!

A simple question:

Will you come on OTV again to talk about Harby and Harby Wars?

-Sean

[wrunow]

Welcome Josh, looking forward to seeing you at SDCC again this year!

[Phoenix8008]

Welcome to the boards Joshua! Great to have another creator here.

Thanks so much for all your work on Harbinger. It continues to be my favorite Valiant title and since I like all my Valiant books more than the other couple books I read (Just Avengers and New Avengers for the New Universe connections) that means Harbinger is my favorite comic of all!

In particular, I want to thank you for what you've done with Torque. The changes you made to that character in both powers and his unpowered state is truly inspired and I look forward to seeing how he deals with his new reality. That origin issue for Torque literally made me tear up. The emotion behind that scene where 'Big Torque' took 'Little Torque' into himself to keep him safe was beautiful.

Keep up the good work sir!

[manga4life]

Hey Joshua!

Did you mention Cartoon Network? I love Cartoon Network (and yes, I'm 32)! I'm on your FB, I'm the poker nut......you probably know who by now. Anyhow, what are you diggin' on Cartoon Network right now? Personally, I'm loving Adventure Time and Regular Show, but I also love the DC Nation stuff, the Ben 10 programs, and the CN/Adult Swim Toonami lineup on Saturday nights.

Well, nice talking with you

[orbitalshift]

Welcome to the board!

It's very kind of you to take the time to answer some of our questions.

I have a couple...

How much does the events, characters, and tone of the other Valiant books influence you? How for instance, can Harada exist in a world with the One Percent from Archer & Armstrong. The tone and characterization seems to be completely at odds, so much so that it becomes difficult to imagine they are in the same universe.

One of the best moments of VH1 was Torques death and it's impact, given Valiant's approach to death at that time. When characters die in Harbinger, do you intend to leave them dead or is your approach closer to Marvel or DC?

[Joshua Dysart]

hey Josh

this is Ed from Collector's Paradise (just in case you can't tell from the "user name")

Hey Ed!

[mrozisik]

Hi Joshua,

Any plans to take over Shadowman? Would love to see you write the title.

[Joshua Dysart]

1) How far in advance do you have storylines mapped out in your mind when it comes to Harbinger?

2) I think you have done a brilliant job of fleshing out every important character in this book … but I especially love your depiction of Toyo Harada – i know he's the "bad guy" but he's also fascinatingly complex and a brilliant character study of someone with immense power shouldering the responsibility of trying to create a better world. It's his own twisted vision but it’s not without reason. Was it a conscious choice from the beginning to make Toyo a greater part of the book? To make him more complex and sympathetic? Who do you think is more important to this book – Peter (and the renegades) or Toyo Harada? Or is like the Yin and Yang and they are equally important?

3) (Hope this is not too speculative) Peter seems a lot more powerful and a lot more unstable then the original – was this done purposely to help feed into the speculation that he may be “The Destroyer” as foretold by the Bleeding Monk?

4) And how long will it take for Kris to get over that whole mind manipulation thing (to put it politely) and give old Pete another shot?

5) Feel free to drop any hints about whatever else you may be working on after Harbinger Wars.

Cool thanks for the kind words! Answers...

1. I have rough arcs lined up for the foreseeable future. But when it comes to the details, I'm pretty last minute about that stuff.

2. I do think it's like Yin and Yang. The book needs both Harada and his sprawling corporate organization and The Renegades tiny human little group to achieve thematically what we are going for. But yes, from the beginning I set out to make Harada more sympathetic. I generally find villainy boring and tedious. To me it's so much more interesting that Harada has these extremely nobel goals, but is ultimately on a huge power trip. The first real slug line we came up with was, "Humanity will have a better future... or no future at all." That's Harada all over. He believes he is more important than anyone else. He believes his vision of the future is the only one possible. He is, through and through, a polemicist and antidemocratic in every way. Peter, on the other hand, is a total populous. It makes him uncomfortable to have power. He freely admits he doesn't know what the right course of action is, he lacks faith in himself almost to a fault. The Renegades vote before they leap to action (as you saw in issue #11). So that's what this book is about, these two competing ideologies. It's not about good versus evil. It's not about Campbell myth making. It's about democracy vs. dictatorship. And that struggle becomes much more fascinating when the dictator is depicted as a utopian and the democracy is fueled by flawed, addicted people.

3. It was done for two reasons. The first was to up the stakes on the universe and Peter's role in it and to really show why a man like Harada would take an interest in Peter. The other reason was to clue into the culture of mental illness and addiction that is such a huge part of the youth-in-America experience right now.

4. I'm not sure she'll ever be able to fully get over it. Though she has noticed Peter struggling to become a better person. And that's something.

5. The time for hints has not yet come!!

[Joshua Dysart]

you got me into comics... for i had never read one until Harbinger #1. Joshua Dysart until Harbinger #200

Dude! Awesome!!

But 200 issues is like seventeen years... Let's scale those expectations back a bit.