In The Harbinger #3, a daring rescue mission unravels the mystery of Peter Stanchek’s past… and paves the way for the powerful psiot’s future.
As he comes to terms with losing all of his memories, Peter Stanchek chooses to fight back, not just for himself but all of Psiot City who has been oppressed by a legal force known as The Warning. Wearing a brand-new mask and wielding a revelatory new understanding of his own powerful potentials, Peter takes on the mantle of The Harbinger to pave the way for the future of all psiots. But will he start something so dangerous even he can’t stop?
We finally get to see Peter Stanchek suiting up as the Harbinger in this issue. While we’ve seen the costume on covers to the series already, I appreciate that the character didn’t immediately don the new mask in the first issue as we’ve been able to witness the mind-wiped Stanchek come to an understanding of why he should be wearing a mask; because people don’t trust Peter Stanchek. That admission helps to bring the redemption arc to it’s first check point as writers Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing use The Harbinger #3 as a way to introduce the Harbinger both to the audience and in some ways to the character himself.
The narration bubbles help propel the characterization forward, Stanchek talking his way through the events to somebody (thus far into the series, my guess has been a therapist) as the action plays out on the page. Robbie Rodriguez and Rico Renzi (artist and colourist respectively) have created a visual style for this comic that I find is best described as an organized chaos. There is a lot to process with this book, and there are pages where this can be overstimulating – a deliberate choice, because when I found my eyes losing what I was looking at it was when Stanchek’s powers were being used in ways I’d never thought of. There’s a scene earlier in the comic where Peter takes in a lot of information, and the artistic team are able to really emphasize just how much information he is sifting through because he’d rather not revert to old ways.
I’ve said before, but usually comics that can be a bit too chaotic aren’t usually my cup of tea, but The Harbinger has been the exception to that as for me, the art style makes total sense given the nature of the title character’s powers. Or maybe I’m just more open to different art styles now than I used to be; certainly a possibility, but ultimately the end result is that I’m really digging the visuals in this book.
Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou uses some interesting speech bubble styles in the comic, which serves as a moment of calm amidst the chaos as the bubbles pull you eyes to the text itself, giving you a chance to actually read the words. It’s not often you notice the lettering in a positive way given that the art form is often designed to not be noticed, but Otsmane-Elhaou is a master of his craft, and balances the book perfectly.
Valiant have hit three for three with The Harbinger #3, and whether Peter Stanchek’s new direction is here to stay or not is to be determined, but I’m loving the ride.
Story: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing Art: Robbie Rodriguez
Colours: Rico Renzi Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.9 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy
Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics
Source: Graphic Policy
