There are a lot of comics out there but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list, This week, we look at the beginning and end of one of the most morally complex and tragic comic book villains ever created in the six issue limited series “The Life and Death of Toyo Harada”.
Who’s this By?
The story is written by long time comic book scribe Joshua Dysart, who was nominated for an Eisner for his work on Dark Horse’s “Unknown Soldier” and has been creating stories since 1997. Dysart is no stranger to the Valiant Universe and even had a hand in developing Toyo Harada as a character in the incredible “Harbinger” and “Harbinger Wars” series.
The artwork is brilliantly drawn by Valiant exclusive artist CAFU, who has worked on other Valiant titles such as “Rai” and “Shadowman”.
What’s This All About?
Well…it’s kind of in the title.
All joking aside, the story is about a man called Toyo Harada: a man of near infinite resources, incredible intellect, and a dream for a better world. He’s also a ‘psiot’ (the Valiant Universe’s code word for ‘mutant’) who is the world’s second most powerful telepath and telekinetic.
“The Life and Death of Toyo Harada” is the alpha and omega of Harada’s life story that begins and ends in fire and destruction.
Harada has been attempting to build his utopia since his powers manifested themselves as a little boy, but when his motives were broadcast to the world by a group of children he was forced to go public and accelerate his plans. Despite the world’s governments shutting down his company, freezing his assets, and hounding him at every turn, Harada has managed to move his dream forward by taking over a stretch of Somali coastline and building the world’s first post scarcity society from the ground up with little more than his brain, abilities, and a small collection of monsters, criminals, and fanatic disciples.
This comic series shows the rapid, tragic, and sickeningly final destruction of Harada’s utopia in an all-out assault by the world’s governments and combines it with the fantastic use of flashbacks that show Harada’s rise to power and how he managed to attain a near cult like status among the world’s poor and downtrodden.
So, Why Should I Read this?
In a world where comic books, and comic book superheroes, dominate the box office and popular culture Valiant Entertainment is probably the best comic book publisher you’ve never heard of. Valiant was originally launched in the 1990’s by former Marvel Editor in Chief Jim Shooter and was relaunched to great acclaim in 2012. Since then it has planted its flag and carved out its own niche in an overcrowded industry. While Valiant may not have the prestige and history of DC or Marvel, it has managed to build a small, but incredibly dedicated, fanbase with well written stories and a tightly controlled superhero universe.
And Toyo Harada is a huge reason why this universe is worth reading.
Harada is one of the best comic book villains ever created, and reading any story he’s in will make you want to root for him and against him in equal measure. Harada’s powers were activated when he was forced to witness the destruction of Nagasaki at the end of World War 2.
Since then, he has been working to make the world a better place where war and violence are no longer necessary and everybody can live a life of peace and plenty. Unfortunately, while his motives are pure, his methods and justifications aren’t. While Harada believes that a better world is possible, he also believes that no sacrifice is too great and no deed to unsavory in order to make that happen.
But while the journey of Toyo Harada is the biggest reason why this comic is so good, it’s not the only reason why you should check it out. Harada has surrounded himself with a real murderer’s row of terrorists, monsters, augmented humans, and strange creatures in order to make his vision a reality, and they are all fantastic and compelling characters in their own right. My personal favorite is a former terrorist turned government super soldier code named Gravedog who was recruited by Toyo Harada with the promise of fighting for an actual good cause. To be clear, Gravedog is the kind of person who would work for al-Qaeda without a second thought and has tons of blood on his hands. It’s just that he’s so well written with such great motivations that you can’t help but sympathize and root for him.
Continued below“The Life and Death of Toyo Harada” is a rare breed of comic book that manages to be a fantastic and easily accessible story for new readers while tying into a rich, complex, and incredibly well written larger universe that deserves way more attention and respect.
How Can You Read It?
The six issue limited series is still going, and ‘The Life and Death of Toyo Harada’ #5 just came out on July 17th of this year with the sixth and final issue set to be out on August 14th. There will be a trade paperback published on October 9th. The series can be found at your local comic book store or digital platform, basically wherever you want to go and pick up new comic books.
