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“Harbinger Renegade” #0

By | November 9th, 2017
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“Harbinger Renegade” #0 is the dramatic version of if a tree falls in a forest. If all these dramatic trees fell, but I didn’t care about them, did it really matter?

Cover by Clayton Henry with Brian Reber Beaulieu

Written by Rafer Roberts
Illustrated by Juan Jose Ryp
Colored by Andrew Dalhouse
Lettered by Simon Bowland

An essential prelude to HARBINGER WARS 2 – the seismic 2018 crossover event at the epicenter of the Valiant Universe!nBeneath the wreckage of the Harbinger Foundation, there is a secret that even Toyo Harada grew to fear. A secret simply known as…the Stormbringer.nAnd Alexander Solomon is about to set it free.nOut of the ashes of “MASSACRE,” the march toward the most consequential Valiant event of all time continues with an epic revelation at the heart of the Harbinger mythos – as told by Harvey Award-nominated writer Rafer Roberts (Plastic Farm) and incendiary artist Juan José Ryp (BRITANNIA)!

By itself, there isn’t anything appreciably good or bad about “Harbinger Renegade” #0. It’s fine and arguably among the best issues of this arc. It’s when you consider this issue in a larger context, one that places it within the overall ‘Massacre’ arc and the long march to the forthcoming “Harbinger Wars 2” where threads begin to fray. In that larger context this zero issue (one of several Valiant have released this year) become emblematic and the culmination of a series of poor storytelling decisions that led me to wonder what did I just read? That question isn’t out of anger or an egregious technical error on the part of art team, but from writer Rafer Roberts and Valiant editorial’s. This is a zero issue for a series that is functionally a zero issue, never allowed to articulate its own reason for being and explore character. Decisions that resulted in a poor series for one of Valiant’s most interesting story elements.

“One (is the Loneliest Number)” by Three Dog Night proclaims . . . “one is the loneliest number.” At least one is a whole number. It gets to exist. Zero is the absence of something, it exists by not existing, it’s a liminal state. That sort of thought is why the zero issue in cape comics function primarily as transitory ones. They act as prologue or prequel in order to setup the main text (read: the “real” text). Because of The Hobbit and the Star Wars prequel trilogy, the ‘p’ word has something of a negative connotation too it. And in the realm of comics that negativity is amplified but the unending treadmill to what’s next salesmanship created due to the nature of comics production.

However, there is nothing inherently wrong with telling a prequel story or using a zero issue. While they are numerically signified with #1, DC’s “Rebirth” were functionally zero issues. Valiant has had several successful zero issues this year such as “Ninjak” and “Divinity” #0. Matt Kindt and Francis Portela used “Ninjak” #0 to make one final statement on the compartmentalized sociopathy of Valiant’s premier ninja. “Divinity” #0 explored the humanity and normalcy for the universes most powerful being. All of these issues use the liminal status of a zero issue to either tie make a final statement on a character or series, play with content and flow, and setup what is to come all refracted through the prism of character. You didn’t hear anyone complain about them because these issues where able to justify themselves on their own. This issue (and series) are justifying itself on something that is yet to exist.

There is a segment of comics discourse that is impenetrable to me. A point of view that wants to explain and setup plot minutia, not the examination of how those elements reflect on the characters. It is the kind of view that justifies the what’s next salesmanship, not what currently is. It’s also fundamentally bad storytelling that looks at objects not characters. In selling and setting up what’s next there isn’t any room to explore what currently is, and that’s the sort of thinking that’s led to this zero issue and arc overall.

“Harbinger Renegade” #0 isn’t without story, it’s inherently a story of survival as HARD CORPS is sent on a mission to finally capture (or kill) Alexander Solomon on the jungle island of Hainan. This issue is actually a pretty good representation of what a theoretical HARD CORPS series would look like, the best since “Bloodshot and HARD CORPS.” They are the group that’s sent on suicide missions and things never go well. It is a concept that is dripping with built in drama, before you consider all the moral-ethical implications of their work so on and so forth.

Continued below

It also picks up on threads from issue #6 that dealt with the mysterious Alpha aka the Stormbringer aka if Voldemort were a Psiot. As random and out of place that issue was, it’s overall a good thing. Those threads mean a change in art team with the “Britannia” crew of Juan Jose Ryp (line) and Andrew Dalhouse (colors) taking over duty from the normal art team of Darick Robertson, an inker, and Diego Rodriguez. There is a dynamism to Ryp’s page layouts and his character designs that pare well with Dalhouse’s textured pallet.

As HARD CORPS approach the vaguely South American temple, Ryp splits a large box into essentially three interlocking triangles with each image playing off one another. Action in this book is defined by the angular, sharp, panel. When the lasers and energy beams and what not begin to fly they are accentuated by these panels. This makes for an easy to distinguish visual language where normalcy is represented by pages defined by boxes and grid like structures and these action pages are defined by a dissolution of that grid. As things slowly start to go bad, everything begins to turn more and more off kilter.

The aesthetic Ryp and Dalhouse create is an enjoyable departure from the normal art teams. Robertson’s designs were cartooned and static, and were further frozen by their inker. Diego Rodriguez pallet was flat without many midtones. In contrast Dalhouse’s pallet seems to reveal and create texture on top of Ryp’s line work. There’s a certain washed out quality to brighter tones and skin, but the texture created on the sides of the temple or for the Alpha and mysterious monks gives everything a lived-in vibe. This aesthetic creates a grounded realism for this series (as in understandable and realistic according the rules of the book) as the graphic violence and insane explosions begin to go off. Everything is realistically stylized versus pure style.

In the end HARD CORPS do exactly what Alexander Solomon wanted, and the Valiant U appears to be primed for “Harbinger Wars 2.” That’s not inherently bad, it’s a very zero issue place to leave things on and lets this issue stand on its own well enough. But placed in the larger context of ‘Massacre’ there is a hollow ring to everything. This isn’t the culmination of anything, but the end of a beginning. With how these last five issues have been structured the arc reads as scatter shot jumping between this Alpha business and the Renegades. Without a center there are too few moments of character and reflection (which seemed to have dramatically peaked in #8) as the pure plot heavy nature of this issue and arc over take it. Everything about this arc has been about setting up and selling what’s next, but it never gave me a reason to care about what it all means for the characters. That’s going to happen next issue, if there is a next issue.

Final Verdict: 6.5 – A technically fine book and one of the more enjoyable issues of the series overall, but there’s a distinct lack of emotional heart to all the proceedings.


Michael Mazzacane

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