By Victoria Irwin
Senior Correspondent
In issue #13 of Harbinger, we get a very different outlook on the Harbinger Wars series from Valiant Press. Huddled inside the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, children from the Project Rising Spirit organization work together to protect themselves from what they perceive as the pending attack of a creature named Bloodshot. Bloodshot, is both man and machine, having been designed from Project Rising Spirit to be a one man weapon of mass destruction.
As the issue begins, Tayo Harada, founder of Harada Global Conglomerates and secret funder of the Harbinger Foundation, is using his great mental skills to observe those closest to him to see if he can trust them on his mission. He is concerned that one of his masters at arms, a beautiful psionic named Griffon, may be injured should she accompany him on his mission. She is after all his lover. Griffon insists on accompanying him and using her eerie necromancer like powers. As a group they travel to Rising Spirit Research and Development Headquarters for answers and are not afraid to use excessive force to get them.
The Harbinger Wars reminds me of a what X-Men would be if you subtracted the nobility of Professor Xavier and instead turned all the mutants into humanoid weapons. The children have the same insecurities and worries, only on a much larger scale as they are being attacked. Las Vegas makes for an interesting background, especially with the Bellagio being at the center of the story. The art work is colorful and the costumes a good fit for the super hero like qualities of the “activated.” Bloodshot is like an unforgiving gothic Captain Planet with his silver skin and black spandex.
Due to the intricate nature of the story of the Harbinger Wars, I would caution new readers to the series to take the time and read previous issues. Although Valiant does an excellent job of including a comprehensive “Our Story so Far” section, to those who have not read previous issues, there may be a few parts of the story that will be completely lost. The intricate writing and story line are highly enjoyable, making for a deeper read and not just comic brain candy.