Harbinger: The Beginning

Harbinger: The Beginning
by Janet Jackson, Jim Shooter, Dave Lapham, Bob Hall

Harbinger: The Beginning
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Book Summary Information

Author: Bob Hall, Dave Lapham, Janet Jackson, Jim Shooter
Artist: Dave Lapham
Brand: Valiant Entertainment
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-29
ISBN: 0979640903
Number of pages: 200
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment, LLC

Book Reviews of Harbinger: The Beginning

Book Review: Harbinger: The Beginning ... more please!
Summary: 5 Stars

Harbinger: The Beginning is a retelling of the first eight Harbinger comics from Valiant Comics in 1992 in a new format. Those eight comics tell a single story, and have never been together in a single book before, since the earlier trade paperbacks for Harbinger only included four or five of these eight. This hardcover has digital re-coloring for the original inks, giving a "modern twist" on books that had become almost instant classics at the time. Looking from page to page through the book, there are cases where I prefer the original coloring from 1992, and there are pages that seem much more vibrant with the new digital coloring. There are new corrections and consistency between panels of the story, and some new effects that were not possible before digital coloring.

Though 192 of the 200 pages in this book have been seen in print before, I am certain that many comic collectors still have not read them. Unless you already own this book, I know that you haven't seen these pages in digital coloring. Comic collectors often believe that they already know about Valiant Comics, but unless they were collectors from the very beginning in 1991, they probably haven't had the opportunity to read the earliest stories which formed the foundation for the Valiant fan, such as Harbinger: The Beginning.

Many comic collectors like myself did not find Harbinger until around the tenth issue, and the earliest issues were priced far above my budget in the backissue market at the time. Only after re-starting my comic collecting via internet auctions did I find (and afford) backissues for the earliest Valiant books and finally sit down to read the books in the order they were released.

This hardcover makes that task much easier than searching out all the backissue comics. There is a reason that the earliest Valiant Comics were so prized when they were new, and why they still have a strong following today. I believe that Harbinger: The Beginning is a sign of good things to come. Valiant Entertainment Inc. is now guiding the Valiant universe, and this first product is very high quality. From the full-color dust jacket to the textured hardcover underneath, it doesn't appear that VEI has spared any expense. The pages themselves are very colorful, and the original story is presented in a new way, without changing the impact of the original. A new story included by Jim Shooter, "Origin of Harada", takes the characters a little further than before... and opens several possibilities for Valiant's future.

I would imagine that there will be many discussions about "what might be next" for Valiant based just upon the few pages of new story. What we do know is that VEI doesn't mind paying extra for a quality product, without passing those costs on to the customer. At $24.95 retail, this book is a bargain compared to others on the shelf, and with Amazon's discounted pricing it becomes a "must read" for any budget, especially if you've never read it before.

If you're a fan of the current story-telling in television shows such as "Heroes" or the more realistic comic-based movies being produced today, you might be surprised to find many of the same ideas and concepts in this early 1990s story. I've been a fan of Valiant since 1992, I've been a "rejuvenated fan" since the late 1990s, and I'm a supporter of Valiant's return since long before this book was even possible. It's exciting to see Valiant return, and hopefully, this is the first in a long line of quality Valiant products by VEI. Best of luck to them.

I hope you'll give Harbinger: The Beginning a try if you're wondering why anyone ever cared about Valiant Comics in the first place. Valiant was in the top three of comic companies with Marvel and D.C. for a short period of time. How could that happen so quickly? Why are Valiant fans still so passionate? This book is "The Beginning" of the answer.

Summary of Harbinger: The Beginning

From the back cover:

In 1992, legendary writer Jim Shooter and newcomer artist David Lapham teamed up to reinvent a staple of comic book storytelling - the superhero team genre. Their darker approach more realistically portrayed superpowered teenagers. The characters behaved like real people, blurring the line between good and evil. The heroes were flawed and sometimes loathsome, while the villains were often noble and frighteningly identifiable.

Harbinger became a critical and commercial smash hit, sparking a national obsession with Valiant Comics. Harbinger's first issue was named Collectible of the Decade by Wizard Magazine, appeared on Wizard Magazine s Top Ten list for a then-record eight consecutive months, and in 2006 was named the 1990s Comic Book of the Decade by Sequart. Harbinger also became one of the most popular comic series of the 1990s, selling over 5 million comic books.

Harbingers are human beings with extraordinary powers of the mind. Throughout history, their dangerous abilities tended to lie dormant, emerging in occasional bursts that are brought on by stress. This all changes when Japanese tycoon Toyo Harada, the world's most powerful Harbinger, establishes the Harbinger Foundation. The organization s vast power and resources are dedicated to train other Harbingers and promote Harada's vision of world betterment, no matter the cost. Soon after, the Foundation discovers the existence of teenager Peter Stanchek, the only Harbinger who can rival Harada's own Godlike powers.

Collected here for the first time is the landmark story that revolutionized the superhero team genre. Harbinger: The Beginning is one of the most celebrated stories in modern comics.

- Collects the full Harbinger origin story (Harbinger issues #0-7) by comics legend Jim Shooter and Eisner Award-winner David Lapham for the first time.
- Digitally recolored under the direction of original Valiant colorists.
- Digitally remastered with the approval of Jim Shooter.
- Includes the original rare Story of Harada coupons in full color for the first time.
- Includes an all-new eight page Origin of Harada story by Jim Shooter and original Valiant creator Bob Hall (Shadowman) featuring the first appearance of a new key Valiant character.

About Valiant Entertainment

Valiant Entertainment is a character-based entertainment company that owns and manages some of the most popular comic characters ever created across all media, including feature films, television, video games, new media, publishing, and consumer products. Since their creation in 1990, Valiant characters have sold over 80 million comic books, 8 million video games, and Valiant became one of the three leading comic character-based companies globally. In addition, the Valiant characters are often called the most important characters created since the Marvel revolution of the 1960s (Sequart, 2006). VALIANT characters include X-O MANOWAR, BLOODSHOT, HARBINGER, ETERNAL WARRIOR, ARCHER & ARMSTRONG, NINJAK, SHADOWMAN, RAI, and QUANTUM & WOODY, among many others.

Visit ValiantEntertainment.com for more information.

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