Harbinger #7 Heats Up

Hey readers, I'm back with another review of Valiant Entertainment's Harbinger series, issue #7. For those who are unfamiliar, Harbinger follows the psionic phenom, Peter Stancheck as he's learned to master and come to terms with his  abilities. Issue #6 left off with Kris, tech genius, suggesting they form a team to combat the series antagonist and billionaire,  the all powerful Toyo Harada. So far they are three men/women strong; Peter, Kris and the high flying Faith aka Zephyr.

This issue introduces Charlene Dupree, Flamingo (as she goes by on stage). The team finds themselves recruiting their new member within a strip club. There's a quick, but well paced backstory on Charlene that gives us a crystal clear look at the broken path that led her to the here and now. She quickly becomes interesting and so does the story, when she is angered by Kris' 'bitchy' nature. The conflicts are what make this issue and Harbinger as a whole unique and entertaining. You are reading about real people, that have been caught up in this superhuman conspiracy. It's captivating.

Can this ragtag group hold together?

One thing I would like to note: in my look at issue #6, I said their was nothing interesting about Faith beyond her obesity. I recant that statement. Faith is awesome. She brings a lighter side to the story to help contrast the darkness. She may be one of the most relatable characters. I feel a lot of her personality resonates in the readers. Peter grew on me a bit more too. He seems more of the hesitant hero type. An archetype I'm particularly fond of. He knows what he's done, what he's capable of and wants to do better for it. The last review was nearly a salute to Kris, while I found myself hating her in issue #7 for the very same reasons I liked her (headstrong, assertive and witty).

Looking forward to the final showdown.

The art changed a bit, but Harbinger feels more at home with the new art direction.  And once again it leaves you wanting to know what comes next. I really take my hat off to writer, Joshua Dysart. He did an awe inspiring job of putting four totally different personalities in one issue, while masterfully showing their character and personal nuances.

Harbinger #7 gets a...

out of 10