THE HARBINGER #4 – Review

THE HARBINGER #4, from Valiant Entertainment on January 26th, 2022, asks if the real Peter Stanchek would please stand up. When the dust clears, the truth is revealed and the mission begins.

The Details

• Written By: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
• Art By: Robbi Rodriguez
• Colors By: Rico Renzi
• Letters By: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
• Cover Art By: Robbi Rodriguez (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: January 26, 2022

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Was It Good?

THE HARBINGER #4 is an object lesson in how to take the longest route possible to cover a short distance between two points. Since issue #1, there have been two big mysteries teased. One, what happened to Peter Stanchek’s memory, and how does he get it back? Two, who or what is this other entity who also calls himself Peter Stanchek, and how are two characters connected, if at all? In this issue, you get a vague resolution to both mysteries, but the answers are not as interesting as the mysteries that teased them.

The first mystery surrounding Stanchek’s memory loss is answered with less clarity than the second mystery. There’s a jumbled amalgam of past traumas and hurt feelings that go into how and why Stanchek lost his mystery, and without spoiling who did it, it’s the least surprising twist you could imagine.

The second mystery surrounding the identity of the second Stanchek is more intriguing and blends in mildly familiar sci-fi tropes. If you’re familiar with Robert Louis Stevenson’s works, you’ll immediately guess what happened. What makes the resolution to this mystery a little more intriguing is the realization that the genesis of it can’t simply be undone. The two Stanchek’s now have an adversarial relationship that will potentially play out in future stories, so if nothing else, the second mystery succeeds by establishing future potential.

“Why the criticism if there are two, well-teased mysteries?” you ask. The answers to those mysteries, again, are not super surprising or original. When you peel back the layers of Stanchek’s mental instability, the answers, as presented, leave you with a collective “that’s it?”. In other words, the payoff didn’t live up to the buildup. The creators attempted to create a scenario where these big, impossible things happen, but when you’re dealing with a character possessing the powers of a god, what should be a big “wow” moment feels small and uninspired.

The art is generally good. The plethora of mind-bending montages is sufficiently psychedelic to help readers relate to Stanchek’s fractured mental state. Again, the one down point is the coloring simply for Renzi’s insistent profusion of purples. Purple is a soothing color and overuse blunts the emotional energy of the drama and deflates the energy of the action.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

To pull you fractured mind together long enough to remember how we got to this point, first read our THE HARBINGER #3 review.

We begin with Peter Stanchek #2 waking up in a junkyard with the encroaching minds of the surrounding area screaming in his head. Quickly, his power and the overwhelming pressure of the surrounding psionic forces burn and whither his body into the now-familiar appearance. Now, Stancheks #1 and #2 confront each other to resolve their conflict.

As they talk at each other, through each other, and around each other, we learn the particulars of Stanchek’s memory loss. The particulars are expressed in a series of fractured montages, but the net result is essentially an act of penance (or mercy) Stanchek inflicted on himself.

The Stancheks fire psionic blasts at each other as a display of dominance for the right to be called the “real” Peter Stanchek. Through their fighting and subsequent physical contact, we learn Stanchek #2 is what’s leftover from Stanchek #1 as a result of Stanchek’s attempt to rid himself of the evil and excess power that leads him to make terrible mistakes. In other words, Stanchek #2 is Hyde to Stanchek #1’s Jekyll but truly split into two bodies.

We conclude the issue with a draw, a new mission, and the promise of other Valiant characters coming to town as friends or foes.

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