THE HARBINGER #5, from Valiant Entertainment on February 23rd, 2022, runs Peter Stanchek ragged as he deals with Psiot’s recklessly using their new powers after Renegade awakens them.
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: February 23, 2022
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Was It Good?
Now that Renegade’s existence and identity were explained in issue #4, THE HARBINGER #5 reverts into mystery mode as Renegade sows seeds of chaos, and Peter Stanchek is forced into playing whack-a-mole with new psiots cropping up. The story works well enough for what it is, but what the story lacks is a clear understanding of purpose, a significant gap that’s plagued this series from the beginning.
First, readers got a lackluster mystery surrounding Renegade’s existence for the first four issues. Now that we know he exists and his origins, readers are awkwardly moved into the next mystery – what is Renegade’s plan? After five issues, not knowing the main villain’s plan, other than it involves beating the hero, is not a good place to be. Some readers may disagree with this assessment, but this reviewer is struggling for a compelling hook for Renegade as a big bad villain when his actions have so far been small and easily managed by the hero.
The reason this review is trying to latch on to a plot point that feels compelling is that the overall tone of this issue is so darn dour and depressing. every character in this issue that Peter Stanchek encounters is a fresh psiot who chooses to use their newfound powers for personal gain, and older psiot who goes haywire, or an ally that would rather lecture, berate, or beat down Peter Stanchek rather than give him the space and support he needs. The poor guy is getting mentally and emotionally nagged from friends and foes alike, and the whole issue leaves you feeling more depressed than when it started.
Lanzing and Kelly would serve this series better if they found some bit of energy, excitement, or anticipation for readers to hold onto. As it is now, this title is becoming an emotional drain rather than anticipated entertainment.
As for the art, it’s generally good. Rodriguez has an opportunity to flex creative muscle in this issue with unique character designs for a new crop of psiots cropping up. That said, the down point on the art is (again) Renzi’s insistence in over-saturating the entire color palette with shades of purple, leaving the visuals looking drab and faded.
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]
If you don’t recall how the Renegade was confirmed to “exist”, first read our THE HARBINGER #4 review for the mind-bending details.
We begin with an extended montage of Peter Stanchek intercepting new (and old) psiots touched by Renegade as they use their powers in destructive ways. Psiots with berserker-like powers are brought to Ago for treatment. The rest are given a chance to make amends. As the psiot incidents continue to escalate, Peter is starting to fray at the edges with non-stop superhero-ing.
When Peter brings another monster psiot back to Ago, he gets an earful of lecturing about getting out of his head, getting Renegade out of his head, and getting some rest. When Peter flies off to a spot he sometimes goes to for quiet, Cici is waiting for him and gives him another earful of lecturing about brooding and pushing people away. Peter flies off at the appropriate “good talk” moment.
When Peter finally gets a moment of peace sitting on a cloud, he’s suddenly hit by a haymaker to the jaw. After quite a few more punches to the face, we see Faith has come to town and is determined to beat the snot out of this man “pretending” to be her friend.
We conclude the issue with Blam being approached by a new benefactor with a tempting offer.
Final Thoughts
THE HARBINGER #5 starts a new mystery about Renegade’s intentions and his desire to become the dominant Peter Stanchek. While the story fleshes out the latest status quo, the tone and all characters’ actions are dour and depressing. It’s not much fun when you have a main hero who’s drained while everyone around him continually lectures and chastises him. The art is generally strong, but the over-sue of purples drains the energy out of this issue.
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