TITLE: Harbinger Faith #0
YEAR: December 2014
COMPANY: Valiant Entertainment
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Robert Gill
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Co-Plotter: Dann Thomas
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Cover Artists: Joe Quinones, Lucy Kinsley, Brian Level and Jordan Boyd
Editor: Kyle Andrukiewicz
Editor-in-Chief: Warren Simons
As a huge fan of the Valiant comics of the ’90s, one of my favorite titles was “Harbinger”.
And with the original series, it focused on people with special abilities known as Harbinger and Toyo Harada establishing the Harbinger Foundation to study them and their powers and activate their latent powers.
Toyo Harada, an Omega Harbinger discovered the existence of another Omega Harbinger, Peter Stanchek and his hopes that he can make Stanchek and ally, Peter discovers the true intentions of Harada of recruiting Harbingers to take over the world. This leads Peter to recruit other Harbingers to stop Harada. One of those Harbingers is Faith Herbert (Zephyr) that was with Peter in the beginning and a founder of the Harbinger Resistance.
So, exciting the series which lasted 41 issues until Valiant sold to Acclaim.
But “Harbinger” would eventually receive a reboot in 2012 with the new Valiant Entertainment. A different storyline and Faith has now gone on to have a mini-series and now starring in her own series.
Having not read a single issue of the new Valiant Entertainment comic books, I figured I would start with “Harbinger” and “Faith” and “Harbinger Faith” issues #0 is the first from Valiant Entertainment that I have read.
The storyline focuses on how Faith was a big fan of comic books and enjoying life post-Harbinger with her boyfriend John “Torque” Torkelson.
But Torque is often scared and concerned about Faith that he just wants to protect her and keep her safe and not get involved in any risky activity and focus on starring in a reality TV show.
This issue #0 gives a history of Faith and big decisions that she has to make when she is recruited by Livewire to become a member of Unity. But the group is only interested in her and not Torque.
Knowing that Torque is opposed of her getting involved in dangerous activities, will Faith choose to live life as a superhero and make a difference or will she stay and try to live a safe life with her boyfriend?
The issue also has a sneak preview of “Ivar Timewalker” Issue #1.
Overall, it was an entertaining issue and right after reading this, I proceeded with the first issue of the four-issue mini-series of “Faith”.
Back then, I found it interesting that Valiant would feature an overweight character in “Harbinger” but I really like how Valiant Entertainment portrays Faith as a normal girl who loves comic books, questioned things due to her weight and now wanting to use her powers for good. If anything, Faith is a positive character, who lives life to the fullest and I really like the positive portrayal of Faith but also featuring a superhero who is different from the usual fit or scantilly clad female character that comics are known for.
While a person with wonderful special abilities, Faith is still a person with genuine emotions and thoughts and for the most part, I like how well her character is developed in the series thus far.
It’s important to note that if you want to read issue #0, you can find it in the “Faith Hollywood & Vine Deluxe Edition” TPB featuring issue #0 and all four issues from the miniseries.
Overall, a cool, genuine character and with issue #0 of “Harbinger Faith”, we learn more about Faith’s past and a tough decision that she will need to make.