Written by: Joshua Dysart
Art by: Robert Gill
Publisher: Valiant
As with the Armor Hunters: Bloodshot mini series, Armor Hunters: Harbinger tells a story that is undeniably a part of the Armor Hunters event, but is very much a side story, rather than an essential component of the event. The events in this book, unlike in the Bloodshot tie ins, are not even directly related to the main story, and also have no relation to the current story line in the main Harbinger book. This mini series follows the Renegades (Well, Torque and Zephyr) and Generation Zero’s rescue efforts in Mexico City, after it was leveled by the Armor Hunters at the end of the first issue. The first issue was exclusively about the rescue effort, but this issue gets a little bit deeper into the plot of the mini series.
The previous issue ended with the Mexican President’s helicopter getting taken out of the sky by an alien growth in the center of the city. Torque and Zephyr show up to save him at the start of the issue, before entering the alien structure with Generation Zero. Once inside, they discover that it is far more than it seems, and poses a massive threat to what’s left of the city. Presumably, this is what they will be dealing with in the next issue. On the whole, it’s a fairly solid plot. It’s engaging enough to hold my attention, though it really isn’t the best of plots. However, this mini series is more about the characters, specifically the members of Generation Zero. The Renegades have already made a name for themselves in their battle against both PRS and HGC, but Generation Zero is still struggling to define themselves.
After being freed from PRS in recent issues of Harbinger, we haven’t seen too much of Generation Zero, until now. Their leader, Cronus, is torn between his team living a normal life and them being heroes. They are all teenagers, and were robbed of a normal childhood by PRS, but it seems that they just can’t live a normal life. This is the central conflict in this mini series, and it actually ends up being fairly nuanced. Really, this issue is far more about Cronus and Generation Zero than it is about the remaining members of the Renegades. It’s proof that Valiant is still trying to build out this universe by adding different teams with different goals to it, and that seems to be the purpose of this mini series, with Armor Hunters acting as a catalyst for real development for Generation Zero.
It’s kind of hard not to feel bad for these characters, not only because of their situation, but because they’ve been bounced around the Valiant universe, between two or three books, and have never been the lead characters. It’s great to see them step up here, even if it is only for a single mini series. But all in all, Armor Hunters: Harbinger #2 is a solid issue that complements the main Armor Hunters event while still forging its own identity.
