Harbinger #25, an over sized, anniversary edition of the series, offers stories from numerous writers and artists, from current series writer Joshua Dysart, alongside other writers, such as Justin Jordan. It’s a mixed bag, but really ends up offering more good than bad, resulting in a pretty solid installment in the adventures of the Renegades. It manages to tell a variety of stories that, despite being inherently different, gel quite well together. Plus, there’s a massive variety in terms of the stories that are told, with pretty much every story marking a tonal shift from the one preceding it.
Note: Spoilers for the Death of a Renegade story arc follow. They will end after the next two paragraphs, so if you have not read the last 3 issues of Harbinger, DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER.
The oversized issue kicks off with a continuation of the current story being told in Harbinger, and picks up pretty much where issue #24 left off. I’m a fan of this move, as many anniversary issues derail stories being told monthly in the main title. As far as a standard issue of Harbinger goes (which, for all intents and purposes, this is), this first story is really awesome. We’re seeing events ramp up again, with the Renegades scattered and Harada taking serious steps to firmly establish himself after the information leak from @X a couple of issues ago. This results in a massive show of power from him, as he and his Harbingers consolidate their power world wide. Nations, of course, have begun go after them, but nothing seems to be able to stand in their way. Previously, the Renegades were able to offer some resistance, but after Charlene’s death, the team has fallen apart. This is especially true of Peter, who has slipped back into drug abuse, while the remaining survivors have scattered to the wind. However, none of them really get much page time here, the issue focuses instead on Harada and his allies, save for Zephyr and Kris, who share an excellent moment of both mourning and coming to terms with the way things are.
The result is that Stronghold finally gets some much needed character development, even after letting the Generation Zero kids go free. Harada is, unsurprisingly, not pleased with this. However, he is talked into keeping Stornghold alive by Ingrid. Ingrid and Stronghold later share a moment, where Stronghold realizes that they have to keep Harada in line, and act as his human side, so that the monster doesn’t get the better of him. As always, Harada is a particularly interesting and nuanced character, and his “sidekicks” are beginning to come into their own as well. All in all, this is the strongest part of the anniversary issue.
Spoilers are now over
The rest of the issue consists of a variety of stories. A couple stand out, namely “Into Memory,” the second story in the anthology. This story hits home and resonates emotionally. It shows us a unique look at Peter Stanchek’s life, a look at his life through the eyes of his best friend, Joe. In this story, we see both of them coming into their own as children and teenagers, and really see the good side of Peter come out. This is a great character study for Peter, allowing us to see him in a more positive light. Recent events haver sort of painted him as a negative figure, but this issue reminds us that, at his core, Peter Stanchek is a hero. The conversation between Joe and Kris really brings that side of him out, and it’s great to see.
Conversely, the other story dealing with Joe is actually a weak point here. This story is entitled “Cold Brains,” and it simply fails to hit the emotional highs of “Into Memory.” It attempts to, and it has its moments, but none of them are as good as anything in the rest of the book. This deals with Peter mourning for his best friend, after Joe’s death early on in the series, so this is something of a throwback. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t match up to the rest of the book. It isn’t horrible, but it definitely is far from the best story here, and the writing ultimately falls flat.
More spoilers, sorry, I guess I lied earlier
Sandwiched in between the two stories concerning Joe is a fun little Justin Jordan story about the Renegades getting fan fiction. This seems to take place outside of the canon, as Charlene is still alive here. The art here is kind of mediocre, but the writing is actually pretty funny, and revels in its satire. The ending is especially humorous. That said, aside from the humor, there isn;t much substance to this story. It’s still a great read though.
Spoilers over, again. For now.
The last story is actually just a single page, and some will love it, some won’t understand. But for those who get it, I can guarantee you’ll be fans. My only real gripe with this issue is the art. Sometimes, it’s good, but it’s wildly inconsistent throughout the entire issue, and that hurts many of the stories. It’s high point is in “Into Memory” but outside of that particular vignette, a lot of the art is a mess. Really though, you get your money’s worth here. Normal Harbinger issues are $3.99, and this only will add a dollar, bumping the pricing up to $4.99. There’s a good 16 pages added, plus there are no teasers for other series, barring one page in the middle. It’s pretty much a solid 48 pages of comic, which equates to almost 10 cents a page, which is not bad for what you get in this issue.
