Reviews»Comic Books»Armor Hunters: Harbi…
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Kareem Ali 4.5

Armor Hunters: Harbinger #2

 

  • The good

    Stunning development that will have ramifications beyond this event. Team is utilized in an entertaining way as action sequences are intense and the characters shine

  • The bad

    Origin of threat isn't explained

  • The ugly

    • Armor Hunters: Harbinger #2 opens up with the alien spore left in the aftermath of the blast in Mexico City becoming active and attacking anyone in its vicinity. The new Mexican President’s convoy was attacked while flying nearby and currently they’re scrambling as the alien spore indiscriminately rips apart the soldiers protecting him. It seems the president is next until Torque drops down in the middle of the area distracting the spores tentacles and that allows Faith to fly in and rescue the remaining soldiers. They’re not the only 2 investigating the spore as Animalia joins the group in order to give Cronus a rundown of the situation and get a closer look for herself. No one can identify what it is but before leaving with a new convoy the Mexican President tells them not to approach the spore until they get more answers about its nature, and that they’re also on Mexican soil so they don’t truly have jurisdiction. But when he leaves they notice something strange occuring with the spore, and that’s the fact that its defenses have shut down and there appears to be no activity. They don’t understand why this happened nor are they aware of Livewire knocking GIN-GR out of orbit causing it to crash to the ground and the connection to this. However they all agree it’s the perfect opportunity to explore the spore and learn as much as possible. But will they only create more problems and unleash a threat even worse than the initial attack? They’ll soon make a discovery that will have ramifications independent of the invasion of the Armor Hunters.

    AH_HARB_002_COVER_LAROSA
    I enjoyed the first issue for the most part but I had a huge problem with the team arriving in Mexico City only to kill more Mexicans after millions were just killed. I did however like the way the team was handled including my introduction to the characters. This issue started off connecting the team to the crossover event in a different way by showing Livewire approaching GIN-GR before it was brought down, which established a connection between GIN-GR and the spore. And the Mexican President actually came off as presidential as he would have more to do than before and expressed concern that should’ve been expressed last issue. And the survivors wouldn’t be forgotten as there would be a stunning discovery that has me pretty excited to see what becomes of it once the event is completed. So right off the bat this issue would improve on all the problems I had with the first issue, and I felt invested in the story and the characters. I don’t know the entire backstory of the characters and their history with each other but the Renegades inclusion in these events provided the perfect dynamic to explore the Generation Zero characters, and it’s impressive this issue, and easy to follow even for newcomers just following the armor hunters event. Especially when they would actually explore the alien spore and make discoveries about its nature. And Joshua Dysart’s writing was wonderful as every character became useful without the story feeling cluttered, and once again Robert Gill’s artwork not only gave life to the action sequences as the intensity practically leaped off the pages but the facial expressions conveyed the necessary emotions to capture the predicament the team was facing. So my interest in the team has grown even more and it’s not just limited to their unique involvement in the armor hunters event as they face what no other series has addressed to this point. I am curious as to how it connects to the larger situation as the alien insects (shown on the cover) seem to be very different from GIN-GR and their origin hasn’t been answered yet. But this is an overall wonderful addition to the event and I can’t wait to see how it concludes next issue.

     

    SUMMARY

    Armor Hunters: Harbinger #2 improves on everything about the first issue and has the team facing a unique threat in all the armor hunters related issues. The character dynamics allowed for each one to be utilized fully, and in an impressive way, considering the nature of the threat. And the shocking discovery in the midst of all of this can have huge ramifications going forward so even if your interest in this series is because of the team and not the armor hunters event then you’ll love this development and what it could mean. It feels good that this issue capitalized on the potential in the series, and I’m as excited for the answers next issue as I am to see what’s in store for the team after the event ends.

     

    Release Date: 8/20/14

    Writer: Joshua Dysart

    Artist: Robert Gill

  • Rating ( 8.75 )
  • Total score 8.8

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