Reviews»Comic Books»Harbinger Renegade #1
Harbinger Renegade #1
Kareem Ali 4.5

Harbinger Renegade #1

 

  • The good

    Intriguing prologue. Great examination of the Renegades actions in the fight against Harada and segway into the new story arc.

  • The bad

    Slows down somewhat during interactions between Faith and Kris

  • The ugly

    • Harbinger Renegade #1 is the start of a new series covering the psiot team’s quest to stop Alexander Solomon’s plan for humanity. This issue opens up years ago in Chicago, Illinois with Toyo Harada overseeing an operation to eliminate Alexander Solomon. Harada gives the order for the teams to move in but Solomon is ahead of them every step of the way. Before leaving Solomon takes the opportunity to taunt Harada, his former boss, telling him that anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.

     

    The current world isn’t in a much better state after the Renegades exposed Harada’s operations regarding psiots. Not only was the name and location of every known psiot or potential psiot revealed to the world but other groups sprung up to attempt to fill the void. One such group led by one calling himself Enfuego promises to activate psiots giving them superpowers. Their latest recruit, Cassie, believes they can do the same for her before she meets an unfortunate end. She’s just one of the many potential victims in the hunt for new psiots. Can the Renegades get back together to help with the dire situation facing the world they helped create?

    Harbinger Renegade #1

    When this ongoing series was first announced I was pretty excited for it because I love the Harbinger world especially after the Imperium series. And I hate to say that this issue is a great jumping on point for this world because it’s such an overused phrase. However, this issue encompassed so much of that world in its 35 pages that it’s hard not to use it. Thankfully there’s enough new material and an interesting story that it feels like a new, rewarding chapter for anyone invested thus far. A wonderful welcome back issue for the Renegades.

     

    The sequence with Cassie believing she could have her psiot abilities activated in front of an enthusiastic crowd was a brilliant touch to show the current climate for psiots. The desperation to have superpowers mixed with the excitement of having them along with the confusion resonated throughout the panels. Yes, the panels with Cassie meeting her end were pretty graphic but what was more telling was the crowd’s reaction. None of them ran and they were all onboard to continue trying. And that included whether or not potential psiots wanted to be activated.

    Harbinger Renegade #1
    The story would move forward quickly after this with it centering around Jay, a young psiot. He would have visitors ranging from the NSA to the fringe group determined to activate all psiots, which would lead to an intervention by Faith. It was entertaining watching Faith interacting with Jay as well as the former Renegade members with her trying to get the team back together. I did feel that part of her interaction with Kris slowed things down just a bit. And I won’t give away any spoilers but the self-examination combined with the build up leading to the final page was incredible. There wasn’t a better with to end this issue. And now I can’t wait for more.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Harbinger Renegade #1 is an exciting start to the new series setting the stage for the return of the Renegades in an entertaining way. The prologue is highly intriguing creating an atmosphere of suspense early on. However, the hunt for new psiots putting Jay and Faith right in the middle is the real driving force this issue. And the conclusion is everything I could’ve hoped for coming into this issue. Now I can’t wait to see what happens next.

     

    Release Date: 11/16/16
    Writer: Rafer Roberts
    Artist: Raul Allen, Patricia Martin

     

  • Rating ( 9.2 )
  • Total score 9.2

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