Valiant's Harbinger: The Beginning

I have to step out of my blog's "box" here and mention Valiant Entertainment's "Harbinger: The Beginning" hardcover. I was a huge Valiant fan back in the early 90s and believed in what Jim Shooter was doing. The tightly woven Valiant Universe was a pleasure to read and "Harbinger" was the breakout book. I was an "X-O Manowar" fan myself and didn't catch onto "Harbinger" until about issue #10. I'd like to see this universe back in published comics and hope that the legal disputes between trademarks and copyrights can be sorted out soon.

The hardcover is quite a deal at $16.50 from Amazon.com. This is not a cheaply produced book. The slipcover is very nice, with the book itself looking very expensive. The interior art is newly restored and looks better than it did in the 90s. The story is still very good and you can see parallels in current comics and TV (ahem! "Heroes" I'm lookng at you). The dialogue can be somewhat stilted at times but the overall depth of characters and story pulls you in. Jim Shooter and Bob Hall's 8-page "Origin of Harada" story is a good addition to the overall package. Even at the curren price of $25, this book is worth it.

Now back to the DC Universe....