Armor Hunters: Harbinger #3 Review

Is this a tale that’s worth owning? Read on to find out.

The official description from Valiant:

Harbinger team-up!

Mexico City just became ground zero for the Armor Hunters’ invasion of Earth, and the runaway army of super-powered soldiers called Generation Zero needs to bring in back-up. Better call…the Renegades?! But when powerhouse brawler Torque and lighter-than-air free spirit Zephyr join the fight, things are about to go from bleak to brutal as the Earth’s first extraterrestrial invasion force unleashes an engine of global destruction with one sole purpose – to terminate…with extreme prejudice.

Fans will be happy to know that the latest tie-in to this mammoth event wraps up in a way that’s compelling and satisfactory. The creative team continues to chronicle these young heroes as they take on an enemy they’re wholly unprepared for and the results are interesting to say the least.

Joshua Dysart builds a script that once again dazzles with a rock solid entry. What I love most about the events in Mexico City is how brutal they are and yet we find moments of humanity and hope in the bombardment. And that’s thanks in large part to the members of Generation Zero, a group that wants nothing more than their freedom but still stepped up when they needed to and isn’t that what a true hero is? I’ll admit it sounds mushy but the dialogue and whole body of text won me over quickly as the author flat out impressed from beginning to end.

The visuals handed in by Robert Gill are immensely detailed pieces that show the skills of this particular illustrator. When dealing with the cast and the swarm surrounding them I was instantly drawn in with the precision line work on display. There were moments where I felt the renditions could of used a bit more polishing but the colors done by Romulo Fajardo added another dynamic layer that allowed the visuals an opportunity to thrive. To sum up: the pictures were engaging and lived up to the text.

Armor Hunters: Harbinger #3 proves to me that Marvel and DC both need to pay attention to how these smaller companies handle events. From Zenescope to Top Cow and beyond we’ve seen developers take opportunities like this and run with them in a way that expands their cast but also makes tie-ins like this one worthwhile. For that reason this one comes recommended.