The Beach Reader reviewed Harbinger by Josh Dysart
Review of 'Harbinger' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
I was underwhelmed by this one; it seems like a treatment for a cookie-cutter paranormal "Heroes"-like television show. The art is of that glossy, too-real variety that gives away the storyboard nature of the comic.
Plus ... when you set your protagonist up as a rapist within the first few pages, you've lost the ability to have him be a SYMPATHETIC protagonist. The author does not, in this volume, treat his protagonist as the vile criminal that he is. Practically the only acknowledgement of his crime (the word rape is never used) is that they give him an antagonist (the word "villain" doesn't really apply, because who then is the hero?) in the convenient form of his rape victim; this will no doubt pay off dramatically in later volumes, but too late! They lost this reader in this volume.
Frankly, I'd rather read a comic with Kris (the raped woman) …
I was underwhelmed by this one; it seems like a treatment for a cookie-cutter paranormal "Heroes"-like television show. The art is of that glossy, too-real variety that gives away the storyboard nature of the comic.
Plus ... when you set your protagonist up as a rapist within the first few pages, you've lost the ability to have him be a SYMPATHETIC protagonist. The author does not, in this volume, treat his protagonist as the vile criminal that he is. Practically the only acknowledgement of his crime (the word rape is never used) is that they give him an antagonist (the word "villain" doesn't really apply, because who then is the hero?) in the convenient form of his rape victim; this will no doubt pay off dramatically in later volumes, but too late! They lost this reader in this volume.
Frankly, I'd rather read a comic with Kris (the raped woman) as the protagonist, tracking down her superpowered rapist and meting out justice against the backdrop of the psychic Illuminati's machinations.
