The Harbinger #3 Covers

 

The Harbinger #3 Cover A by Robbi Rodriguez

Robbi Rodriguez' stunning Cover A for The Harbinger #3 evokes the jubilant manner in which series colorist Rico Renzi reveals Peter Stanchek's incredible psiot power. The cover also evokes a few panels from this issue's preview pages (see yesterday's post), when Peter realizes that he can search for the super-powered group The Warning by changing the density of the air around him. I'm also rather taken by the after-images of Peter's masked face left in the brightness behind him. 

I'm just not certain how many after-images I'm really seeing. Is there one, or two, or even three? Or are all of them actually something else entirely?

The Harbinger #3 Cover B by Adam Pollina

Adam Pollina's intriguing cover for The Harbinger #3 speaks to the duality of Peter's character. It also reminds us that someone else is running around with Peter's memories. Yet if this is a portrait of Peter Stanchek, no wonder we don't recognize him! 

Is this someone else we have yet to meet? (I'm fairly certain it's not Wolverine). Could it be the Renegade, the man with whom Peter has a running psychic dialogue in these early issues? Or is it in fact a symbolic piece, meant to represent the many natures inside us constantly battling for dominance: the civilized intellectual vs the wild animal vs the raging, carnage-hungry demon?

Peter mentions in this issue that he's always opted for the easy path in the past. He also mentions on the very first page (see yesterday's Preview pages) that his is not a good face. Perhaps Adam's striking image represents the way Peter currently sees himself.

The Harbinger #3 Pre-Order Cover by Damion Scott

Thankfully, Damion Scott's pre-order cover for The Harbinger #3 is a little easier to decipher. It's a group portrait of the super-powered team The Warning. Peter, Cici, and presumably most members of Psiot City see them as villains. But the way writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have of flipping our perspectives, I wonder if that's how we'll continue to see them as the series progresses.

This time out, the good folks at Valiant Comics aren't just giving Pre-Order readers a few extra pages of content. For the first time ever, they're rewarding their most loyal fans with a connecting cover! Here's how the Pre-Order covers from the first three issues line up.

I can't wait to see how The Harbinger #4 fits into line, and completes this high-energy scene.

If you're not currently a pre-order reader, and don't want to miss out on this unique assemblage, you should definitely hunt around. Some comic shops regularly order extra Pre-Order covers for their customers. 

Many thanks to Robbi Rodriguez, Adam Pollina, and connecting cover artist extraordinaire Damion Scott for their gorgeous and thought-provoking The Harbinger #3 covers!

Dragon Dave