The Harbinger #2 Spotlight: Inside Front Cover

 

The Harbinger #2 Cover B by Nik Virella

On the inside front cover of The Harbinger #2, we see a Chicago backstreet, with the corner of a brick wall immediately before us.

The Harbinger #2: Inside Front Cover

Signs and flyers have been affixed to this wall. The one for The Harbinger seems to be wearing away, but was stuck there with pretty powerful adhesive. While the name is professionally printed, the emblem or logo resembles the graphiti likely sprayed on nearby walls.

The lettering atop the Wanted poster looks like it was printed on an old machine, and the red ink is fading. Either that, or the individual letter stamps had worn away, or simply didn't get enough ink on them.

In the photo, we see Peter standing before what looks to be enlargements from mugshots taken by the police. I wonder if he was standing in the police station when this photo was taken. Or did someone snap it outside, when Peter paused before a giant wanted poster of himself.

The latter possibility reminds me of when Livewire suddenly stopped in a Paris backstreet, and gazed upon a Wanted Poster of herself in Livewire #2.

Perhaps some might look at this lettering, and see a goblet, or merely two triangles with their points merging in the middle. Thanks in part to the central diagonal crease, I see a heart. But then, for all the bad things Peter Stanchek has done, he's still a man who yearns to do good.

You could definitely say he has a lot of heart.

The elements have given the Wanted Poster a beating. Perhaps the paper isn't top quality. But whatever they used to affix it to the brick wall isn't holding either.

I wonder if the poster beneath this one is for someone else. Then the police heard that Peter Stanchek was in town, and figured he was Chicago's Most Wanted.

Lastly, notice this glimpse of Chicago beyond the brick wall. I don't know if Robbi Rodriguez and Rico Renzi created it, but it throbs with the city's life and energy. The pink lighting reflecting off the wires suggest we're in Psiot City, that portion of Chicago which the psiot community has tried to make their safe haven.

Who else puts so much creativity and detail into a design for a comic book's inside front cover?

Only Valiant Comics, in my experience.

Dragon Dave

Harbinger #1 Sketch Project

 

The Harbinger #1 Cover A by Robbi Rodriguez

I sketch irregularly, and when I do, it's usually landscapes. But I've wanted to do more comic-style art lately, and I really enjoyed The Harbinger #1. So one day I pulled up my review copy, and looked for something I thought I could (maybe!) draw. 

Scene from The Harbinger #1

This panel drawn by penciler & inker Robbi Rodriguez and colored by Rico Renzi really speaks to me. Thankfully, it also looked like something (maybe!) I could tackle. Having the review copy on my computer allowed me to enlarge it, so I could better see what Robbi had drawn.

Original Pencil Sketch

As I drew, I remembered my conversation with authors Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly at the Knowhere Games and Comics signing for the store's variant cover of The Harbinger #1. I mentioned that Robbi's art style seemed reminiscent of Manga. Collin agreed with me, and said that he and Jackson called it "Punk Rock Akira." 

 

 

By the way, Akira was a long-running Manga, originally published in Japan in the 1980s. Marvel Comics published a colorized version of the series in the United States, and I've seen B&W volumes in my local comic shop. If you can't find hardcover or trades paperbacks of it, your local comic shop can likely order one for you.

Re-Sketch using a Black pencil

After I finished in my 5.5"x8.5" sketchbook, I scanned the drawing in my computer, and enlarged it to fit on an 8"x11" paper (with 1" margins). I printed it on regular copy paper, and taped it to the back of a 9"x12" sheet of Bristol paper. Using a lightboard, I redrew my sketch with pencil, then went over it with a black colored pencil.

 

Original sketch & re-sketch comparison

I had thought of using colored pencils, as that's my usual go-to. But I know how long it takes to build up strong, rich colors. As my goal is to do more drawing, I opted for markers. Then I inked over my pencils.

Final Colored Version

Artist Sweeney Boo's variant cover for The Harbinger #1 suggests that Peter's relationship with Cici will develop into a romance. Has she read more of the series than me? Or does her artwork reflect how she'd like their relationship develop?

Whatever the answer, Cici certainly seems a better match for Peter than Kris Hathaway was in author Joshua Dysart's Harbinger series. I look to seeing what turns and twists Peter and Cici's lives take in upcoming issues of Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly's new series.

Dragon Dave

P.S. If you'd like to read about my visit to The Harbinger #1 signing at Knowhere Games & Comics, here's the link:

The Harbinger #1 Goes Knowhere

X-O Manowar #2: All The Covers And Why You Need Them

 

X-O Manowar #2 Cover A by Christian Ward

While we eagerly await events in X-O Manowar #9, I thought it'd be fun to look back and remember how we got here. After six months' absence due to the pandemic shutdown, Valiant Entertainment issued four beautiful covers to herald the return of Aric of Dacia. If you've come recently to the X-O Manowar party, and need some of these early issues, you'll probably find it easier to purchase the trade paperback containing the first four issues of this X-O Manowar series. But if you admire great art, or want to remember all these gorgeous covers, read on.

Christian Ward's Cover A shows our cosmic defender standing out in space. A interstellar highway winds its way to our planet, reminding us how many alien races, such as the nefarious Vine, have tried to invade our homeworld. Yet Aric stands at ease, like a baseball player awaiting his moment at bat. 

You can understand why Valiant Entertainment chose this powerful cover for their X-O Manowar #2 Gold Edition.

X-O Manowar #2 Cover B by Netho Diaz

Netho Diaz's cover, colored by Candice Han, also shows Aric holding his sword. It's a stunning photorealistic cover, as if Tina and Desmond Morris had marched Aric down to their local photographer to have his portrait taken. Netho and Candice show Aric's sword less resembles a lightsaber than a medieval knight's broadsword.

Aric as a knight riding into battle clad in gleaming plate mail? That may not exactly correlate with Aric's origins as a 5th Century Visigoth, but the association certainly has merit.

X-O Manowar #2 Pre-Order Cover Francesco Francavilla

Francesco Francavilla's Pre-Order Cover may be much more stripped down image, but it shows Aric's determination to protect his adoptive hometown of New York City. The silhouette of the buildings gives the image brings Aric to the front. It's almost as if we can see different layers of the image pushing out toward us, with Aric's sword foremost. Aric, the buildings, the moon, and the evening sky in the back are all spaced a little apart.

Sometimes the simpler images suggest the most depth.

X-O Manowar #2 Sword of Shanhara Cover by Daniel Warren Johnson

Daniel Warren Johnson's Sword of Shanhara Cover, colored by Mike Spicer, shows how versatile Shanhara can be. The alien consciousness inhabiting Aric's armor can fashion whatever weapons Aric needs to meet a given threat. In this case, the sword reminds me of a meteor burning through the atmosphere before it slams into the Earth. A powerful thought, considering that a meteor strike ended the reign of the dinosaurs, and made way for the rise of Mammals, and eventually Humans, on our planet.

The Sword of Shanhara cover was a retailer incentive cover, available only to shops that ordered at least twenty-five copies of X-O Manowar #2. That may make it harder to find, but if you really want it, happy hunting! 

Also, don't forget that Christmas is on the way! Black Friday may be over, but Cyber Monday is just around the corner. That makes now the perfect time to support hardworking comic shops--and your hardworking significant other--with a truly X-O-lent gift.

Dragon Dave

X-O Manowar #2 Preview Pages

X-O Manowar #2 Cover A by Christian Ward

 

Maybe you've discovered Valiant Comics recently. Maybe you're a long-time fan, but your weekly too-read stack is so tall you rarely get a chance for a reread. (Yes, even a series as great as X-O Manowar! I hear you.) In any case, as X-O Manowar #2 came out exactly one year ago, I thought you might appreciate a chance to relive the excitement of Aric's battle with one of Troy Whitaker's robots in the Ukraine.

Enjoy!

 

Pretty awesome, right? 

What's that? These rockin' preview pages make you want to dig into your long boxes and reread the entire issue? Well, then I'll shut my Visigoth-loving mouth, and let you get to it!

All hail the robot battle champion! All hail Aric of Dacia! 

Dragon Dave

Valiant's Hot New Villain

 

 

Can you handle the latest hot news from Valiant Central?

 

The Valiant Universe is set to face the terrifying flames of an all-new villain in ETERNAL WARRIOR: SCORCHED EARTH, live now on Kickstarter until December 2nd.

 

A hero is only as heroic as their greatest villain, and Gilad Anni-Padda has lived, died and lived again through almost every threat imaginable as the ETERNAL WARRIOR. Nothing could prepare him for RAZE, though.

 

Born of lava and hellish flame, the ancient fire deity Raze is an uncontrollable threat to Mother Earth, causing massive destruction and leaving only death in his wake.

 

 

Fiery RAZE Concept Art

 

Centuries ago, Mount Vesuvius tragically erupted and created mass devastation, laying waste to the great city of Pompeii and killing thousands. Gilad knew this to be the work of an ancient fire deity and stepped in as the Fist and Steel of Earth to imprison Raze for good.

 

Or so he thought…

 

Flaming RAZE Concept Art

 

As mysterious fires begin causing havoc all over the world, this generation’s GEOMANCER, Tama, tries to live up to her responsibilities of defending Earth while Gilad ventures off to confront his past. But they will soon discover they need each other now more than ever.

 

With Raze potentially freed of his imprisonment on a new path of annihilation, only the ETERNAL WARRIOR and GEOMANCER can hope to stand in his way to prevent his infernal flames from scorching the Earth.

 

 

Incendiary RAZE Concept Art

 

ETERNAL WARRIOR: SCORCHED EARTH is written by Tres Dean with art by Alberto Taracido, colors by Rain Beredo and letters by Tom Napolitano. With exciting stretch goals already unlocked for every backer like additional process pages at the end of the book and digital copies of ETERNAL WARRIOR Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 (2014), this is a campaign you don’t want to miss out on.

 

Be sure to back Valiant’s debut Kickstarter and first original graphic novel ETERNAL WARRIOR: SCORCHED EARTH today before the campaign ends on December 2nd to discover the Valiant Universe’s newest terrifying villain, Raze!

 

As always, many thanks to the good folks at Valiant for sharing all the hot news with us.

The Harbinger #2 Preview Pages

 

The Harbinger #2 Cover A by Robbi Rodriguez

In The Harbinger #2, you'll see more of The Warning, the superpowered psiots who rule Psiot City. You'll also meet young Ago, whom writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing describe as a human megaphone. Like Peter Quill (aka Starlord), you'll even see Peter Stanchek find something inside of himself, something incredibly heroic.

But first, you'll see Pete rescue a cat. No, there's no association with Pete The Cat. And no, they don't perform a back-to-school operetta. But then, you probably didn't really want that anyway.

So, are your Harbinger batteries primed? Are you read to dive into The Harbinger #2? Good.

Enjoy!

Inside Front Cover

Page 1

Page 2 & 3: Double Page Spread

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

The Harbinger #2 is an exhilarating ride, with over-the-top action and blindingly wild color. This issue will remind you why the writers describe their new series as "Punk Rock Akira," and why they couldn't sit down while writing it.

Now storm out there and activate your copy, so the good folks at Valiant Entertainment can continue producing The Harbinger for us!

Dragon Dave

X-O Manowar #8 Review

 

X-O Manowar #8 Pre-Order Cover by Dave Johnson

In X-O Manowar #8, writer Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum ramps up the stakes for Aric of Dacia, his alien armor Shanhara, his adopted home city of New York City, and our modern world that he's vowed to protect. With our 5th Century Visigoth seemingly out of the picture, it's time for young Desmond Morris to rise up and defend New York City. Cut off from her armor, Shanhara counsels and guides him as he combats his fear.

Desmond may have lived with billionaire Troy Whitaker for a few months. He may owe the rebuilding of his neighborhood to the technological innovator. But now he realizes that Troy, a smart and visionary benefactor, is behind the singularity's attack on New York.

In Human terms, Troy Whitaker may be a genius. Yet everything the man touches, or seeks to improve, ends up strikingly different than before. Compare the way the singularity now manifests in New York City with how it looked on the floating mountains of Tibet in X-O Manowar #6. Penciler Emilio Laiso and inker Raffaele Forte portray this new, improved singularity not as thriving plant life, but all straight lines and sharp edges.

Desmond could have climbed down from the roof and rejoined his mother in their apartment. But Shanhara has a bead on Aric's location. So Desmond takes a deep breath, and ventures into the singularity-dominated streets.

While much of X-O Manowar #8 follows Desmond's hunt for Aric, Shanhara also reveals a secret history. She tells of battles she waged from within the armor during the events in X-O Manowar #5, 6 and 7. Doctor Tomorrow penciler and inker Jim Towe brings these sequences to life, aided by X-O Manowar stalwart colorist Ruth Redmond. 

Shanhara's version of events may not paint Troy Whitaker as wholly evil. Sadly, it appears he has acted in a duplicitous manner all along. Befriending Aric, and gaining access to Shanhara, were just steps toward his goal to upgrade human civilization.

When someone is as successful as Troy at accumulating money, power, and influence, what could be more natural than to wonder what he could do, if he alone steered humanity's course into the future?

The way Troy harnesses the singularity for his own ends reminds me of how Aric attempted to take control of Planet Gorin in writer Matt Kindt's previous X-O Manowar series. Aric--the son of a tribal king--and Troy--an industrial leader--share the belief that one wise and powerful person should rule the masses. 

 

Troy Whitaker could offer much technological advancement to humanity. Still, consider his promises in the above panel with how he uses the singularity to limit the freedom of New York City's citizens in the panel below.

X-O Manowar #8 offers readers an unprecedented insight into Shanhara, the sentient consciousness that inhabits Aric's powerful, alien armor. It also reveals the astounding way in which Troy Whitaker would use the singularity to steer mankind toward an upgraded tomorrow. 

This issue fuses golden age Science Fiction stories of a Jetsons-like future with newer ideas on how humanity might attain that, such as nanotech and the singularity.

 

For all its grand ideas, and its portrayal of future marvels, X-O Manowar #8 remains a very human story. It's the story of all of us, and for all of us. It's a story that asks what could we all accomplish, if we would only cast aside self-doubt, and truly, genuinely believe in ourselves.

Dragon Dave

X-O Manowar #8 Spotlight: Penciling & Inking Part 2

X-O Manowar #8 Cover B by Christian Duce

 

While much of X-O Manowar #8 concerns Desmond's interactions with the Hive Mind's attack on New York City, writer Dennis Hopeless Hallum weaves a second plot strand into his narrative. For this sequence, Shanhara relates to Desmond what exactly happened to her during Aric's underwater battle with the nanite swarm in X-O Manowar #5. Thankfully, Shanhara relates her story to us visually, and those panels are penciled and inked by artist Jim Towe.

 

The way Jim captures scenes, and relates them to us in their simplest form, is immediately evident. The youthful vibe he portrayed in his earlier Valiant series, Doctor Tomorrow, is also apparent. 

 

 

Jim's style may seem less involved than X-O Manowar readers are used to. Still, as you can see from this flashback sequence, he throws an interesting perspective on that underwater battle. We're not used to viewing Aric from inside the armor, or how the sentient entity called Shanhara views her 5th Century Visigoth warrior.

 

 

Prior to the launch of X-O Manowar #1, then-Senior Editor Heather Antos promised readers that this new series would make it clear how very different X-O Manowar was from other comic book heroes-in-armor-suits. In X-O Manowar #8 she and Dennis Hopeless Hallum certainly delivered, courtesy of penciler and inking Jim Towe. 

Thanks for stepping in and bringing Shanhara's story to life, Jim! 

Dragon Dave

P.S. Yesterday I stated that penciler Emilio Laiso and inker Raffaele Forte only did the first few pages of X-O Manowar #8. After reading the physical book, as opposed to the lettermarked review copy, I now believe Emilio and Raffaele covered the entirety of Desmond's scenes. Read the issue, and decide for yourself.