The Good
The focus of this issue is mainly on Toyo Harada and his time in Hiroshima during the bombings that ended World War II. It's a gripping tale of a young boy, with powers, struggling to live in a wasteland as he fights for food, water, and just wanting to be accepted and loved. We also get to meet Darpan (he was in previous issues, but never highlighted like this), a psiot currently working for Harada in Syria.
One of the things I love about Joshua Dysart's writing is that he has this great way of writing people adapting to their environments during times of struggle. It was something he did insanely well during his run on UNKNOWN SOLDIER and it's the big element of this issue. He's great at taking real life events, adding comic book characters, and creating these emotionally jarring moments. The young Toyo Harada we see in Hiroshima after "the bomb" was dropped, at the end of World War II, struggling to find acceptance, in his community and the location of his father, all while dealing with these new powers he's developed.
HARBINGER 0 gives us so much more depth into what made Toyo Harada into the person he is today. I've never felt he came off, in the book so far, as this end-all, be-all villain, but there is a darkness to him, and this is where it all happens. The story flows incredibly well, and it's an issue you're going to read a couple times because it's just that darn enjoyable.
Artists Mico Suayan and Pere Perez do a beautiful job on this issue with colorist Brian Reber. The layouts have a great flow to them, and while the art itself is fantastic, the inking here is what really stands out for me. Normally, I'm not the biggest fan of cross-hatching because so many inkers really over do it with thick lines or just way to much of it. Perez and Suayan great some great depth and shadow here with that effect using thinner line strokes. It's subtle and extremely effective, especially in the scenes during Harada's past in Hiroshima. The best way to describe a lot of these panels, in Harada's past, is epic. It's yet another reason you'll want to go back and reread the issue.
While the story jumps back and forth between Darpan and a young Harada, it works really well. Darpan is very innocent, with this incredibly destructive power, while Harada has this anger and bitterness buried inside of him. They're great complimenting stories. Darpan's power, which you'll have to read to find out more about, is my favorite power within this series. It's incredibly destructive without harming people... technically.
The Bad
My only complaint about this issue is the fact it's a "0." I'm not a fan of this trend. Just call it issue 9 or not make it a one-shot. Maybe I'm just cranky (probably).
The Verdict
Gregg has been preaching the awesomeness of this book to you for quite some time, and now, I'm doing the same. Valiant has been hitting some home runs (or consistently rolling 20s if you'd like a less jocky comparison) with their books, and HARBINGER is one of their best. It's not my favorite series they put out, but it's pretty darn close to it.
HARBINGER 0 may not focus on Peter, but it's just as good as the rest of the series and you're going to want to read it. Overall, I highly recommend this issue and this series. It may help to read issues 1-8 but you'll still kind of understand what's going on here without it. Just buy this book already.