This is probably as good as a middle-issue Event book can get for a new company finding their way with previously established and loved characters. The tone of immanent apocalypse that has hovered over Stanchek from the first issue gets darker with each installment, and the Dyson's unwillingness to let the reader definitively root for any one side in this conflict adds to the unease and tension of the story. The new Valiant Universe has stayed remarkably true to the thematic strengths of the original characters while jettisoning the weaknesses of the brand. I'm eager for the next installments of both Harbinger and the other titles in the crossover. I don't even miss Solar or Magnus anymore.

Drawn out comic book crossovers have been the norm since Crisis on Infinite Earths twenty-five years ago, and less-than-eventful tie in's are more common than not as publishers try to exploit the excitement for bigger sales. For a company like Valiant that's tying to innovate and break molds, it's a shame to see them making this common mistake. Readers can stick to the main Harbinger Wars miniseries and the regular Harbinger books right now and not miss much of the story. This is a disappointment for an event that promises big story and bigger changes to the Valiant U.