Broken Frontier

Valiant Entertainment provides fans a sneak preview of the HARBINGER: THE BEGINNING hardcover collection on sale August 29th, by releasing six pages of the digitally recolored story.

Harbinger reinvented the superhero team genre and became one of the most successful comic series of the 1990s, selling over 5 million comic books. The classic story of Sting’s band of renegade teenagers with extraordinary powers of the mind and their battle against Japanese tycoon Toyo Harada took the comics industry by storm in 1992.

The hardcover collects Harbinger issues #0 - 7, which have been digitally recolored and remastered using state-of-the-art computer techniques. It also includes an all-new "Origin of Harada" story written by comics legend Jim Shooter and illustrated by former Valiant creator Bob Hall (Shadowman) featuring the first appearance of a new key Valiant character!

The deluxe hardcover is digitally remastered in a unique way, as Jim Shooter himself approved continuity corrections in Harbinger issues #0 - 7 that allows the hardcover collection to present the origin story more cohesively than it originally appeared in 1992.

In addition, all digital recoloring was overseen by former Valiant colorists who had an insider's view on the original intention of Harbinger's creative team.  The integrity of the original look was preserved, while adding depth, special effects, and corrections using the latest digital techniques.  The melding of classic storytelling and modern execution more accurately showcases the intended vision for Harbinger issues #0-7 than ever before.

"It's fantastic for me to return to the Valiant Universe and revisit Harbinger with Starlight Runner digital color," said Jeff Gomez, former Valiant editor and current CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment, a major coloring team on the project.

One of Valiant’s hallmarks has always been its artistic coloring style. Since the original art assets were no longer available, a unique process was developed to strip the color from the comics, reconstruct the inks, and apply digital color to the prints.

Gomez turned to Starlight Runner Creative Director and original Valiant colorist, Chrysoula Artemis, to oversee the project for them. Chrysoula recruited several colorists familiar with the Valiant Universe, and her approach to recoloring Harbinger was to remain loyal to the choices made by the original colorists of the book, while finding ways to enrich, deepen and contemporize the palette.

"Many of the scenes we worked on took place at night, or in old, abandoned locations. We toned down the lighting and muted the color in some places to darken the mood and give a sense of reality to the situation," said Chrysoula Artemis.

Aaron Hubrich, producer at Conceptopolis, the other major coloring team working on the project, said, "These characters were the very reason I got into comics fully in the early 90's. It's been an honor to have the opportunity to update the look, while maintaining the feel that every fan expects."

HARBINGER: THE BEGINNING (JUN073932), published by Valiant Entertainment, is solicited in the June Previews (Volume XVII #6) and scheduled to arrive in comic book stores nationwide on August 29th, 2007.  The book marks the milestone return of comics legend Jim Shooter and is a full-color 192 page hardcover with a suggested retail price of $24.95.