History ComicBook / Harbinger

Super-powered teenager Peter Stanchek is on a dangerous path. Skipping across the country in a desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of the authorities, Peter quickly realizes that he is a [[PsychicPowers "psiot"]], possessing the potential to reshape the course of human history. However, Peter’s plight has not go unnoticed: respected philanthropist and fellow psiot Toyo Harada offers Peter the chance at the things for which the boy has always longed — family, inner peace, self-control — and inducts him into the sprawling, secret network of conspiracy and subversion known as the Harbinger Foundation. His first lesson? All power comes with a price.

Most people are normals. A few people are born with the potential to be 'psiots', developing superpowers under very specific conditions. And a very, very few people are naturally activated psiots, born with powers. One of them, telepathic, telekinetic teenager Peter Stanchek, falls in with a number of newly activated psiots and one normal, and together they hit the road to make the world a better place/stick it to the man/drink heavily and party. Originally published by ValiantComics in the 1990s, it was rebooted and relaunched in 2012.

* VivaLasVegas: During the Harbinger Wars arc. Despite ComicBook/ArcherAndArmstrong visiting UsefulNotes/LasVegas at the same time in their own series, taking place in the same universe, the two groups don't meet.

* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler:The Renegades dismantle Harada's company and respectability in the eyes of the public, but at great cost. Charlene dies saving Faith, Peter almost dies in a futile fight against Harada, and Harada himself simply takes the opportunity to change the world using more overt measures. Essentially, although Peter and Kris successfully enact their revenge, the Renegades break up, and Harada shifts to openly taking down all who oppose him, making their victory something of a failure.]]

* VivaLasVegas: During the Harbinger Wars arc. Despite ComicBook/ArcherAndArmstrong visiting Vegas at the same time in their own series, taking place in the same universe, the two groups don't meet.

* BigDamnHeroes: Zephyr, a major fan of the [[{{Firefly}} Trope Namer]], rescues the others from heavily armed Project Rising Spirit forces despite her lack of real offensive (or defensive) powers.

* OneDialogueTwoConversations: A visibly nervous Peter invites Charlene (Flamingo) to his motel room, talking about how he's unsure about "this next part" and hesitantly asking if it's okay to touch her. She assumes they're about to have sex, but he's actually preparing to activate her latent powers.

* VivaLasVegas: During the Harbinger Wars arc. Despite ComicBook/ArcherAndArmstrong 'also' visiting Vegas at the same time in their own series, taking place in the same universe, the two groups don't meet.

[[caption-width-right:300:Counterclockwise from top-left to right: Zephyr, Torque, Peter, Kris, Flamingo]]

* FiveManBand:

[[caption-width-right:300:"What if God could be taught to be a better person?" - Kris]]

* CreepyChild: Darpan. The fact that he's also a CheerfulChild makes him even creepier.

* TheCape: Zephyr. She's the only one of the main five who genuinely thinks of herself as a superhero, with the responsibilities that entails. Occasionally this causes some friction with the others.

Tropes associated with the relaunched Harbinger include:

* [[AscendedFanboy Ascended Fangirl]]: Faith was a comic and sci-fi geek before gaining actual superpowers.

* CantHoldHisLiquor: Torque, due his actual body weight being about a fifth of what it looks like.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Peter's reaction once he realizes what he's done to Kris.

* {{Tykebomb}}: Darpan.

* InspectorJavert: Agent Tull. Due to being having his mind repeatedly erased by Peter, there's not much left of him outside of his relentless pursuit. He openly acknowledges that Peter is now his whole life, and that he isn't sure what will become of him when the chase ends. Possibly a subtle intentional allusion, as later in the same scene he's contemplating the stars.

* CursedWithAwesome: A significant amount of psiot powers have major negative effects. Peter's is the most prominent, but there's also Hive (can download other minds into his own; it's progressively driving him crazy), Isiah (has an impenetrable force field around him which he can't turn off; fortunately he apparently doesn't need to breathe, eat, or go to the bathroom) and Baxter (his mind conjures up a vicious killer boogeyman he can't control).

* InspectorJavert: Agent Tull. Due to being having his mind repeatedly erased by Peter, there's not much left of him outside of his relentless pursuit. He openly acknowledges that Peter is now his whole life, and that he isn't sure what will become of him when the case ends. Possibly a subtle intentional allusion, as later in the same scene he's contemplating the stars in the night sky.

Most people are normals. A few people are born with the potential to be 'psiots', developing superpowers under very specific conditions. And a very, very few people are naturally activated psiots, born with powers. One of them, telepathic, telekinetic teenager Peter Stanchek, falls in with a number of newly activated psiots and one normal, and together they hit the road to make the world a better place/stick it to the man/drink heavily and party. Originally published by ValiantComics in the 1990s, it was rebooted and relauched in 2012.

* NotSoDifferent: Kris frets over the morality of using Peter's powers to rob banks--not because of any objection to stealing, but because she worries that by manipulating people's minds, she's doing the same thing that was done to her. She concludes that simply making people forget a few minutes of time isn't really equivalent, but acknowledges she may be rationalizing.

* CursedWithAwesome: A significant amount of psiot powers have major negative effects. Peter's is the most prominent, but there's also Hive (can download other minds into his own; it's progressively driving him crazy), Isiah (has an impenetrable force field around him which he can't turn off; fortunately he apparently doesn't need to breath, eat, or go to the bathroom) and Baxter (his mind conjures up a vicious killer boogeyman he has no control over).

* LovePotion: Peter impulsively uses his mind control powers to make Kris fall in love with him. Unusually for this trope, the implications, and Kris' subsequent feelings of violation and anger, aren't glossed over.

* {{Tykebomb}}: Darpan.

* CursedWithAwesome: A significant about of psiot powers are have major negative effects. Peter's is the most prominent, but there's also Hive (can download other minds into his own; it's progressively driving him crazy), Isiah (has an impenetrable force field around him which he can't turn off; fortunately he apparently doesn't need to breath, eat, or go to the bathroom) and Baxter (his mind conjures up a vicious killer boogeyman he has no control over).

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Peter impulsively uses mind control to force Kris to fall in love with him; later he realizes what he's done, and regrets it bitterly.

** PsychicPowers: Peter has a number of these.

**

* CodeName: Played with, as the characters who use code names had them become they got their superpowers. Zephyr was a screen name, Flamingo was a stage name, and Torque was a fantasy wish-fulfillment character.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Peter impulsively uses mind control to force Kris to fall in love with him; later he realizes just how horrible this was.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Peter impulsively uses mind control to force Kris to fall in love with him; only later does he realize how horrible this was, and seek penance.