You are bidding on:  Harbinger #1 CBCS 9.6 Witnessed Signature **Signed Jim Shooter**

January 1992 Valiant Comics

1st Sting

1st Torque

1st Zephyr

1st Flamingo

1st Kris Hathaway

Contains Harginger #0 mail-order coupon

Bob Layton (Cover)   Jim Shooter (Story)   David Lapham (Art & Cover)   John Dixon (Art)

1st Print

HARBINGER #1 (WITH COUPON): 

There is a good reason that Harbinger #1 (w/ coupon) is the most graded Valiant comic to-date. Harbinger #1 was released in January of 1992 with a low (at the time) print run of 48,000 copies. The book (and series) quickly caught fire with readers and fans who saw it as a refreshing new take on the concept of a team of young superheroes. Wizard Magazine #10 listed Harbinger #1 at No. 9 on their monthly “Top 10” list for May of 1992. The following month in Wizard Magazine #11 (June 1992), Harbinger #1 moved up to the No. 8 spot on that same list, before spending the next four months in the No. 1 spot (Wizard Magazine #12, #13, #14, and #15). Harbinger #1 was listed on the top ten list of Wizard Magazine for at the time) a record eight consecutive months and was eventually named “Collectible of the Decade”.

Harbinger #1 was listed numerous times in other “Top 10” lists as well, including The Ten Most Important Comic Books of the 1990s (source: 2006 The Sequart Organization) and “The Top 10 Comic Books of the 1990s” (source: 2014 The Top Lister). Most recently, it was discussed in-depth in my 2015 article A Phoenix Rising from the Ashes: Investing in Harbinger (source: 2015 All-Comic.com).

In addition to all of this, Harbinger #1 featured the first appearance of the Renegades:

Peter Stanchek – AKA Sting, The Visitor

Kris Hathaway –

Faith Herbert – AKA Faith, Zephyr (has stared in her own mini-series, and now a monthly series)

Charlene Dupre – AKA Flamingo

John Torkelson – AKA Torque

Harbinger #1 (w/ coupon) was printed with a thin cover stock, and as a result, the cover is prone to splitting along the spine. Additionally, there was a coupon inside Harbinger #1 through #6 which collectors could cut-out and redeem by mail for a copy of the Harbinger #0 (Pink Variant).

Additionally, there appear to be copies of Harbinger #1 (w/ coupon) that contain three staples, and others that contain only two staples (with no middle staple). While it is a ridiculous stretch to call it the “Harbinger #1 (Two Staple Variant)” some collectors have found that the two staple copies often grade better than the three staple copies and are less prone to spine splitting (possibly due to less holes in the spine from less staples).

Lastly, there are also copies of Harbinger #1 (w/ coupon) that were printed with “blank coupons” due to a printing and/or production error at the time of publishing.

What made Harbinger different and unique was the fact that it was a story about what a team of young superheroes might really be like in our world. Each character was flawed, and had his/her own motives. Hell, there is a huge debate as to whether or not the villain might not have been the actual hero; it’s all based on blurred lines or morality and what is “right” for humanity. I have ALWAYS considered Harbinger to be “what Marvel’s X-Men should have been” if such a team were to exist.

With three Harbinger-centric movies planned in the near future, in addition to Harbinger (2012), Harbinger: Omegas, Imperium, Faith, Armor Hunters: Harbinger, Book of Death: The Fall of Harbinger, Generation Zero, and Harbinger: Renegades, this is a flagship title at the center of the Valiant Universe.