I was wondering how this series would conclude without the core of the event, Armor Hunters, concluding first, but it actually makes perfect sense and showcases how perfectly intertwined the Valiant Universe really is. Everything is tied into each other and everything is under control. The timelines make sense and while some books move at a different pace the end results always line up and that’s what’s important. The Generation Zero kids are an interesting bunch, but we haven’t really gotten to a point that we’ve enjoyed them on an individual level outside of Monica Jim’s stint with the Renegades. They’re a cool team, but they only seemed to function as a group. While that works for a time there really needs to be individual character development and that comes on pretty strong in this issue. Unfortunately it also means Faith and Torque take a bit of a back burner, but they’ve had a lot of the spotlight in the regular Harbinger series.

As for the story we learn what all those bug things are meant for… to cleanse the world! Yeah they replicate at an alarming rate by crawling down the mouth of its victim and then using their body to generate more bugs. Fucking gross right! The conclusion is very rewarding and uses all of the parts of the story that have been introduced along the way. I was most impressed by this fact because there did seem to be a lot going on and not all of it felt important to the story, but it turned out otherwise.

I’m glad that Joshua Dysart started to put his touches on the Generation Zero kids. As I said, they’re an interesting team, but that’s it. We know a lot more about them on an individual level and so when the story said that they would return I was actually happy to read that.

Robert Gill drives the story with his visuals. There are so many intense scenes that he delivers that add to the heart of the story. There’s a great one toward the end involving Cloud that again added a lot of depth to her character and 50% of that was from the artwork. Gill feels at home working on the Harbinger section of the Valiant Universe.

This is a great outline to how an event book tie-in should work. It added to the overall story that’s taking place in Armor Hunters, but more importantly it set the stage for the characters to continue after the event. There are so many comics that have failed to do that just this year alone, so when one gets it right… it’s refreshing.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Joshua Dysart Artist: Robert Gill Publisher: Valiant Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 9/10/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital