By issue three of ‘Harbinger Wars II’ Livewire (Amanda McKee) as arguably the most dangerous psiot in the Valiant universe is controlling Bloodshot through the nanites in his blood. And not even the child-geomancer is going to get in her way of gaining an advantage in this situation. The full-on assault on the psiots from the likes of UNITY and secret black-op agencies who don’t have a problem killing children has reached a crux point. And as Ninjak realizes Livewire is right, it may be too late.
From the cover you can tell who the major players are. Livewire and Bloodshot loom large over Faith who seems to be the heart of this comic-book and Ninjak who desperately attempts to interject common sense into this situation. When he’s confronted with the children who are battling for their survival he begins to see how humanity could be lost. Still, the government plays a part in this chaos and then there’s Major Charlie Palmer who has completely lost sight of what this was initially about. Though his team was nearly obliterated in ‘Generation Zero,’ he fails to recognize that the teens he attached were defending themselves. Palmer also overlooks that he killed most of them. The fact that they were children doesn’t seem to bother him as much as not achieving his modus operandi of shutting down psiots, even if it’s permanently.
What makes issue three dangerous is that nearly everyone doesn’t seem to be able to think past their trauma. Palmer is nearly torn in half and still has to be taken down in order for him not kill anyone else. Livewire has thrown everything into making sure psiots will no longer be hunted. But it may destroy the world. In this war you wonder where Toya Harada, arguably the most powerful psiot is doing. Is he waiting to see who comes out on top? When you think about it, Livewire is doing what Harada always wanted. She’s cleansing the way to make sure psiots are on top of the genetic power chain.
The idea of Livewire, who has opposed the world-domination ways of her mentor seems to have become worse than him. Or, has she become desperate to the point where she compromises the free-will of her friends and the possible destruction of those close to her? The players involved in ‘Harbinger Wars II’ may not recover from this battle. At the end of this comic both X-O Manowar and Bloodshot are caught in a climactic battle that could kill them both. In the meantime the cover of issue four isn’t imbued with much hope. As Livewire, flies high above the destruction, while throwing out her arms in some sort of victory stance, everyone below is in combat with each other. One wonders with the subtitle ‘Casualties of War’ will there be anyone left to claim the win. Will there be anyone left period?
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