Livewire: Fugitive, Vol. 1

In her promising, but still unformed, solo arc, Harbinger series character Amanda McKee, aka Livewire, is on the run from everyone: governments around the world, her fellow superpowered “psiots,” and the remains of the shady Harbinger Foundation. Livewire is a “techno-kinetic” with the power to control machinery and electronics. She’s made the world aware of how dangerous she is by using her powers to temporarily disable all technology on Earth. Even her super-friends Owen, Avi, and Nikki are reluctant to help bail her out. Her character has potential: a genius and literal tech wizard with a checkered past and a tendency to underthink the human cost of her big ideas. The volume picks up directly from the Valiant crossover Harbinger Wars, dealing entirely with the fallout from Livewire’s actions in the previous comics. Though this collection does a decent job of bringing new readers up to speed, Livewire’s crisis packs less punch for audiences unfamiliar with the Valiant Universe, which is populated by X-Men-like superhumans fighting for freedom. The art is effective if not outstanding, with solid figure drawing and clearly depicted action scenes. Whether Livewire’s adventures will be worth following remains to be seen as the script moves away from catch-up and begins to tell its own story in future volumes. [em](May) [/em]