Sometimes, just sometimes there is a clear winner and that week despite high expectation of some other first
issues this week Harvest just blew me away. I was slightly torn by the magnification Avengers Vs X-Men #9. There were some great moments in that issue and while reading I thought of the awful Secret Invasion where we had a 7 issues of the Avengers wandering around the Savage Land and one issue of action. Avengers Vs X-Men is the complete opposite of Secret Invasion – stuff happens in this series.
Harvest is the first issue in five issue mini series from Image comics by A.J. Lieberman and Colin Lorimer and let’s get this straight this comic is definitively not for children as this story explores the world organ harvesting as an ex-drug addict, ex surgeon called Benjamin Dane is drawn into this dark and murky world. The story itself jumps around a little bit which helps add some nice twists along the way as the opening scene is Dane about harvest an organ from someone and then jumps backwards to show how he got to this point.
I loved the opening scene as Dane is walking through the rain in Chicago, into late night convenience store asking for all the ice and carries it in a hand truck (wheel barrow) to an abandoned warehouse. He then joyfully recites banter with his victim. It’s clear Dane enjoys his work. We then jump back to ten months and jump through a few scenes before coming back to the present and see the events, a mother dies on the operating table while Dane is out of his face on drugs and the former organ harvester is murdered by the mysterious Greer. I guess as one door closes another one opens for Dane.
The story is intriguing and extremely well written while the art work is out of this world, it’s dark, grimy and really paints the horrific and hopeless world these characters live in. I could imagine this being what a real Gotham City would look like.
My only real disappointment was that on the back page it confirmed it was a five issue mini series.
I would thoroughly recommend this to any (over the age of 18) to pick up and give it a try, it’s a great first issue and looks a very promising start to a brand new mini series and I will be picking up the second issue.
Story by A.J. Lieberman
Art by Colin Lorimer
Cover by Colin Lorimer
Price: $3.50
Mark Brassington 
Great review Mark. I really enjoyed this comic, and I just picked it up off the shelf on the way to the till with my regular pulls! I’m glad I did. I agree that it is an interesting story, well-written. And the art is amazing. Really great talents. Image Comics keep the hits coming!
Thanks Stephen, I really enjoyed this issue. I agree Image is really putting out some good stuff at the moment.