Back in June of 2012 Valiant Comics relaunched their HARBINGER series, updating it for a modern audience but keeping the core conceit and characters intact. When the most powerful psionic on Earth – Toyo Harada – decides he wants to shape the course of human history to save the planet, who will stop him? His former Harbringer Foundation proteges, of course.
One of those former recruits is Faith Herbert, aka Zephyr. And now after three years, the savvy fangirl turned superhero is getting her own 4-issue miniseries.
From the official synopsis:
Orphaned at a young age, Faith Herbert — a psionically gifted “psiot” discovered by the Harbinger Foundation — has always aspired to greatness. But now this once ordinary teenager is taking control of her destiny and becoming the hard-hitting hero she”s always known she can be – complete with a mild-mannered secret identity, unsuspecting colleagues, and a day job as a reporter that routinely throws into her harms way! Well, at least she thought it would… When she”s not typing up listicles about cat videos, Faith makes a secret transformation to patrol the night as the City of Angels” own leading superhero – the sky-soaring Zephyr!
But flying solo is going to be tougher than Zephyr ever thought when she uncovers a deep-rooted alien conspiracy. Two-bit burglars and car thieves are one thing, but when the world needs a hero to stave off a full-blown extraterrestrial invasion, will Faith find herself in over her head…or ready for her biggest challenge yet?
Comic Book Resources snagged an interview [definitely go read the whole thing!] with writer Jody Houser about who Zephyr is and what to expect from a genre savvy superhero like Faith.
I think comic fans always enjoy seeing a fellow geek stepping into the role of the hero, but beyond that, Faith's confidence and optimism is something that makes her stand out to me. She's a plus-size woman who loves sci-fi and fantasy and enjoys sex, and is 100% comfortable with that. She has a very clear idea of what a hero should be, and is perfectly fine stepping away from people whose actions run counter to that.
FAITH #1 hits comic book stands in January 2016. It”s written by Jody House with art by Francis Portela and special sequences by Marguerite Sauvage.