Harada is reborn as a hippy cult leader in The Life and Death of Toyo Harada No. 4
By Monita Mohan
Toyo Harada was dead. Now he’s back, and in his amnesiac state starts a… cult? This can only happen in Valiant Comics’ The Life and Death of Toyo Harada No. 4.
Toyo Harada took inspiration from Albert Einstein in the previous issue of The Life and Death of Toyo Harada, and made contingency plans in the event that things went sideways. Well, everything went terribly wrong when The Angela Vessel successfully murdered Harada and stole the mysterious “brain” that the supervillain was protecting.
The Life and Death of Toyo Harada No. 4 (Credit: DC Comics)
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In The Life and Death of Toyo Harada No. 4, Harada’s dying wish is for his partner and colleague Ingrid – a powerful psychic – to escape The Angela Vessel’s wrath. How that pans out isn’t half as arresting as discovering that Harada is somehow still alive. Harada’s rebirth quashes any memory of his past life and, when he is found by some young hippy kids, Harada begins his journey towards becoming the cult leader, The Empty Man. As this leader, Harada professes that he has found peace by letting go of his past. His pontificating attracts the youth around America, leading to the cult setting up a quaint, little farm deep in the heartland.
Harada’s entire arc in The Life and Death of Toyo Harada No. 4 is atypical for the character; it is such a stereotypical storyline – complete with long hair, a carefree, drug-addled lifestyle, bombastic promises made to the gullible youngsters of society, and of course, forbidden relationships – that it’s hard to take seriously, especially since it doesn’t seem like Harada or most of the characters will feel the consequences of joining the cult. One person, however, might come back to haunt Harada someday, but will they appear later in this series?
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The Life and Death of Toyo Harada No. 4 was more of a filler issue acting as the glue between Harada’s previous life and the new one that he will no doubt embark on in the final two chapters of this series. Now, The Angela Vessel has the upper hand, Harada’s team is all but destroyed and Ingrid has been displaced. But Harada himself is the ace-in-the-hole who can bring down his nemesis. Harada has a destiny to fulfil, and the final panels of this installment suggest he’s back on track to claim it.