Rejoice As ‘Harker’ Returns From Time Bomb Comics — Detective Comics Just Don’t Come Any Better

Harker by Roger Gibson and Vince Danks is (and always has been) one of my favourite comics, definitely the best weird/funny/brilliant police/detective procedural comics I know. And it’s coming back with The Fourth Man!

Yes, I’ve told you a lot about Harker, the truly great detective procedural written by Roger Gibson and drawn by Vince Danks. I’ve told you how I first came across it in 2009 as a black and white self-published thing that Roger and Vince sent to me back in the days when I was doing much of what I do here at Comicon for the Forbidden Planet International Blog. And I’ve told you how, from the minute I cracked open the first issue, I knew it was something special. I fell in love with the whole thing, and it’s a love that’s never left me.

There’s a quote by me on the back of volume 1 of Harker: The Book of Solomon that sums it all up perfectly:

“A great detective thriller with an intriguing story, wonderful art, cracking dialogue and moments of out and out comedy… an absolute triumph of a comic.”

Yep, can’t argue with that. It’s still one of my favourite comic series, a perfect example of what true mainstream comics can and should be – no capes, no heroes, just incredibly well-written, beautifully drawn comics that give you that same feeling of something special that you get from the best fiction in any genre.

Since that start in 2009, they published 12 issues of the comic, collected as two stories – The Book Of Solomon (issues 1-6), and The Black Hound (issues 7-12). The Book Of Solomon was then republished by Titan Books in 2012. But since 2020, Gibson and Danks, and Harker, have found their home at Steve Tanner‘s Time Bomb Comics, who’ve published four collections thus far – splitting The Book of Solomon and The Black Hound into two volumes each, this time published in full colour.

But, for fans like me, there’s always that question… when are we going to be getting new Harker? Well, after far too long, we know the answer – as we’re about to be blessed with all-new Harker, as the new storyline, The Fourth Man, has just been announced for publication through Kickstarter in 2026. Here’s what it’s all going to be about…

“Set in Portmeirion, famous as The Village in Patrick McGoohan‘s The Prisoner, our detectives enter the world of espionage, investigating not one but two brutal murders amongst the picturesque faux Italian architecture. With sly nods towards James Bond, The Man From UNCLE, Matt Helm, The (TV) Avengers and The Prisoner, Harker: The Fourth Man continues the much-loved adventures of our sleuthing duo.’

Oh yes, that’s all I could want from Harker, all the genre trappings that I love from it. And I imagine, based on what I’ve read before, it will have all the crackling dialogue, all the comedy, all the mystery, and so much more of that wonderful storytelling experience that Gibson and Danks have always delivered. I just cannot wait to read more of the adventures of the perennially grumpy Detective Chief Inspector Harker and his suave, wise-cracking Detective Sergeant, Critchley.

Now, a little teaser from Vince, some of his art from the pages of The Fourth Man…

Whilst we’re all waiting for the new storyline, there’s a Patreon page that Danks has started, giving us the opportunity to help fund things and to get a look at previews of work in progress. There’s also a newsletter you can sign up for here.

Harker: The Fourth Man will be published in full colour by Time Bomb Comics, who will announce the release date of part one in due course. Like I say, I just can’t wait. Think I’ll treat myself to a re-read of the published Harker, always a great joy.

As a further nudge to you to go and visit the Patreon and sign up for the newsletter, here’s a little more of what to expect, the first few pages of The Book of Solomon and The Black Hound…