Advance Review: Bloodshot #2

Bloodshot #2
"Get Your Gun"
Writer: Duane Swierczynski
Artists: Manuel Garcia & Arturo Lozzi
August 15, 2012
Valiant

What an insanely good issue. Sure, I was expecting to like Bloodshot, having read and enjoyed issues of the original series, but this reboot is a nanite-powered kick to the face, and my favourite new series in the Valiant universe.

Manuel Garcia and Arturo Lozzi's art in this issue is exactly what it needs to be, fast, visceral, gory, and innovative, with a mixture of perspective throughout that always keeps the book as interesting visually as the story is mind-bending. The action flows seamlessly throughout this issue, without pause until we get two key scenes, one from Bloodshot's former masters at Project Rising Spirit, and another scene with the rebel factor of Dr. Kuretich that reveals some crucial information about the kind of secrets that Bloodshot is carrying around in his poor, messed-up head.

We learn a lot more about the needs and limitations of the nanites coursing through Bloodshot's veins in this issue, including what happens when the "Goldies," as they're called, get hungry. Perhaps more importantly, for readers concerned that Bloodshot was functionally immortal and could never be killed, therefore removing any sense of danger from the story, we learn that total decapitation and exhaustion from too much abuse on the nanite system might do the trick.

Bloodshot is a trained killer, and in this issue it really shows. He doesn't fuck around. He kills quickly and with brutal efficiency. This issue opens with a jaw-dropping fight scene where Bloodshot takes on a group of attackers while bare ass nude, and the scene emphasizes his combat training while also showing the character struggle against his own inhumanity. Bloodshot is seriously injured several times during the fight, but he keeps fighting on through the pain, egged on by false memories programmed to act as "psychic anaesthesia."

More so than in the original series, Bloodshot is a ghoulish science experiment wanting desperately to be a real person, and leaving nothing but utter carnage in his wake, making him much more of a sympathetic and tragic character. This is especially the case after it's revealed that he has unwittingly committed atrocities for Project Rising Spirit, including the slaughter of an entire city after PRS' experiments led to a disastrous "Grey Goo" incident, hinted at on the inside cover of the first issue.

Duane Swierczynski has managed to tell a story that seriously examines the psychological implications of being used as a immortal killing machine/meat shield by a government organization, without sacrificing any of the story's action for the sake of storytelling. I was hoping that this new take on the character would invest time in depicting exactly what it means to be a "person" like Bloodshot, and in that regard, this series has not disappointed so far.

For reasons that are unlike why I am also enjoying Harbinger, X-O Manowar, and even Archer & Armstrong, Bloodshot is my favourite ongoing Valiant title. After just two issues in, this fast-paced series is shaping up to become one of my favorite monthly titles, period.

If you were unimpressed with the first issue of this series, or just wasn't sure about whether or not you wanted to read this book because of your impression of the character or the story, please give this title another look.

If all you remember about Bloodshot is that he was another bad-ass character from the 90s with "Blood" in his name like Youngblood, Bloodstrike, et al, forget everything you think you know about the character and read these first two issues.

Bloodshot #1

Bloodshot #1

"Dunk Tank"

Writer: Duane Swierczynski

Pencillers: Manuel Garcia with Arturo Lozzi

Inks: Stefano Gaudiano

July 11, 2012

Valiant 

Bloodshot #1 marks the return of one of Valiant's most successful characters, and a strong debut from writer Duane Swierczynski (Birds of Prey) and his art team of Garcia, Lozzi and Gaudiano. 

There are about five or six different plot twists in this first issue, constantly keeping readers on their toes, but making it difficult for anyone to talk about it without revealing some spoilers. 

For those who are unfamiliar with this character, here are the basics: Bloodshot is a man whose blood has been infused with billions of nanites, microscopic robots that enhance his strength, speed and reaction time, heal wounds, communicate with computers or computerized machinery, and change his physical shape for a short period of time. 

These nanites obviously give him a huge advantage over his enemies, and in Bloodshot #1 Swierczynski and co. show us just how effective an elite solider like Bloodshot is. 

This issue has Bloodshot called in from reserve duty to rescue an American P.O.W. from a Afghan terrorist cell, but he is blown out of the sky by a rocket almost as soon as he parachutes out of his helicopter. To say much more about the plot of this book would be spoiling too much, but needless to say, this is a complete reboot of the character that will not only appeal to fans of the original, but will bring new readers in without needing to know anything else. Readers are also likely to know about as much of Bloodshot as he knows about himself, if that tells you anything. 

One of he things I loved about this comic was how the first page on the inside cover gives a detailed description of the nanities and their various capabilities. It instantly informs the reader what the character is capable of, and makes watching those powers in action all the more exciting.That this book can give you so much information on the first page and yet keep you guessing how it will end all the way through is a testament to Swierczynski's skill as a writer, and I'm very excited by the plot he is constructing with this title. 

The art in this book was also very good, and I have to commend Valiant for pairing their writers and artists together so well during this relaunch. The action flows really quickly between the panels, and more than a few pages left me just admiring the art direction. 

My only gripe was that sometimes the figures were rendered in this somewhat realistic, very smooth style, and then at other times the characters had a much more gritty texture. It wasn't a major issue, but it took me out of the book momentarily. 

Bloodshot #1 is an action-packed comic with some cool sci-fi concepts, inspired plot twists, and clear connections to other relaunched titles in the new Valiant Universe. 

If the second last page of this issue doesn't leave your jaw hanging open, I don't think Bloodshot is for you.