Reviewed by Brady Steele. Valiant Entertainment has been a hot streak since the start of 2015. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. As much as I admire the creative team on this new series, “Bloodshot Reborn” #1 is a debut that is a little lackluster in comparison to other recent debuts from Valiant.
WRITTEN BY: Jeff Lemire
ART BY: Mico Suayan
PUBLISHER: Valiant Entertainment
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: 15 April 2015
Who was Bloodshot? He was a white skinned, red-dot-on-the-chest, red-eyed killing machine. He feels just about as 1990s as comics got. His current incarnation was similar in many ways minus the requisite 90s pouches and vest. He was Valiant’s Wolverine. Now that his healing nanites have been removed, he’s left human and guilt ridden for all of the killing for Project Rising Spirit, his shady government overlords had him do. Why not go slumming and off the radar in the middle of nowhere, Colorado?
I usually thoroughly enjoy Jeff Lemire’s writing. His previous work is a healthy mix of super heroic, supernatural and tenderness. I feel like there’s nothing new or innovative said here. Remorse and guilt are expected emotions from repentant killers. Sadly, readers of comics have seen this played out in other books. Stopping a copycat killer hopefully leads readers to something more intriguing.
The one flair I did enjoy was seeing how crazy Bloodshot is slowly becoming thanks to his guilt plus his drinking and substance abuse. It was fun to see Lemire’s art style (or maybe his actual art) as delusional sidekick Bloodsquirt in Mico Suayan’s panels. I do enjoy his coarse art style which looks like it will be a good fit once Bloodshot picks up his old habits soon.
I honestly liked Lemire’s previous writing in The Valiant earlier this year for Valiant. Hopefully this is just a slow start that ramps up into something superior next month. With an artist on board like Suayan and his proficiency for showing gun ultra-violence, let’s see them unleash all thatBloodshot can be in this new series.
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Mr. Steele enjoys all things comics and imagination-based. Using his lifetime of comic-fu-dom for good, he imparts his knowledge for the universe to enjoy and for you, dear readers, to pass it on.
Twitter: @mrbradysteele