Review: BLOODSHOT REBORN #1

Written By:  Jeff Lemire
Art By:  Mico Suayan
Colors By:  David Baron
Lettering By:  Dave Lanphear
Published By:  Valiant Comics

Bloodshot Reborn can be seen as a follow-up to the four-part The Valiant.  For those not aware, Bloodshot was one of the assembled heroes called upon to stop The Immortal Enemy from killing the newest Geomancer, Kay McHenry.  Kay was one of the only people to see Bloodshot for more than just a killing machine.  She could see the humanity inside him, which touched Bloodshot.

Before The Immortal Enemy killed Kay, she was able to purge the nanites from his body.  Turning him back to a mere mortal.  Where has this left the man once known as Bloodshot?  Bloodshot Reborn is where we find out.

What I Liked

Writer Jeff Lemire really gets into the mind of someone who went from being a killing machine to being a “normal” human being.  We start with a look at what life was like for Bloodshot.  Death, blood, destruction.  To what his life is like after losing what made him Blooshot…..a 9-5 job, dealing with an employer and customers.  The internal conflict Bloodshot goes through makes him a sympathetic figure.

Art duties are handled by Mico Suayan and David Baron.  I enjoyed the panel compositions, like when a soldier blows a hole in Bloodshot’s head, and in the next panel we can see through the wound in Bloodshot’s head and see the terrified soldier.  Then another panel shows the wound healing.  All in the same angle.  Suayan’s pencils and inks are very detailed.  Baron’s colors bring a grit to the pages, and set a dark tone throughout.

Speaking of art, Lemire takes a stab at contributing in this issue.  I won’t spoil what it is he does, but it did a lot to bring some humor to an otherwise serious comic.  What I can say is these scenes are setup as a way to include supporting characters to an otherwise solo book.  Plus it raises questions on whether Bloodshot is hallucinating or are these visions real?

What I Didn’t Like

One thing that stuck with me is that even though Bloodshot no longer has the nanites to heal himself, he can still consume lots of booze and not suffer a hangover the next day.  Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Summary

I am intrigued to see what path a powerless Bloodshot goes down.  The catalyst for him to go on this journey brings about a lot of questions.  There is someone out there committing crimes that visually resembles Bloodshot.  Who is he?  Does he have ties to Bloodshot?  And what can a nanite-less Bloodshot do against him?

Rating:  4 out of 5

This review is written in partnership with Pop Culture Network.  They can be found at their website http://www.popculturenetwork.com/  

Timdogg

#ComicBookChronicles @CBChron founder. Editor-in-Chief of @thekliqnation. Comic book reviewer, podcaster #RABBLERABBLE