Release Date: August 21st, 2013
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Publisher: Valiant
Written By: Matt Kindt
Art By: Chris Cross
Price: 3.99
Review:
I need to catch up on X-O Manowar and while I may need a few fill-in issues of Harbinger, I’m pretty well versed in the new Valiant world. They’re creating some of the coolest comics today. Their stories are unique, their characters are real, and their concepts are fairly new. Bloodshot is one of those things that elevate the Valiant universe to individuality amongst a sea of publishers. He could be just a run of the mill, cookie cutter, evil cyborg hunter but he’s not. He’s complex. Like an onion. Layers. Layers of nanites.
Kindt’s almost-origin for the killer with a heart of gold starts off with a recap of his glory days of being a mindless killing machine who’s so efficient that everything which MIGHT jeopardize the mission is eliminated. This issue also gives a brief history lesson on the Bloodshot program and even shows a former operative rockin’ a sweet afro. We get a glimpse into why Bloodshot has a conscience and feelings like he does today. The answer to that, given to us by a scientist no less, may surprise you. We also get a sad but not surprising ending.
Chris Cross is at his best, penciling action, crazy complex facial expressions, and menacing soldiers with hardcore weaponry, mainly themselves. Bloodshot comes across as a soulless automaton in the panels since it’s a flashback and I like to believe that’s intentional. This issue has some extremely brutal scenes in it but they all give justice to the reality of war at the level Valiant wages it. The detail and crispness of the art is amazing and I found myself staring long after I finished reading dialog bubbles and hand written notes. The death scene at the end was one of the most original and different ones I’ve seen in a while.
Bloodshot has turned into the cyborg with a heart for this generation. This issue shows why those Harbinger kids should trust him, why they need him, and why everyone else should fear him. It may get ugly…and bloody…and gross…when Bloodshot enters a battle but he definitely gets the job done.
