Written by: Jeff Lemire
Art by: Mico Suayan
Publisher: Valiant
Valiant kills it again.
Spinning out of the incredible prestige format series, The Valiant, Bloodshot Reborn is an excellent introduction to the character and one of the best debut issues to have graced stands in months. Bloodshot, the titular nanotechnology-infused humanoid killing machine, has typically been portrayed the gruff, tough, archetypical action hero who shoots first and ask questions later. However, in a master stroke by Jeff Lemire, Bloodshot Reborn‘s focus remains in excavating and deconstructing the humanity and inner-turmoil that can come from being a walking killing machine. Lemire and company present an excellent deconstruction of the hyper-fantastical elements of gritty action movie clichés and pull out the pulsating, bloody, and bruised heart lying underneath the corpses and bullet-casings.
Bloodshot Reborn also serves as an excellent introduction to the character. Many of the pages in this book are devoted to catching everyone up-to-speed with Bloodshot post-The Valiant (primarily that he has lost his nano-tech healing ability) and while this may seem redundant at first glance, it expertly ties into the greater thesis of the book as a whole: violence and the overwhelming effect it has on those who perpetrate it and those who are afflicted by it. The best aspects of this book are seeing Bloodshot as purely human, suffering from the sins of his past while simultaneously being forced to be called into action by a myriad of factors. Above all, Bloodshot Reborn is a much deeper book than expected and goes to many lengths that other books would wish to merely sidestep in favor of more senseless violence.
This is not to discredit the fun, visceral, appeal of a well-depicted action sequence, however. Mico Suayan’s pencils sing with life and grit as we watch Bloodshot dispatch foe after foe in the early pages of this title. The quieter moments work just as well, however, and there is a palpable sense of buildup/dread as Bloodshot’s life is forced to steer towards violence yet again. A stand out sequence is when Bloodshot’s head is blown apart and simply reconstructs before the viewers eyes in all it’s gory wonder.
Some of the best parts in this title are hard not to spoil but let’s just say that Jeff Lemire always chooses the right parts in his scripts to illustrate himself (as he’s done in Animal Man and The Valiant) as Bloodshot’s world is breaking down around him. As Jeff Lemire and Mico Suayan make the right choices in the script and art department, too, Valiant has been simultaneously making all the right moves in the world of the comic book industry. Pick this one up, and ride straight to Hell with Bloodshot. You won’t regret it.
