Bloodshot: Reborn #14 Review

Written by: Jeff Lemire

Art by: Mico Suayan & David Baron

Publisher: Valiant Comics

‘The Analog Man’ concluded with Bloodshot Reborn #13 and it was marvelous. Character driven, emotion driven, gave us more action than we deserved, and a perfect entry-point straight into ‘Bloodshot Island’. Like story arcs before in this series, this is another which is an all-new arc and all-new jumping-on point for readers. Meaning you don’t really have to read what came before. Valiant never forces you into that position as a publisher with the most accessible stories from a connected universe. You can pick up from here and let the adventure begin.

‘Bloodshot Island’ kicks off right where we are left with Bloodshot running into Bloodsquirt again. A familiar face to those who have been reading this from the start. Though before getting to that, this start is a tough pill to swallow because Bloodshot has gone to such lengths to protect Magic and now she is nowhere to be found. More than likely she isn’t anywhere close to him and you painstakingly wait for that reality to sink in for Bloodshot who has no idea what he has really gotten himself into this time. While this is a new story arc and new jumping-on point for readers, part of me would still recommend at the very least reading ‘The Analog Man’ before reaching this point just so you aren’t asking too many questions about how Bloodshot got stuck on this island who this Magic is that he is looking for. If those questions aren’t too important to you, then you can definitely jump into the story only needing to know that he is stuck on an island surrounded by decommissioned relics of the same bloodstained project that created him.

Now the biggest selling point for this new story is the fact that he is surrounded by decommissioned relics of the same bloodstained project. There is no greater joy than getting to take a stroll through the past to see just how far Project Rising Spirit went to reach the point of this Bloodshot. Longtime readers at one point or another have seen some other Bloodshot in a flashback, though never have any of them met. In your head you would have assumed that they all passed away for them to make a new Bloodshot. World War II Bloodshot, Cold War Bloodshot, Vietnam Bloodshot, and other antiquated experiments were another thing entirely to actually see.

With all introductions and what not out-of-the-way, they were quick to throw us into the action. The pacing for this series has always been excellent and even more so when you have to ask what could both trap these Bloodshots on this island while and make them need to work together against. That would have to be one hell of an enemy to challenge them. Deathmate is that challenger and makes her presence known. Our first encounter with her sets the bar for what she has in store for this story, and leaves you wanting to know more about her. Is she the latest model? Or just put there to be their executioner? If Project Rising Spirit has someone this powerful in their arsenal, surely they wouldn’t just leave her there tasked with killing Bloodshots day in and day out.

Since the first story arc of Bloodshot, we have gone through a number of artists since having Mico Suayan and David Baron. How many issues later and now we have both back on the title again and it could have happened at a better time. There is just a way that Mico Suayan draws this book that really captures the nature of what it is like to be a Bloodshot. Very detailed as well which is very important in a story arc like ‘Bloodshot Island’ when you want things like the environment to pull you in. His inking and shading as well stand out a lot in this issue to make things pop. When you first see this island, doesn’t look so grim until the action intensifies and that really set the tone for what’s to come. Which is also what makes you appreciate having David Baron on board. He is very good at setting the tone, matching the atmosphere of the story, and is very good at creating depth through his pallet of colors. Baron’s best work for this first issue is definitely the handling of Deathmate. She just oozes that kind of power which makes the statement that she is someone a Bloodshot should fear. Not to mention it is always impressive when you can create that kind of lightning design on someone’s body without it looking like a mess.

Bloodshot: Reborn #14 is the start of what could be the next big thing for Bloodshot. One that will have a bigger impact on him and his place in the Valiant Universe if and when he ever manages to break free of Project Rising Spirit’s grasp again. Again, might not be something you want to jump in without maybe reading the story arc before, but at the same time it won’t leave you lost if there are things you don’t know leading into this.