As the book opens, we get a scene that is meant to seem somewhat relevant to today’s refuges laden world. Step up”wage warriors” as they look to protect food and supplies from those that dare to need it the most. Enter Bloodshot; a guy with a gun and a ton of nanites running through his body as he seeks to support those in need of help. But this is only part of the story as it seems that Bloodshoot is being hunted in much the same way the A-Team or Airwolf were back in the day. At least the latter of those is considered military property in much the same way that Bloodshot is thought of, at least by some in the book.
Tim Seeley has been around, across a range of publishers, for quite some time now. Following his run on the Injustice books, he was my dark horse to replace Tom King on Batman. Here divorced from the need to keep things mainstream on one of the worlds most iconic and recognisable characters, Seeley gets a chance to let loose a tad, and let loose his does. From the outset, the book is extremely violent with gunfire splashing around in all directions. Ironically, in trying to possibly distance himself from the DC cast he has previously worked with, his plot and writing feels more like Deadpool. Granted, there is no fourth wall breaking, but the rest of the tropes are all there. Violence, gun battle, singing inappropriate songs whilst driving a tank and the sort of quips you would expect from the “Merc with a Mouth”. With all the noise in play throughout the book, the character loses any nuance that he had in the Reborn books, where angst and driven are replaced by loud and jokes! I appreciate that Seeley may be writing for a different crowd with this book, but I can’t help but feel disappointed by a writer who has previously excelled in delivering strong character pieces.
The art kind of matches the 90’s feel of the writing, supplied as it is by Brett Booth. Now Booth may have his detractors, but I am not one of them. His work on Titans as part of Rebirth was excellent, with the book taking a huge dive in quality once he left. The style; over exaggerated muscles on over exaggerated poses is always going to draw attention with today’s sensitive audience. For me, Booth clearly loves fine lines and looks to always drive the character, and by extension the reader, through the book. For a book that relies on action on top of action, Booth is the best choice of artist. His Blooshot has a lithe appeal that bellies the characters strength. My only negative comment is the transition page, where Bloodshot removes his camouflage, is a tad confusing. Adding clarity to Booth’s pencils and delineating characters from the background is inker Adelso Corona. Colorist Andrew Dalhouse has fun with a myriad of reds oranges and yellows that make up countless explosions. It would be easy to leave it at that, but Dalhouse goes a step further adding the details of shadows that are created by various light sources. It truly is a great job. Finally, letter Dave Sharpe delivers a clean font that is easy on the eye; a start contrast to the chaos of the story and the art.
Bloodshot is in a unique position for Valiant Entertainment. With a movie due out next year, this is the perfect time for Valiant to tempt comic book fans. If the movie is a success, then I am sure further Valiant movies will grace our screens. Looking over the book, I think that the thing that disappoints me is that in order to give the character mass market appeal, Valiant have had to resort in delivering a story that, I feel, caters to the lowest common denominator of comic book story telling.
Writing – 2.5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall – 3 /5 Stars
Written by; Tim Seeley
Art by; Brett Booth
Inks by; Adelso Corona
Colors by; Andrew Dalhouse
Letters by; David Sharpe
Published by; Valiant Entertainment
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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