The Good
Valiant, I think I'm in love with you. Every title so far has been phenomenal, and Bloodshot should serve as your new go-to source for violent, street level fun. Think of Bloodshot as one part Deadpool (insane healing factor, mind is a mess), one part Wolverine (searching for his true origin), and one part Punisher (oozes confidence and awesomeness).
A product of Project Rising Spirit, Bloodshot is now being chased by his former handlers. They've implanted one too many false memories in his mind and he wants answers. Thankfully, he's a highly trained killer and the Nanites in his blood give him a wealthy amount of superhuman abilities.
The opening scene is a very nice change of pace for the title. Bloodshot so far has been... well, lots of blood and lots of shooting. But here our lead dives into a false memory and there's a great comedic bit between him and the fake wife. It's a fantastic light-hearted moment before being tossed back into his harsh reality. The issue delivers a second solid laugh with a cell phone joke later on as well.
Writer Duane Swierczynski is doing an excellent job of slowly introducing us to new abilities the Nanites can offer. Now we see he can speak directly into a phone from across the street, and once again, we get a gory look at his healing factor in action. They've done a lot of creative things with his abilities and I'm excited to see what else he can accomplish with the Nanites.
Splash pages aren't always well spent, but that isn't the case here. One reveals a destroyed and skeleton-laced city buried under the surface. We know in issue 2 Bloodshot went on a killing spree at one point, but this huge reveal packs a heavy punch. The man (allegedly) wiped out an entire city. It looks like a tornado ripped through and tossed all of the bodies back down into the street. Is it wrong to say I spent at least a minute gazing at this image?
The Bad
If I had to absolutely complain about something, it would be the cliffhanger. The whole "is the hero really dead?!" turn feels quite overused, and we know 99% of the time that isn't the case. Aside from that, no solid complaints.
The Verdict
Writer Duane Swierczynski has been on fire with Bloodshot . It's fast paced, brutal and has a genuinely interesting plot that continues to slowly unfold. The $3.99 cover price might be off-putting for some, but I assure you it's worth every penny.