Comic Vine Review

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Bloodshot Reborn #2

5

Ray takes on someone else with the nanites in their bloodstream.

The Good

Ray, teamed up with Bloodsquirt and Kay, head to find the man who shot up a local movie theater, who happens to have the nanites within his bloodstream, the nanites Ray used to have in him. Meanwhile, Special Agent Diane Festival takes over the shooter case from Hoyt, who isn't too happy about the youngster running the show.

The book is really about Ray trying to find himself, but also losing himself along the way. What he's lost is his sanity, probably. The book keeps the reader guessing as to whether Ray has lost his mind or whether the appearance of Kay and Bloodsquirt are connected to the nanites popping up... Or are they actually real? Well, that third option probably isn't true and this issue moreso revolved around Ray's journey as well as law enforcement moving in, making this a much bigger picture. Writer Jeff Lemire is breathing a new life into this character and introducing him to a new generation of readers. Sure, we saw Bloodshot in the past, but we've never seen him like this.

Speaking of Jeff Lemire, his art in this issue is startling, to say the least. Lemire draws Bloodsquirt, a weird, cartoon character that only Ray can see. The character is ridiculous and deeply disturbing. It's really cool to see Lemire's distinctive style up against Mico Suayan's much more realistic style. It's a jarring moment for the reader and creates a memorable aspect of this book.

Suayan's art is phenomenal for the most part here. His more realistic style really drags the reader in and his page and panel set-ups are unique and keep the book extremely fresh. Also, there's something awesome about an ax to the head. Last, but certainly not least, colorist David Baron does some of his best work on this issue. I hate to jump to the end here, but the color work is nothing short of phenomenal, as Ray and Kay sit in front of the television, and the light from the tv beams onto the two characters and onto the wall. I really do love what Baron is doing here with light and color though. It's some top-notch stuff.

The Bad

There's a few times where Mico Suayan loses the distinctive look of some of the faces, especially towards the end of the issue. His highly detailed and distinctive art style is phenomenal, but later on in the issue, there's a few moments where Kay doesn't look like Kay. Sure, she's still a white female with blonde hair, but certain aspects of her face look odd and slightly off.

The Verdict

Issue #2 is here and BLOODSHOT REBORN might be one of the strongest starts to a series at Valiant. I am in love with this series, and as I mentioned last month, this is not one of my favorite characters. Lemire, Suayan, and Baron have delivered one of the weirdest yet most compelling pieces to come out of Valiant and I'm in for the long haul. Ray's journey is something you just cannot turn away from and his story has this realism to it as it's more about struggle than a dude who shoots things in the face. I cannot recommend this book enough. Pick it up.