2.59 (424) Bloodshot (2012) #1 ... Valiant ...

Firstly, you can pick this issue up as a loose issue or in TPB 1 or in TPB 6 (for the so-called director's cut version i.e. in black-n-white) but whichever version you try, you are guaranteed for a genuine flavour on what the other 24 issues are going to be

We start off with the world going to pot and in comes Bloodshot as an infiltration agent. Unfortunately before he could get far, he was BLOWN to shreds and we kid you not. There is some awesome artwork here and nowhere do you get to see it so good as in the black-n-white edition. Some great art there

Naturally the baddies do not know about 'shot's nanites and before they can go down on their knees, our main man is back on his feet and storming the base

Even the ending is cool where 'shot found out to his own surprise that no one is on his side not even his own side ... and it ends there leaving us gasping and wondering what's next!

Damn!

Ratings: 8/10

2.58 (423) Bloodshot (2012) #25 ... valiant ...

Following from our last review, we chose this issue to continue so as to give you, our readers a feel of what to expect from issue to issue of Bloodshot. Here is the big 25th anniversary issue. So we have a main story then a few short stories including one-page so-called humour pieces. The one-pages didn't do anything for me and I feel that it was a waste and better to have filled up the space with posters!

But the main story once again delivers including Bart Sears the artist

We see Bloodshot on the operating table as various parties including his handlers around and we are left to guess at the true meaning of their words right from the start of the tale to the end. Did it happen? How much is truth? And how much are memory implants?

But what's really touching here is that it wraps up the first 25th in a nice manner because there is a miniseries out that takes off from here and serves as connecting to 26th or rather vol 2. What we mean here is that Bloodshot finally realizes who he is (or thinks he is) and goes off in search of his love who thought he was dead. But again, is she real or a figment of his imagination?

Unfortunately, real or otherwise, his handlers and others are after him to prevent him from reverting to a more humane type of killing machine and thus it is a race against time to get away, discover himself and finding and saving is love

And once more, all told in one

Ratings: 8/10

2.57 (422) Bloodshot (2012) #24 ... valiant

I am quite surprised and disappointed with myself that I have not done much of a review on valiant when the truth is that I picked up late on the valiant boom in comics when it was first launched like a decade ago and enjoyed a huge number of their titles from the dollar and quarter bins

And here I am again when 2012 was launched ... I picked up a lot of their trades and enjoyed every single volume! I kid you not

24 is basically end of year 2 where Bloodshot is ready to move into the next phase of his journey and thus this is vol 6 if you are buying by TPB

In summary, Bloodshot is someone who was probably in the military but he isn't sure because like Wolverine his mind has been wiped clean repeatedly and false memories implanted. As for his special abilities, aside from sometimes being robotic and following orders, he has a swarm of nanites within his blood and body allowing him to heal rapidly including replacing limbs and giving him the ability to change his appearance instantly thus great for undercover ... got it?

In this issue, which is a one-off but with so much crammed that I cannot believe when I reached the end, the story is a one-off! We see in far off remote region, one fine morning, a number of their people going bonkers from politicians to military, from police to the commoner and when we meant bonkers, we meant they developed like a hive mentality and killing anyone not within that hive mentality or willing to subject themselves to the hive control

Enter Bloodshot to investigate what the fuck is happening and to pull the plug. Now the odd thing is we have so many side angles that even when we reached the climatic conclusion, we are left in the dark on whether the villain is this or that person or perhaps someone else entirely. Very intelligent story telling here that leaves you waiting hungrily for the next issue

And the artwork though could be better is sufficient to the task at hand giving it the moodiness required

Ratings: 7/10