Bloodshot #3 Cover by Esad Ribic
More! Bloodshot is a freight train of a comic, powering down the tracks. This issue keeps that momentum charging along.
Bloodshot sets out on his quest to find out more about who he is, and what memories are real. To do this, Bloodshot takes to the road to confront his memories head on.
Things get trippy and strange when we see Bloodshot interacting with his fake memories in a way we have never seen before. It seems that Bloodshot is gaining more control over his memories, and his power.
We also get to travel to Atlee, Nevada, the city that we saw in flashback last issue. There are no concrete answers, though we get more pieces of the puzzle, while also learning that there may be more to it than we thought.
In fact, we get a lot of hints to past events without getting complete answers. What I love about this book is that every time we get a better glimpse of the picture of the past, we also learn that there is more to the picture than we realized.
This issue does not have quite the same level of brutal action of previous issues, this issue takes a bit of a turn, and has more of a “suspenseful thriller” tone than an “all out action” tone. Along those lines, this issue doesn’t break any previous records for the number of times Bloodshot is killed, but, of course, it wouldn’t be an issue of Bloodshot without him being killed at least once. Or twice.
One of my favorite parts of this book was that we saw Bloodshot act altruistically, we see him take a course of action to save innocent people. This is a trait of the classic Bloodshot that I like so much: He became a better person when he became a killing machine. If Bloodshot remains a ruthless, effective killing machine, it would be hard to connect with him. He would be little more than The Terminator. Bloodshot showed that there is still a man in there.
That is what was great about the original Bloodshot, he was a man struggling to determine what he is, and what makes him a man. As he was putting back together his life, he learned that he could make it whatever he wanted it to be. Despite the bloodshed and the efficient violence, it was an optimistic book about the nature of man.
It’s hard to rank the Valiant books. They are all really high quality, and there are so few of them. I’m starting to notice that ranking of favorites comes down to personal preference more than anything else. I know I personally prefer Bloodshot quite a bit. I want more of this series, and hope it continues like this for years and years.
A solid four out of five entertaimos.
BLOODSHOT #3 – ON SALE SEPTEMBER 5th!Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKIArt by MANUEL GARCIA & ARTURO LOZZICover by ESAD RIBIC (JUL121263)Variant Cover by ARTURO LOZZI (JUL121264)$3.99/ T+/ 32 pgs.
September 4, 2012, 9:15 am
Xtianhardy comments:
I agree. This was a great issue and I think did a great job of showing a more altruistic side of Bloodshot. I love watching him to talk to the nanites via his fake memories, and the scene where we see the remains of all those people buried in the Nevada desert was chilling.
The only thing I don’t quite understand is the time frame of this series. I feel like I’ve got to read issue #1 all over again to straighten things out. I was under the impression that the first scene in the entire series involving Pulse, the electromagnetic harbinger, was taking place in the present day.
In issue two, Dodge’s comment makes it sound like that incident took place two years ago. Unless he was referring to some separate incident. So when was Bloodshot sent in after her, and how long did Kuretich have Bloodshot trapped in that bunker as he was downloading his memories?
I do think it’s very cool that we now know Project Rising Spirit has been kidnapping and using harbingers to their own ends. It gives you a glimpse at what PRS might have done to Pete if they were able to capture him in Harbinger #2.
I feel like I’ve got most of the details straightened out, but the details regarding the time frame of this story bugs me because I can’t figure out if this is supposed to actually be confusing or not.
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September 4, 2012, 10:17 am
Sean comments:
I’m starting to think that the “incident” refers to whatever we saw happen in that city in the Nevada desert, not the attack on the drone, and subsequent capture mission, that we saw in Bloodshot #1.
I’m also not sure if that was Pulse that we saw at the very beginning of Bloodshot, though they do look incredibly similar.
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April 30, 2017, 1:04 am
Char comments:
People can not Guanzhuziji life, nor can block the dates of death, so that my human live forever. Since the lives to come to such a capricious, we should make good care of it, use it to enrich it, so that the capricious, and precious lives, distributing its sublime glory, reflecting the real value of liäèšè®“網路行銷SEO團é.Šå‘Še¨´æ‚¨~以f¸‹å„種網路行銷資訊
September 4, 2012, 2:36 pm
Xtianhardy comments:
Yeah, I think you’re right. The incident seems like it happened 2 years ago. I’m pretty sure that Pulse is the same harbinger from Bloodshot #1. Both are female, same electromagnetic power set.
Either way, I am loving this book. Beyond the blood and guts, it’s the little hard sci-fi details that make it work. For example, I thought that one of the coolest things in this issue was the one panel showing Bloodshoot talking to that woman using cellular signals.
I’m wondering if that EMT is still going to end up being Bloodshot’s friend, considering she shot him in the chest at close range. Personally, I think he’s probably used to it.
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