First Impression: Bloodshot # 3

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

BLOODSHOT # 3
Written by Duane Swierczynski
Art by Manuel Garcia,Arturo Lozzi & Matt Ryan
Valiant Comics



INTRODUCTION:

  If you want an idea of what happened last time, check out my review of Bloodshot #2.


FLIPPING THROUGH:

   Bloodshot is on a mission to figure out who he really is and what is going on. Dr. Kuretich is on a mission to expose the secrets of Operation: Rising Spirit and uncovers a buried town that was used for weapons research. Dodge leads a team after Bloodshot with another human weapon, a female who can give off electromagnetic pulses.

    Bloodshot threatens to kill people in order to get his answers. He sees one of his faux memory kids when Dodge's goons are near and all of a sudden, his hostages attack him. He calmly tells everyone to run the hell away from the town and . . . Oh MY GOD!!!


ART:

   Lozzi and Garcia are continuing to prove their artistic dominance; being able to switch from quiet moments to moments full of action and blood. While this issue is no where near as blood soaked as the previous issue, it opened a lot of things up. Artistically, you can feel the emotions of all the people involved. There is fear from the hostages. There is a sense of urgency mixed with angry with Bloodshot. There is this profound discovery that Kuretich displays that are all rendered well thanks to Garcia, Lozzi and the rest of the Bloodshot art team.

  Everyone looks distinct. There are clear mysterious that we are getting to see play out visually. And the final panel packed  the impacted that it needed with such easy and disturbing beauty. Matt Ryan's inks and Ian Hannin's colors really bring out the panels to make them feel very much like a feature or television show with some old school comic sensibilities.  As usual, the Bloodshot art team is bringing their A Game.


WRITING:

   Last time, I said the only thing that was a problem with Bloodshot was the breakneck pace of last issue. That is not the cause for this issue and it great. Swierczynski is able to slow things down enough for readers to catch their breath for a few minutes before getting on the run with Bloodshot again (who literally does run ... well, he drives but you get my point).

  The moments of Bloodshot holding up one of the women that were his 'wife' were filled with tension, fear and a sort of frustrated wonder cause you wanted to know what was going on. Bloodshot's confusion seems palpable because of his search for the truth about what happened to him.

 Kuretich's crusade is already bearing fruit but still leaves a lot unanswered. And that is one of the great things about this book. We are learning interesting aspects with each of the characters and have an odd sympathy for Bloodshot because his mind has been so messed up that he cannot truly trust no one at this point. No one but himself an his nanites. And this situation was not something brought upon because of Bloodshot himself but because of what Project: Rising Spirit and Kuretich did to him.

  Kudos to Swierczynski for making the main character so complex and sympathetic at the same time while holding people hostage and threatening to shoot their children. That takes tremendous skill. Dodge seems to be a yes man who understands his mission while we don't know much about the new female who can discharge EMPs but she was already seemingly sympathetic cause she was being forced to do this against her will. All these things are showing how big and deep the mysteries and games of Project: Rising Spirit really are and it makes readers want to read more and more to uncover the truth. Exceptional job by Swierczynski.

OVERALL:

   Seriously, the art is amazing and makes you feel things. The writing is fantastic with strong characters who are multi-faceted with wide ranges of emotions and situations. The characters feel very real. The pace was right on target. There is nothing wrong with this book except you not buying it. Buy this book now.

  Bloodshot continues to be a strong book with stunning visuals, grand mysteries and complex characters that will make you feel multiple things for many of them. I give Bloodshot # 3 a 5 out of 5.

 Thank you for the memories Bloodshot!