1st Impressions: BLOODSHOT & THE H.A.R.D. CORPS # 16

BLOODSHOT & THE H.A.R.D. CORPS # 16

Written by Christos Gage & Joshua Dysart
Art by Emanuela Lupacchino, Guillermo Ortega, Brian Reber & Sotocolor
Valiant Comics

FLIPPING THROUGH:
                Bloodshot and Palmer get introduced to even more new recruits to H.A.R.D. Corps by Kozol; and let me tell you, these recruits do not make Bloodshot or Palmer happy. Genius, Vagabond and Flatline get quick intros and a bit into their backstory right before they head out to face Harada and collect Bloodshot’s nanites back. Yet, Harada is alerted to a break through with the nanites while Kozol wants Superstar to get something from Harada … without telling Bloodshot and Palmer.

ART:

                Lupacchino continues to astound as she really has her footing in this book. Characters are very distinct. The violence is gory yet still some what stylish in her style. Some great clean pencil and ink work from Ortega and her as they really create some interesting and vivid panels. Body language and emotion were made clear through their work. There is also a great sense of panel composition as some of the panels had great angles.  Reber and Sotocolor provide perfection in coloring; giving the right tones and shades to scenes to fit the scene and mood. A really strong showing by Lupacchino and the rest of the art team.

WRITING:

                Gage and Dysart give us an issue full of action, characterizations and interesting plot twists. The new characters in the book definitely help build upon what Dysart and Gage are establishing here. The group feels more mixed with this newer characters. I also enjoy that both Palmer and Bloodshot are seemingly sharing leadership … while Bloodshot is the commander of the H.A.R.D. Corps, Palmer is still weighing in. I definitely enjoy the relationship that is building between them. All the characters save for Granite and Discipline. But given we did see a lot of them last issue, it was okay. And I do love that Gage and Dysart continue to keep the Valiant Universe feel like a universe with more appearances of Harada. While he certainly has an impact, he does not overshadow anyone else. And the twist in this issue was definitely unexpected to say the least. It will definitely make you want to come back for the next issue and afterward, depending on how they develop said twist. The pacing was excellent and the dialogue was very believable and top notch. Gage and Dysart prove their mastery over the written character with this one issue alone. Great job by this scribing duo.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

                This book continues to just kick a$$! Yes. I am being slightly unprofessional but I could not come up with a better way to say this.

RATING:

                I give Bloodshot & the H.A.R.D. Corps # 16 a well deserved 9.5 …. Out of 10. Buy this Wednesday, November 20^th, 2013. 

1st Impression: BLOODSHOT & THE H.A.R.D. CORPS # 15

BLOODSHOT & THE H.A.R.D. CORPS # 15

Written by Christos Gage & Joshua Dysart
Art by Emanuela Lupacchino, Guillermo Ortega & Brian Reber
Valiant Comics

FLIPPING THROUGH:

            The HARD Corps end up rescuing Bloodshot from Harada … but not without a casualty. After the extraction, the HARD Corps and Bloodshot go through a shake up, thank to Kozol while Harada gets more into the nanites. And the team must go back to destroy them.

ART:

            Lupacchino continues to dazzle the pages with her detailed pencils. Along with Ortega’s inks, this art team is able to give us some great, detailed work. Lupacchino continues to give us some great, dynamic poses and panel work throughout this issue. Body posture, facial expressions and movement all convey an emotion based on the story and looked very natural. The cartoony, yet detailed style also gave us some great backgrounds as well as people of different shapes and sizes this issue.
            Reber continues his wonderful color job with the right mix of colors to help give a vibrant life to Lupacchino’s work. Overall, a great showing by this art team.



WRITING:

            The writing for this issue was superb. We got major character development from not only Palmer and Bloodshot but also from Maniac and Discipline. Gage and Dysart really have given us great character work as we get to know more about our team on deeper levels than reader might first realize till after they have finished reading. The type of things that both Bloodshot and HARD Corps has done is reprehensible and it does seem to weigh heavy on both Bloodshot and Palmer.

            The pacing of the issue was perfect. Each plotline linked together seamlessly as the issue went along. The dialogue felt very authentic and powerful. There was a lot said in this issue with so few words that I was definitely impressed by it. I even liked how Kozol begins to instituted the status quo of the title of the book. Very smart writing by Gage and Dysart.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

            This was even better than last issue and I am really growing to love Palmer and this new status quo. Great art. Superb writing. A win for everyone.

RATING:

            I give Bloodshot & the H.A.R.D. Corps # 15 a 10 …. Out of 10!!! BUY IT NOW!