Bloodshot

Bloodshot

This week I was going to recommend another piece of work by Grant Morrison for you and look at the background to it.  But, time has run away from me and I've not had an opportunity to re-read the collected volume as I'd hoped.  However, I think that I've got a great alternative lined up. This isn't by a 2000AD creator but I think it has a lot of touchstones with some of the galaxys greatest comics characters and others from pop culture that we can all relate to.  

A couple of weeks ago, scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw a trailer for a new film starring Vin Diesel called Bloodshot.  Now this name rang a bell from a freebie comic that I received at a local comicon. I dug around in my collection and found the single issue I'd gotten from the con, I gave it a read and decided to search out some more. I'm not adverse to a digital edition so, when I saw a deal to buy 8 volumes of Bloodshot trades for a great price via Humble Bundle I jumped at the chance.

Bloodshot is from Valiant Comics, a company that wasn't really on my radar after my time in the comics wilderness. Valiant was formed in 1989 by an ex editor-in-chief of Marvel comics, Jim Shooter and his business partners, after a failed attempt to buy Marvel. Bloodshot made his first appearance in 1992, but things really took off when Valiant was bought out and re-launched in 2012. You can read more about Valiant and their other characters here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valiant_Comics

The character of Bloodshot has many influences in his DNA such as Robocop, as he struggles to find out who he was before scientists implanted the nanites. He has the Deadpool/Wolverine ability to heal and regenerate. However, he has less of the humor of Deadpool, Bloodshot  definitely comes from the Punisher mould of hard faced no nonsense killer. Other characters are left to provide the wit and light to his shade. So far, thankfully, I've not come across any caped superheroes, just characters enhanced by technology or mutated in some way to become weapons for good or evil.

But for all these influences Bloodshot manages to stand out as his own character, he is a badass killing machine and no quarter is given as to how the violence is depicted.  The art, that compliments the script from writer Duane Swierczynsk, is by Manuel Garcia & Arturo Lozzi with lettering by Rob Steen. Something you will find here, that seems sadly lacking in 2000AD of late, is some stunning visceral splash pages, like this .

For me, the Bloodshot comics are like a Jack Reacher novel, you know exactly what you are getting from them the minute you've read the first page.  I'm not too far into the series (vol 5 of the collected trades) but I have really enjoyed the ride so far. I'll be interested to read more and see how they sustain the character and the story. I hope the film isn't a disappointment, sadly tie-ins so often are. But no doubt I'll pay my money and hope for the best as usual.  

If you are a hardcore 2000AD fan and you want to dip your toes in some different waters, then Bloodshot could be right in your wheelhouse.

You can find a trailer for the movie here: https://youtu.be/vOUVVDWdXbo