I make it a point to read as many comics from outside the Big Two publishers as I can, not only because I love exploring the medium, but to hopefully bring more eyes to them. THE THEME: Today, my five comics focus on the hero known as Bloodshot, one of the most well-known characters in Valiant Comics. I've read the first volume of the Bloodshot run from the initial reboot of the Valiant Universe (more on that here), but for this edition of Five Comics, I did my best to also feature comics from '90s Valiant. Semi-related: I still need to see the Bloodshot movie, which was what I was planning to watch in theaters until the pandemic happened. I'll probably talk about that whenever I get around to it. THE COMICS: ![]() BLOODSHOT (1993-1996) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Kevin Vanhook Artists: Don Perlin, Bob Wiacek This is the original incarnation of Bloodshot, and while the broad strokes of his story are still the same as the modern version (super soldier created by Project Rising Spirit, rebelled against his creators, is on the search for his identity), his actual origin isn't. Here, he used to be a guy named Angelo Mortalli, and he's chasing leads in organized crime to figure out who he really is and who made him this way. ![]() BLOODSHOT (1997-1998) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Len Kaminski Artists: Sal Velluto, Jeff Albrecht In this new Bloodshot series (published during the Acclaim Comics era), the titular character is now closer to the modern incarnation (Bloodshot was supposedly Ray Garrison, and was a military officer), but the interesting twist is that he's searching for Angelo Mortalli (the "original" Bloodshot). I liked the early bits of this comic where Bloodshot's prowess is described via police interviewing eyewitnesses to a crime scene, and I thought Bloodshot's internal dialogue was awesome (as it demonstrates him able to process information at a higher level than most people). ![]() BLOODSHOT REBORN: THE ANALOG MAN (DIRECTOR'S CUT) #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Lewis LaRosa Set in a somewhat distant future (and depicted in striking, intricate grayscale art that makes everything look drawn in with just pencils), this comic shows readers a dystopia overrun by nanites more advanced than the ones in Bloodshot's system, and Bloodshot himself being the only hope of survival for a settlement of survivors. We get a decent sense of how shit went south, get a few nods to other notable Valiant characters, as well huge stakes for Bloodshot. There's a hell of a surprise at the end, too. ![]() BLOODSHOT SALVATION #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writer: Jeff Lemire Artists: Lewis LaRosa, Mico Suayan Here, Bloodshot is Bloodshot no more and is living as regular Ray Garrison, completely free of Project Rising Spirit. He's even got a nice family now with a wife, daughter, and a dog. But trouble eventually finds Bloodshot no matter how hard he tries to get away, and we get some flash forwards of how dire the situation becomes for his wife Magic and his daughter Jessie. Plus, we get a tease of the shady nature of Magic's parents. The art here is spectacular, with sequences in present day feeling painterly and having an impressive amount of detail, and the flash forwards feeling closer to modern comics. ![]() BLOODSHOT RISING SPIRIT #1 Publisher: Valiant Comics Writers: Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Kevin Grevioux Artists: Ken Lashley, Ryan Winn, Brian Thies, Oliver Borges This is a prequel to the modern series that started in 2012 and shows the Bloodshot that preceded the one that we follow in the comics. Here, we see Project Rising Spirit's earlier attempts at creating the perfect super soldier, including the implanting of false memories that is eventually used to great effect on the main Bloodshot. The coolest part to me is how the false memory they try to implant on this old cyborg is that of Angelo Mortalli (the name of the very first Bloodshot), and that the memories themselves are an altered version of his origin in the original '90s series. I had a lot of fun with this reading list, as covering multiple eras of Bloodshot and seeing how the modern incarnation has evolved really helped me appreciate this character's storied legacy. Like a lot of enduring comic book characters, I always enjoy seeing older incarnations, comparing them to what I grew up with or read today, and noticing how later series call back to the old stuff. I got to do that today, and with a character that isn't as well-known as the likes of Spider-Man or Superman. Hopefully this edition of Five Comics piques your interest in Bloodshot (or Valiant Comics in general), because I think he's a really cool character. PANEL(s) OF THE WEEK: - end -
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