Valiant Entertainment 2015
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Mico Suayan
Coloured by David Baron
After the events that happened with Kay the Geomancer and the removal of his nanites and his return to being human I had a new interest in the character. Jeff happens to be one hell of a great writer too and the complete new direction from what we’ve seen is a way for me anyway to connect more with the character. This new beginning is interesting, a little twisted and at times very unexpected and that’s what we love to see.
Speaking of seeing Mico and David’s work on the interiors is pretty amazing as well. I mean wow the opening sequence recapping what happened to lead him to where he is just blew me the away and set the stage for what the book is going to look like. The attention to detail in Ray’s jeans and t-shirt and the backgrounds, facial expressions and then the ebb and flow of hair it’s all done showcasing such skill and talent that I am literally in awe here. This is my kind of art snob’s dream work to see.
So having taken the name Ray Garrison, Ray sounds like Kay, it’s also one of the fake identities Project Rising Spirit gave him he finds himself in Colorado working for a nice old lady who runs a motel and lives with her grandson a twelve year old who likes video games where he gets to kill people and he finds the kid creepy as all hell. He’s really human now and it’s like he’s experiencing things for the first time all over again and there’s something relatable to him now that wasn’t there before. Also he looks rough, a little older than I expected and more than a little lost.
Not to mention he’s having trouble sleeping and finds himself self medicating if you will to free himself of his waking nightmares. Can you imagine remembering what you did when you were Bloodshot and all the missions all those you killed and no way of shutting those memories off? It has to be torture to know you’ve done all this so i guess going numb is one solution and wee see the full ashtray and the drug of choice he’s taking to try and forget. Oh and the faint outline on his chest yeah I like it.
I know the kind of stories Jeff can write since i’ve reading but this one is a departure from what i’m used to and it’s incredibly intense, disturbing and so very PTSD that you can understand where this is all coming from and still root for him to be okay and find a way to move forward with his life. However he’s Bloodshot and things aren’t going to be that easy for him since on the news a man painted to look like Bloodshot is on a killing spree so what’s Ray to do now?
If you’ve never read Bloodshot before or had given it up previously this is the perfect time to pick it up. Everything you need to understand what’s happening is here Lemire is a genius when it comes to what’s on the page here and the boys artwork is stunningly gorgeous so if you’ve ever been curious do yourself a favour and grab a copy.