Bloodshot Unleashed #4 Review

 

Bloodshot Unleashed #4 by Jon Davis-Hunt

WARNING: BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #4 BREAKS SUPERHERO COMICS CONVENTIONS BY INCLUDING FOUL LANGUAGE INSTEAD OF SUGGESTING IT THROUGH USE OF SYMBOLS. READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK.

 

Bloodshot Unleashed #4 finally relates what occurred to separate Bloodshot from his family. It showcases our hero's cataclysmic battle with a man called Hobbes or Verlane. And it introduces a new penciler to the Valiant family. So let's dig into the latest installment in the ongoing saga of the super-soldier known as Ray Garrison, or as we like to call him, Bloodshot!

Lettering: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou does his usual brilliant job of relating the story through words. The dialogue and Bloodshot's inner-narrator are mostly uppercase and easy to read. The sound effects are colorful and demand our attention.

Overall, the lettering seems more polished and pleasing to the eye than in previous issues.

Coloring: Jordie Bellaire continues her simple color scheme for this series. While she may not have added much nuance aside from the initial color-flatting stage, her colors in this issue avoid looking drab and muddy. They look clear and vibrant. 

At times, they're even downright trippy.

Penciling/Inking: Newcomer Eric Zawadzki imbues every scene with classic illustration that, like Jordie's coloring, conveys emotion and action well. His characters have depth and realism. The war scenes are particularly effective.

The way he relates Verlane's worldview may even make longtime readers smile.

Story. Writer Deniz Camp blends past and present to give readers a combined issue #0 and #4. While readers may find this mix confusing at times, the way he relates Verlane's inner struggle give readers a solid line to grasp. He shows us a wiser and more hopeful Bloodshot than we met in issue #1, and reveals the compassionate side of our hero.

I'll confess I don't understand some of the logic underlying this issue, as well as how it relates to the series. Sadly, this final issue leaves me with more questions than answers. Perhaps those answers will be addressed if Valiant produces another story arc of Bloodshot Unleashed. 

Also, while I hate to be negative about any Valiant comic, I must admit that I dislike the repeated use of the F word in a superhero comic. Likewise, I find the ongoing theme of battlefield cannibalism distasteful. Perhaps such things do go on in war. Still, I don't wish to immerse myself in it on an ongoing series.

 

Conclusion: Despite its defects (or aspects of the story I don't appreciate), I like how Bloodshot seems more proactive in Bloodshot Unleashed #4. He's a thinking, calculated strategist who's not merely throwing himself into the gunfire, and expecting his nanites to outlast his opponent's ammunition. Story-wise, I appreciate this issue's themes of sacrifice and redemption. I find this issue's art and lettering appealing.

I just wish I understood how all the story segments--in this issue, and in the series as a whole--fit together. As this first story arc of Bloodshot Unleashed draws to a close, I find myself on the outside-looking-in, an interested observer of this ferocious tale of trauma, heartache, and redemption. 

Bloodshot Unleashed #4 comes out tomorrow. Buy a copy sporting your favorite cover, and tell me what you think.

Dragon Dave

Bloodshot Unleashed #4 Preview Pages

 

Bloodshot Action Figure Cover by TRAVIS ESCARFULLERY

WARNING: THIS ISSUE BREAKS SUPERHERO COMIC CONVENTION BY USING FOUL LANGUAGE INSTEAD OF SYMBOLS SUCH AS #$&%. 

(REMEMBER, BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED IS RATED MATURE*)

READ AHEAD AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Now here's the word from the good folks at Valiant Entertainment.

 

The epic conclusion to the first arc of BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED!

Bloodshot hunts down the Spent Shell SGT Michael Verlane in the Florida swamplands but is haunted by the ghosts of his past in "Flashback". And finally, learn the fate of BLOODSHOT'S family! BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #4 is as thoughtful as it is gory and violent!

 

 

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #4
Written by DENIZ CAMP
Art by ERIC ZAWADZKI
Colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE
Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU
Cover A by JON DAVIS-HUNT
Cover B by NICOLE RIFKIN
Cover C by NINO CAMMARATA
Pre-order Cover by CHRIS BURNHAM

A bloody blast from the past!

• In the present, Bloodshot must track down Verlane, a “spent shell” experiencing nightmarish visions of his past being pursued by the authorities.

• In the past, Bloodshot has the fight of his life against Hobbes, exploring what occurred prior to the events of issue #1 to shatter Bloodshot’s family and home.

• Two escaped weapons. Two timelines. One epic issue!

That's the word from the good folks at Valiant Central. To see more of this epic battle, head down to your local comic shop to pick up your copy of Bloodshot Unleashed #4 on December 28th!

Dragon Dave

*As we all know, the ability to use foul language is always an indicator of maturity.

Bloodshot Unleashed #3 Preview

 

Bloodshot Unleashed #3 Alien On Board Cover by Nicole Rifkin

Bloodshot and X-O Manowar aren't necessarily church-goers. But, to quote a certain "star prince", they're both losers. As in, they've lost things. Relations that mattered. People they loved.

So maybe we can understand if both men were to search for something this world can't provide.

Anyway, that's not why they're attending a midweek worship service this month. Bloodshot and X-O Manowar are on a mission. They have a plan. Well, at least part of a plan. But you know what they say about how long even the best plans last, once the battle begins.

Or, in this case, once the church service starts.

Courtesy of the righteous folks at Valiant Entertainment, you can get a sneak peak at next week's divine team-up. So sit back. Put your feet up. Cue your favorite Gospel music.* And...

Rejoice in the first five pages of Bloodshot Unleashed #3!

 

* Gospel Playlist Must-Haves:

"Pray" by M. C. Hammer

"Shout at the Devil" by Motley Crue 

&

"God Gave Rock & Roll to You" by Kiss (and Bill & Ted)

Details, details...

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #3
Written by DENIZ CAMP
Art by JON DAVIS-HUNT
Colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE
Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU
Cover A by JON DAVIS-HUNT
Cover B by NICOLE RIFKIN
Cover C by JUAN JOSE RYP
Pre-order Cover by E.M. GIST

Guest-starring X-O MANOWAR!

BLOODSHOT recruits X-O MANOWAR – who knows a thing or two about ending alien threats – as a parasitic alien takes hold in an Appalachian church putting an entire congregation of lost souls at risk.

On sale NOVEMBER 23RD | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | M

Bloodshot Unleashed #2 Review: Frankenstein Squared

 

Bloodshot Unleashed #2 Cover By by Nicole Rifkin

Taking place after the death of his wife and daughter, Valiant's Bloodshot Unleashed series finds our hero battling depression. Like Aric of Dacia on the Planet Gorin (in writer Matt Kindt's 2017 X-O Manowar series), Bloodshot finds a compelling cause, and dedicates himself to it. Again, like X-O Manowar, Bloodshot blames others for his new direction in life. Nevertheless, it is his pursuit of a worthy mission that helps him move on, and leave the past behind.

 

 

Bloodshot's mission--chasing down insane supersoldiers who escaped from a military prison--takes an unexpected turn in Bloodshot Unleashed #2. As in the 1990 movie Robocop 2, scientists and businessmen have removed the brain from a man and housed it in a powerful metal body. Now this RoboSoldier, malfunctioning and leaking radiation, has returned to the only home it remembers, a small town's abandoned automobile factory.

 

 

The bleak nature of the storytelling, bled of any vibrant coloring aside from red, casts a pall on the irradiated landscape. Everything seems dead or dying. Only Bloodshot--also dead in a strict sense of the word--can venture into this danger zone to battle his malfunctioning foe. Both combatants are experiments, reminiscent of the monster created by Victor Von Frankenstein. Bloodshot is the intelligent, reasoning creature of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. The RoboSoldier, once a skilled jet pilot, better resembles the monster that growls and lumbers from one act of violence to another in the story's more popular big screen adaptations. 

 

 

In writer Tim Seeley's 2019 Bloodshot series, General Grayle proclaimed Bloodshot a god. In Bloodshot Unleashed #2, our hero seems more godlike than ever before. As in the 2020 movie starring Vin Diesel, Bloodshot seems unconcerned about injury. He knows his nanites can harvest any form of nearby protein--whether they be the carcasses of dogs or people--to repair the worst injuries. Thankfully, Bloodshot is a benevolent god, who does not often feast upon living, virtuous people, and regularly seeks to save humanity from its worst mistakes. 

 

 

Bloodshot Unleashed #2 conjures reminders of classic tales of characters like Frankenstein, Robocop, and even Pinocchio. The story highlights the flawed nature of humanity, such as failing to build adequate safeguards into our most dangerous creations, and our preference for beliefs over facts. Ultimately, the issue reminds us of the Biblical promise that those who live by the sword--and profit from its use--will die by the sword. That's a timely reminder, in this era of pandemic and war.

Dragon Dave

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #2 is written by DENIZ CAMP, features art by JON DAVIS-HUNT, colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE, letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU, and covers by JON DAVIS-HUNT (Cover A), NICOLE RIFKIN (Cover B), ALEX GARNER (Cover C), TRAVIS ESCARFULLERY (Cover D) and DEXTER SOY (PreOrder Cover).

Bloodshot Unleashed #2 Preview

 

Cover A by JON DAVIS-HUNT

Cover B by NICOLE RIFKIN

Cover C by ALEX GARNER

Cover D by TRAVIS ESCARFULLERY

Pre-Order Cover by Dexter Soy

In Bloodshot Unleashed #2, BLOODSHOT travels to the old auto factory town of Howl, Michigan where he discovers rampant radiation poisoning that threatens to destroy what's left of the desolate town. The source of the radiation? Another discarded living weapon by the name of PLUTO-- a fallen pilot transplanted into a robot chassis! Can BLOODSHOT put his past traumas in check long enough to take down this mindless abomination or is this the end of the line for our nanite-infused hero?

Find out this Wednesday, October 26th!

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #2 is written by DENIZ CAMP, features art by JON DAVIS-HUNT, colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE, letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU, and covers by JON DAVIS-HUNT (Cover A), NICOLE RIFKIN (Cover B), ALEX GARNER (Cover C), TRAVIS ESCARFULLERY (Cover D) and DEXTER SOY (PreOrder Cover).

Bloodshot Unleashed #1 Review: Hometown Hero

 

Bloodshot Unleashed #1 Cover C by Pete Woods

In Bloodshot Unleashed #1, our hero seemingly awakens from a nightmare. Yet Bloodshot is a veteran of untold missions, campaigns, and wars.

He should be able to handle the odd nightmare by now.

So...

Perhaps it's more than that?

Mission One. 

Remind the reader of Bloodshot's secret weapon: the nanites that can repair any injury, no matter how severe. 

Job done.

The issue pays homage to some of the men whose lives contributed to the creation of Bloodshot in VEI's 2012 Bloodshot series, as well as in Bloodshot Rising Spirit. Raymond. Angelo. Gavin? And perhaps others?

So many sacrifices, and all for Bloodshot: a dead soldier brought to life, programmed like a living weapon, and controlled by government contractor Project Rising Spirit. 

Or so they thought.

Bloodshot Unleashed #1 also honors the family that Bloodshot--as Raymond Garrison--nurtured in the series Bloodshot Reborn and Bloodshot Salvation. 

Sadly, no longer with us.

In Bloodshot Unleashed #1, we learn about more super-soldier programs beyond those of Project Rising Spirit.

And how their creations often went wrong. 

What happens when a super-soldier goes insane?

Bloodshot Unleashed #1 is interspersed with scenes set THEN and NOW. 

NOW, Bloodshot walks the streets of a middle American town. 

Mission Two: Stop all the government's failed super-soldier experiments.

Before they take out their anger and rage on everything that made them who they are.

What they've become.

Bloodshot Unleashed #1 weaves a tale of loss, revenge, and the necessity of protecting others. The coloring casts a pall over every panel the penciler fights to pack into this devastating story. 

 

Stylized lettering enhances the violence unleashed in this new stage of our action hero's life. 

 

Can Bloodshot retire all of his crazed cousins, before they unleash more destruction than in Bloodshot USA? 

Mission Three: Read each issue of Bloodshot Unleashed, and find out.

Dragon Dave

P.S. If you enjoyed this advance review, order your copy of Bloodshot Unleashed #1 immediately to make sure your store can secure a copy.

 

Mission Dossier: 

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #1
Written by DENIZ CAMP
Art by JON DAVIS-HUNT
Colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE
Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU
Cover A by JON DAVIS-HUNT
Cover B by NICOLE RIFKIN
Cover C by PETE WOODS
Pre-order Cover by GERARDO ZAFFINO

Dangerous super soldiers and bloodthirsty living weapons have mysteriously escaped into the world to wreak havoc across the dying towns and forgotten farms of America. Now, Bloodshot must take up arms again to travel across the country hunting down these violent monsters, battling his own demons, and defending the most defenseless. Deniz Camp (Agent of W.O.R.L.D.E.) and Jon Davis-Hunt (SHADOWMAN) join forces to unleash Valiant Entertainment’s first Mature Readers title that puts the BLOOD in BLOODSHOT.

On sale SEPTEMBER 21st | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | M

First Look at Bloodshot Unleashed #1

 

And now, the latest news on Bloodshot's long-awaited return to your local comic shop...

Duty unbound. 

Power unmatched. 

BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED!

Valiant Entertainment launches its first-ever Mature Readers title as the iconic action franchise returns in September with BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED. A brutally unflinching examination of who BLOODSHOT is, the action-packed new series BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED is set against a backdrop of violence that echoes his own abuse at the hands of others by pitting him against deadly rampaging monsters in small town America who reflect his own place in the Valiant Universe. 

Check out this first look inside the debut issue BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #1! 

 

Making its highly anticipated debut on September 21st, BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED features an action figure homage variant cover series showcasing the Valiant — FigZero S 1/12 BLOODSHOT action figure with threezero. These covers will be available for the first four issues of the series, recreating iconic Valiant BLOODSHOT moments and showing how you can put the Valiant Universe in your hands like never before. Preorder yours now at the Valiant Store!

 

Action Figure Cover

Featuring covers by Jon Davis-Hunt, Nicole Rifkin, Pete Woods and Gerardo Zaffino, BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #1 is written by Deniz Camp with art by Jon Davis-Hunt, colors by Jordie Bellaire and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Be sure to preorder all of your favorite covers at your local comic shop or favorite digital platform when preorders begin on July 28th. 

 

Cover A by John Davis-Hunt

Cover B by Nicole Rifkin

Cover C (Not Final Art) by Pete Woods

Preorder Cover Art by Gerardo Zaffino*

Brace for impact with the release of Valiant's BLOODSHOT UNLEASHED #1 on September 21st, 2022. Remember to join the Valiant Community on Discord and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and as always, stay Valiant! 

* Apparently, the Pre-Order Cover is part of a "Hard To Killer" cover series. Can't wait to hear more!

Dragon Dave