Bloodshot Book One: FCBD 2019 Extras

 

Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special: Cover by Dan Brereton

 

While packed with great story and art, it's easy to forget that the Bloodshot Free Comic Book Day 2019 Special was only twelve pages long. Nonetheless, the good folks at Valiant Comics have included some cool extras. You'll find the interview with Syfy Wire originally printed in the issue. Even if you've previously read it, it's worth another read. 

The interview forecasts what Seeley's Bloodshot series will be about. It compares Bloodshot to a character (or characters) from another popular franchise. Seeley also says something that makes me wonder about the way he told his final story (for now) in Bloodshot #12.

 

A panel from Bloodshot #12

What? That not enough for you? Take heart! The good folks at Valiant Comics have also included three penciled pages from artist Tomas Giorello. 

I'll share a portion from each one so you can compare it to the finished scene, after Tomas has inked the panels, Diego Rodriguez has colored them, and Dave Sharpe has added the lettering and sound effects. First up is a portion of that glorious one-page panel of Bloodshot fighting the three bad guys at the beginning of the issue.

Next up is the page containing this panel of the Sons of the Last Flesh motorcade rolling out, in defiance to the dangerous snowy conditions in New York City.

Last up is a portion of the page in which Wotan Dawn orders Dr. Alison Apte to upgrade him and his followers so they can be more like Bloodshot. One thing that really surprised me was how Tomas Giorello penciled in the dark background, rather than just inking it, or leaving Diego Rodriguez to color it in black. Wow!

Well, there's your peek at the extras from the Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special included in Bloodshot Book One. To see the rest, you'll want to check out the trade. Although I'm usually a print guy when it comes to comics, I enjoyed reading this collection digitally. I could zoom into Tomas Giorello's penciling, and appreciate all the work he (as well as the entire creative team) put into this introductory story.

 

 

Well done writer Tim Seeley, penciler and inker Tomas Giorello, colorist Diego Rodriguez, and letterer Dave Sharpe, as well as cover artist Dan Brereton and editor Karl Bollers. And well done Valiant Comics for including these cool extras in Bloodshot Book One. Great job, everyone!

Dragon Dave

Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special: Penciling & Inking

 

Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special: Cover by Dan Brereton

 

While story ultimately matters most, the first thing we notice when we pick up a comic is the penciling and inking. Do we find the shapes appealing? Do scenes look realistic or fanciful? Are characters portrayed consistently from panel to panel? And of course, does the inking bring out the penciler's intent, or muddy all those lines and cross-hatchings?  

Penciler and inker Tomas Giorello was the first artist to bring writer Tim Seeley's story onto the page. Let's dig into the Bloodshot Free Comic Book Day 2019 Special and see how he did.

 

Tomas Giorello's characters look muscular and powerful. They seem to embrace the No Pain No Gain motto, not only through their physical training, but also in how many piercings they sport. Also, the cultist on the right reminds me of the alien bounty hunters from the Predator movies. 

Giorello composes scenes well. His buildings have a solidity to them. The vehicles in this shot look big and sturdy, a reflection of the men driving them. There's great sense of movement here. 

Am I staring at a drawing, or a photograph?

Here we've got two panels that look like photographs tossed onto a dark surface. Both communicate that these are very bad dudes. The threat they pose to the woman is clear. 

I love the woman's expression in the second panel, as well as how she mutely holds out her hand. Before the man whose muscles are pumped up and ready to dole out serious hurt, she can't even muster a fist. Is she imploring the reader for help?

It'd be easy to leave it at those two snapshots. Yet at the bottom of the same page, we see boots running in the snow. Aided by a shift in coloring from Diego Rodriguez, the bottom panel lightens the tone of the page. We get the feeling that the situation that dominates the page is about to change.

 

Big, powerful villains demand an equally big hero. Here we see a big, muscular Bloodshot leaping into harm's way. The hero leaping down from a great height is an iconic hero move, going back to Hollywood swashbucklers such as Douglas Fairbanks and Errol Flynn. It says "I don't care if I land wrong and hurt myself. It's more important to surprise my enemy and save those in danger."

 

There's so much going on in the top panel, with the two guys on motorcycles speeding through the snow, shouting orders and shooting. Yet Giorello makes the second panel bigger, with Bloodshot just standing there, and taking all the punishment they can dole out with a few grunts.

The characters in this issue may look big and brutal, but Bloodshot is clearly the most indomitable of all.

Congratulations on making the Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special* look powerful and realistic, Tomas Giorello. Well done.

Dragon Dave

* The Bloodshot FCBD 2019 Special is available in Bloodshot Book One.