Bloodshot

With the shocking ending to issue #6 foreshadowing events to come, Duane Swierczynsski turns back the hands of time in issue #7 and reveals to us just why Bloodshot is known in some circles as “The Bogeyman!”

Not an origin, more like a blood soaked waltz down implanted memory lane, this issue reveals to us even more of the horrific manipulation Bloodshot has been subjected to. This tale breaks the consciousness of a multi-faceted man into a singularly driven weapon, one that can be pointed anywhere with startling results! As long as he is being told that his daughter is held captive with other children, “Ray” will allow himself to be deployed into the most heinous areas of battle in order to ensure their survival. Unfortunately, him “saving” them is not always what the children want!

Swierczynski and Clark churn out one of the most action packed books month after month and this one is more of the gory same. Intense action, dramatic characterization and shocking intrigue, Bloodshot is a book that will satiate every action junkie’s need while giving enough emotional duress to keep us vested in the characters. And there are plenty of “new” characters in this issue to intrigue us all!

This issue is the one that will pave the way for the biggest crossover the new Valiant Universe has ever seen! Harbinger Wars is on the lips of comics fans everywhere, and this is where the trigger event is that will start it all!

Cast aside all those other crossovers that promise “big” things that never deliver, Harbinger Wars is coming and nothing remains unscathed!

For all of the Bloodshot fans out there, we all know that there are BIG changes coming for our abused “anti-hero.” But what exactly are those changes going to be? By the final page you will know and you will be completely blown away!

This issue sees Bloodshot continue to storm Project Rising Spirit in search of his “stolen” memories, but what awaits him is a bevy of grotesque assassins known collectively as — CHAINSAW! 

Riddled with bullets, blood and mayhem, Bloodshot #6 is an action packed barrage to the senses that won’t let up until you are gasping for breath! It is a rigorous journey alongside a character that is not just a one dimensional killing machine, but rather, a complex “anti-hero” that strives to retain the humanity he once had in the face of horrors that never stop. At its core, it is an expose’ about the human condition and how all we truly need in life to be happy is to matter to someone. To be excepted and loved for who we are and how bitterly we will fight to get back that sense of “home” once it has been stripped away from us. It is an idea that is sometimes lost under the layers of blood and discord that is ever present in the pages of this book, but it is always there driving this series ever forward.

But, don’t get me wrong — there is plenty of action, surprises and revelations in this issue to more than whet your appetite for all things that go boom! Would the series really be called Bloodshot if Duane Swierczynski wasn’t going to continually assault your senses with more action than a “summer blockbuster” movie? I think not!

So, lace up your boots, check your supplies and put on a poncho — this one’s going to be messy! The battle against Project Rising Spirit and their horrific creations named CHAINSAW, has begun. The fight for one man’s humanity continues, but he just might lose what little he had left in order to get there. After this — everything changes!

As I walked towards my desk through the CBN offices, a wave of nineties nostalgia washed over me. Recently, everything old seems new again! Variant covers are all the rage, there are superhero cartoons gracing my TV screen every Saturday and Sunday, the Age of Apocalypse is still running rampant, Soundgarden has a new single on the radio and Rob Liefeld is actually drawing comics again! But what really pushed me over the edge — the advanced copy of X-O Manowar from Valiant comics laying on my desk! One of the biggest independent comics publishers of all time, is back and ready to carve their names in the history books yet again!

New York Times best-selling author, Robert Venditti, and Eisner award-winning artist, Cary Nord, converge on an amalgam tale of sword play and sci-fi that will make any comic fan’s testosterone levels exceed maximum capacity! It begins as a savage look at life for the nomadic Visigoths and their dealings with the ever growing power of the Roman Empire in 402 A.D.! From there it progresses into a tale of revenge and eventually, delves into the world of sci-fi in epic fashion! I must say, Cary Nord is the perfect choice to portray the brutality of the battlefield and the viscousness of our young hero — Aric! Who else could bring the scope and horror of war to reality than the man who drew Conan? No one!

For fans of the original series, you will feel right at home with Venditti’s rendering of Aric and the situations that befall him in order to finally become one with the X-O armor. For those of you that are coming aboard with a fresh set of eyes, you will be astounded by how Venditti has created a character that is so rich and fleshed out in a single issue. He takes a character that is steeped in arch-types and makes him exceed them all, giving us the perfect new icon to usher in the new era of Valiant!

I don’t want to ruin any of the amazing story that Venditti and Nord will lay before you next week, so I promise you no spoilers. But I also promise you this — with but a single issue under their belts, X-O Manowar will become the next big cosmic title you need to get your hands on! From swords to laser cannons, from slaughter to sentient suits of armor — you will relish every page and yearn for more! 

The nineties will never come back! But Valiant has, and they will make the “big boys” quake! As Aric says before leaping into battle, “The time for talk has passed. It is time to fight!” and that’s exactly what they intend to do!

“X-O Manowar” #1 goes on sale Wednesday May 2nd, 2012! And look for the FCBD issue May 5th!