Live. Die. Rejuvenate. Each day, Bloodshot and his fellow castaways from Project Rising Spirit awake to find themselves hunted by the unstoppable engine of destruction called Deathmate. And each day, they die…only to begin their escape once more after the nano-technology inside them repairs their fatal injuries. As Bloodshot and his new teammates begin to understand the brutal logic behind their island prison, will the biggest threat to their survival be the horrors that await in the jungle around them…or each other?

I was trying to think of how to describe this arc the other day and came up with a combination of Predator meets Survivor. It’s about as accurate a three word description as I can think of, and despite it sounding like an odd combination, it’s really hooked me in.

Bloodshot Reborn has been one of the most striking looking books on the racks for several months now. It doesn’t have the smoothly polished modern pages of Rai or 4001 A.D., rather the comic feels like a more (and I hesitate to use the term) gritty almost old school representation of a comic page. David Baron has somehow brought Mico Suyan‘s work to life that feels more organic than and visceral than the pages in the two series set thousands of years in the future. Indeed, the artwork almost feels like a Neal Adams’ page from the 70’s with a slight dash of 2016 thrown in.

The effect has been startling, especially when you see a close up of Bloodshot‘s face. The
red eyes are genuinely unsettling, and I think this is the first issue where I have actually had a moment to realize that.

Jeff Lemire has imbued Bloodshot Island with a sense of resignation. These men (and dog) have become used to their new as the deadly new character Deathmate hunts them down and kills them every day, only to reawaken the next morning for the cycle to begin anew. The older versions of Bloodshot (Cold Man, Viet Man, Tank Man, Quiet Man and Bloodhound) seem to have accepted their lot, putting up a token resistance, but ultimately are resigned to their end of day fate. Although that seems to have changed when “our” version of Bloodshot, here called New Man (for obvious reasons) arrives. 

This issue focuses on New Man’s plan to fight back against Deathmate, and Team Bloodshot has a unique option available when it comes to facing off against their deadly opponent: if they fail and die, well, there’s always tomorrow, right? It’s not how many times you get knocked down… This comic would be worth picking up for the art OR story alone, but when those elements are brought together, they transform into a comic you simply must read.

Bloodshot Reborn #15 is an excellent second chapter in Bloodshot Island, surpassing the first with ease on every level; the entire issue was a joy to read from start to finish.

Story: Jeff Lemire Artist: Mico Suayan Colourist: David Baron
Story: 8.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 8.75 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review