“Even killing machines need a day off!

For the first time in over 30 years, two nanite-enhanced soldiers once controlled by Project Rising Spirit – codenames: “Tank Man” and “Viet Man” – have finally earned their freedom and some government-sanctioned downtime, courtesy of Uncle Sam. After enduring a lifetime of war, blood, and gore, all these two semi-retired commandos want is a little vacation. But how long can this pair of highly trained tourists unwind and enjoy the sights of New York City… before they find trouble in the city that never sleeps?”

When you see Eliot Rahal‘s name on a cover, then there’s a reason to get excited. Rahal wrote one of the best tie in issues to Divinity III in Escape From Gulag 396 where he showed an uncanny understanding of the relationship between Archer and Armstrong, despite giving them very little time together in the comic. He also co-wrote The Paybacks with Donny Cates, a seminal series about superheroes and their debt that you probably didn’t read yet (but you really should).

This standalone issue acts as an epilogue of sorts for two of the characters from the Bloodshot Island/U.S.A. story line, Tank Man and Viet Man, and follows them as they get some much deserved time off. Boodshot’s Day Off is essentially a story about two soldiers returning home from a war to a world that has moved on without them – it could just as easily feature Captain America finding his way after dethawing from his icy prison. As such, there’s not really much to say specifically about the story, other than Rahal has once again delivered a fantastic oneshot story for Valiant. The sooner the publisher lets him loose on a full arc, or an ongoing series, the better.

Khari Evans is mostly solid here, with only a couple of missteps artistically where the line weights are a little heavy causing some of the detail to get a little lost – honestly it’s nothing that will prevent you from enjoying the issue, but it isn’t up to the artistic standard set in previous Bloodshot comics.

Whether you’re going to pick this issue up ultimately depends on whether you’re already a fan of Bloodshot; if you are, this is a fun interlude that adds some background to some characters that previously hadn’t had as much time devoted to them. If you’re not already a fan then you can still enjoy this issue because Rahal’s take on the men-out-of-time angle pulls at the heartstrings in more ways than one. Despite this being a oneshot in the Bloodshot world, it’s still a really well written story that stands on it’s own remarkably well.

Story: Eliot Rahal Artist: Khari Evans
Colour Artist: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Story: 8.75 Art: 7.75 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review