The mysterious Eidolon’s origin finally revealed in Bloodshot #6! This issue will change Bloodshot forever, and you’ll never guess how it ends!
The above text came from the press email Valiant sent out, and, well they’re not wrong.
Bloodshot has been one of the most frenetic and fun series Valiant has put out in some time. It has been the very definition of a popcorn comic as I can currently think of; you don’t need to think too hard when reading this book; Tim Seeley has been able to give you almost everything you need in each issue to understand what is happening within those 22 pages of story. If ever there was a series for new readers to just pick up and enjoy, it would be this one.
And yet there are still moments of characterization, whether that’s in the beats in you see as Seeley lets you take a moment to breathe, or in the snappy dialogue between the characters as the bullets are flying. This balance allows you to get lost in the comic, absorbing the story beats that come like a rhythmic cadence between chaos on the page.
Seeley is joined once again by artist Brett Booth, inker Adelso Corona, colorist Andrew Dalhouse, and letterer Dave Sharpe. All of whom combine for an aesthetic that appeals enormously to me. The style gives me a sense of nostalgia for the comic art I read growing up; it’s dynamic, clean and yet full of life and vibrancy.
If the above paragraph feels familiar to you it’s because I copied it from the review of the last issue. It was as true then as it is for this issue, and I didn’t feel like I should try and craftily rewrite the same thing.
One of the things I’ve noticed in Tim Seeley’s Bloodshot is that he’s shied away from making Bloodshot utterly unstoppable. He can be hurt, he can be slowed down, and he can be beaten. This had had the effect of adding a level of risk to the story that could easily be missing given how the character has evolved as the unstoppable killing machine. Like other aspects of the comic, it’s refreshing. Whether it’s just a device to show how strong the enemies have been in the series or is going to be slowly established as the new status quo for the character we’ll discover in the coming months.
Bloodshot isn’t the most original story. It won’t shake you to your core or have you asking yourself deeply introspective questions. But not every comic needs to do that. What Bloodshot does, it does very well. As a pure comic book, there’s a lot of enjoyment on offer here. Seeley, Booth, and co have been remarkably consistent issue to issue, and I can’t really find any fault in an issue that does exactly what it says on the tin (that may be an obscure reference for you – it’s from a UK add originating in the late 90’s from a company called Ronseal).
Bloodshot remains one of the series I look forward to reading each month. This wasn’t the best comic I’ve read this week, but it still comes with a big fat stamp of approval from me.
Story: Tim Seeley Art: Brett Booth
Ink: Adelso Corona Color: Andrew Dalhouse Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Story: 9.2 Art: 9.1 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy
Valiant provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.
