“As responsible as Ray Garrison feels for the violence unleashed by his old nanites, he finds himself with another more familiar and painful responsibility – the life of a woman he loves. How will Ray keep Magic safe, avoid the federal manhunt that’s closing in on him, and stop his impostor before they kill again?!”

The last issue of Bloodshot Reborn took me by surprise. It was the first comic featuring Bloodshot I had ever really read, and honestly I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it; as can often be the case, my expectations were turned on their head  and I actually enjoyed the comic. Needless to say, I’ve been looking forward to this issue.

Last issue saw the start of a new arc, The Hunt, which was billed as a great jumping on point (and it was).

Bloodshot Reborn #7 continues to ask the question: just how far would you go, and how much would you sacrifice, to stop a killer?  Ray Garrison, the man formerly know as Bloodshot, in the process of hunting down other people who have somehow become infected with the same nanites that turned Garrison into Bloodshot, which he is no longer infected with, in order to stop the murderous rampages the nanites cause. In order to ensure the nanites don’t infect anybody else, he needs reabsorb the tiny little machines back into his body, in the process potentially loosing the humanity he’s regained since having been cured of the nanites and in turn becoming the monster that he’s trying to stop.The monster that he was: Bloodshot.

Jeff Lemire, again joined by Butch Guice on art duties, has delivered another brilliant issue. The story told in the comic is one that really couldn’t work with any other character in the Valiant universe, and has a feel about it that brings back memories of older crime comics and the pulp magazines that fits the nature of the arc that begun last issue fantastically. Bloodshot Reborn #7 is a slow burn, the driving force of the story so far is the methodical hunt for a target, though who, or what, that target is depends on which thread you’re following; whether it is the two FBI agents on the trail of a killer, or Ray Garrison‘s hunt for the nanite infested killers.

There is going to be a bloody show  down at some point in this arc, but when remains to be seen. Until then, Guice and Lemire continue to build a phenomenal story, and their ability to imbue even the characters with the smallest of appearances with a level of characterization that you don’t always see in full comics is astounding, just look at the the few panels in the call center from the beginning of the comic as an example (and that supervisor? we’ve all met people like that, right?).

Bloodshot Reborn #7 is another solid comic book from Valiant that is well worth picking up but you should read at least the previous issue; as a standalone or jumping on point this isn’t an ideal comic. When read as the second part in an ongoing story arc, however, it shines. It’s not quite perfect, but I expect that when this story is inevitably collected into a trade, then that’s where this part will shine.

Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Butch Guice Colours: David Baron
Story: 8.25 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Read

Valiant provided Graphic Policy a FREE copy for review.