BLOODSHOT #10, available from Valiant Entertainment on January 13th, 2021, begins the “One Last Shot” story arc with Bloodshot working to escape an interdimensional safehouse with the help of new ally. Things take a turn for the worse when Project Rising Star takes on new life with the help of one of Bloodshot’s old enemies.
Was It Good?
Yes. I’m not well-versed in Bloodshot history, but the story was easy to follow when it’s clear the arc is picking up right after previous action. Several characters were introduced in a naturally organic way that brought me (a new reader) along without too much trouble. And the art is just plain stellar.
Short Story Long
We begin with a British gentleman trying (and failing) to order a beer in a New Jersey bar. The gentleman, Wilfred Wigans, is a computer programmer previously contracted by Project Rising Star (PRS) on the Bloodshot project, and he’s in this particular bar for a rendezvous.
Cut to Bloodshot healing on the floor of a bedroom in an interdimensional safehouse from the previous arc. Wigans uses hacker trickery to connect to Bloodhsot’s mind so he can send the message that PRS is being resurrected. While the connection is open, Wigans proves his claim by uploading massive amount of digital documents to Bloodshots mind, with bloody side effects.
I’m with the story so far. Seeley effectively introduces Wigans and gives you a feel for the character very quickly. Bloodshot’s skepticism – and extreme attempt to “hang up the phone” -are right in line with the character’s tough-as-nails persona. And while the location of each character is rightly outlandish, I didn’t feel lost.
That said, the technical methods of how a computer programmer was able to reach a techno-organic mind across dimensional barriers and upload terabytes worth of data in seconds is way too convenient. However, it didn’t detract from the story too much.
Bloodshot spends the next few days reassembling and re-implanting the device that brought him to the safehouse while Wigans makes plans to root out PRS on Bloodshot’s return. If there’s a major down for this issue, it’s that the timing between Bloodshot escaping the safehouse and meeting Wigans wasn’t transitioned very clearly. The opening scenes of the book make it seem like Wigans and Bloodshot are speaking in the bar for the first time, but they actually meet in the bar after they’ve been remotely speaking for almost a few weeks. The layout of the timeline could have been handled more clearly.
The two meet in the bar just in time for Bloodshot to save Wigans from getting some bones broken by local gangsters who were unsatisfied with the results of a hacker job. The scene is very interesting because it depicts how much Bloodshot has wasted away in the safehouse while he worked on his escape, and it underscores that even Bloodshot’s regeneration powers have limits. This is also the first time I can recall seeing a gangster defeated by being grossed out. Kudos.
Wigan and Bloodshot begin hunting down “assets” PRS is selling off to unscrupulous buyers. Fully-armed and back to full strength, Bloodshot takes out a pirate ship with Chainsaw commandoes in storage. Wasting little time and using little caution, Bloodshot blows up the ship to prevent the monsters from reaching their destination.
Despite the wonkiness of the timelines and transitions, I’m continually amazed by the art in this issue. It really is gorgeous.
Bloodshot’s regenerating torso is rescued from the oceanic depths by KT, and the two later meet up with Wigan to start planning for their next PRS target.
Meanwhile, the “new” PRS is meeting in a boardroom to go over strategy, policy, political connections and the like. The current administration is more open to PRS’s resurrection when the previous administration shut it down. And we get a parting shot at the end with the reveal that Rampage is part of the new PRS team.
Final Thoughts
BLOODSHOT #10, available from Valiant Entertainment on January 13th, 2021, is a surprisingly good jumping on point for new readers to get to know the titular character. To catch readers up, the exposition and dialog gets a little heavy, but there’s more than enough action to keep the pace moving. This issue a n excellent start to a promising story arc. I strongly recommend this book.