BLOODSHOT: UNLEASHED #1, from Valiant Entertainment on September 21st, 2022, brings Bloodshot a new mission with thousands of lives on the line. When a group of dangerous super soldiers escapes a secret military prison, only Bloodshot knows what they’ve endured and what it takes to stop them.
The Details
- Written by: Deniz Camp
- Art by: Jon Davis-Hunt
- Colors by: Jordie Bellaire
- Letters by: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Cover art by: Jon Davis-Hunt (cover A)
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: September 21, 2022
Is It Good?
BLOODSHOT: UNLEASHED #1 resurrects the Valiant fan-favorite character for a new adventure that doesn’t pull any punches or try to get too clever for its own good. You find out where Bloodshot’s been, who put him on the trail of his latest assignment, and get a face full of ammo in every available inch of page space.
The plot centers around Bloodshot receiving intel that a collection of supersoldiers (like him but with different abilities) have escaped from a secret military prison where they were dumped for being too dangerous or unstable. The setup is a simple quest story where Bloodshot has to make his way through the list of escapees to stop them before their unstable brand of mayhem kills thousands. The benefit of this plot type is its simplicity and speed. You understand the mission almost immediately without the need for lengthy exposition or background information. For new readers, this issue makes for a perfect jumping-on point.
This issue also makes for a solid jumping-on point for the deft way Camp shows rather than tells you about Bloodshots’ background and abilities as well as that of his first antagonist, Lt. RobertChambers. Little details are fleshed out through the action and their taunts to inform the reader how the characters think and what motivates them. The writing is not only solid, but it’s also detailed enough to tell you more than you expect in an issue comprised of mostly action scenes.
Jon Davis-Hunt’s art is phenomenal in this issue (and sorely missed on the Shadowman title). Davis-Hunt has a unique eye for small details that work exceptionally well with gore. When advanced weapons, massive vehicles, and more are thrown around as weapons, the high level of lived-in detail brings authenticity to the action.
It also helps to have an expert grasp on panel composition as Davis-Hunt shows here. When you have a page with fourteen panels, and the page doesn’t seem cramped or rushed, that’s next-level comic artistry.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a flashback showing Bloodshot sitting on a couch in an abandoned house. He suffers from the memories of his past, his lost family, and more. His only respite is to blow his brains out, which he does. However, the nanites in his bloodstream quickly reassemble his mind and bring all the pain screaming back.
Suddenly, a stranger appears to give Bloodshot files to another super soldier. The stranger never gives her name, but she knows she’s committing treason by handing over the files. Several dangerous and unstable super soldiers escaped from a secret military prison, nicknamed The Dump because the government to which they gave their lives as living weapons no longer trusts them to walk free. Any one of the super soldiers could destroy a city singlehanded, so she brought the information to Bloodshot in the hope that he could be the one to stop them.
Later, Bloodshot tracks the first super soldier, Lt. Chambers, to Chambers’ hometown where the entire population is wiped out. Chambers has come to right every slight, wrong, insult, and betrayal. We conclude the issue with a stranger’s final act, a different kind of super soldier power, and big vehicles.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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BLOODSHOT: UNLEASHED #1 is a hard-hitting first issue. The art is spectacular, Camp’s writing gives you all the information you need effectively through the action, and the setup for the arc gets right to the point to pull you in.
Related Information
Is Bloodshot Marvel or DC?
Neither. From his first appearance, Bloodshot has always been a character published by Valiant Entertainment.
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