BLOODSHOT: UNLEASHED #3, from Valiant Entertainment on November 23rd, 2022, finds Bloodshot and X-O Manowar teaming up to investigate an alien infestation within an evangelical church.
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: November 23, 2022
Is It Good?
BLOODSHOT: UNLEASHED #3 takes a break from the main arc for a cameo/breather issue where Bloodshot and X-O Manowarteam up to track down an alien brood. Deniz Camp creates an interesting story where Aric and Ray need to play to their strengths to stop the aliens, but it’s the differences in their methods that create an extra layer of dramatic tension for a better-than-average breather issue.
Deniz’s Camp’s script centers around X-O Manowar crossing paths with Bloodshot after Aric detects an alien menace the Vine considers high-risk. Realizing he might be out of his depth, Bloodshot reluctantly agrees to partner up to root out the aliens.
The setup works well enough, although there isn’t much preface to explain how or why the alien was released on the residents of a former mining town. Camp mixes in the creepy elements of evangelical snake charmers, small towns looking to faith in anything for salvation, and the mass mania that accompanies charismatic zealots. To be clear, Camp’s story isn’t an indictment of churches or faith, but Camp does an excellent job showing how the line between faith and zealotry can be crossed without anyone realizing it.
However, this is clearly a breather issue that takes a break from the main arc. There’s nothing wrong with an X-O Manowar cameo, but diverting Bloodshot’s focus away from his quest to track down wayward super soldiers dissipates momentum in the main arc, making this issue feel like filler. It’s a very good filler, but it’s still filler.
Jon Davis-Hunt’s art style is a perfect fit for this material. When the alien action kicks in, it’s hyperviolent, bloody, and extremely gory. Davis-Hunt’s fine details bring every drop of blood to excruciatingly delightful focus. Equal to the bloody action is Davis-Hunt’s masterful skill in the facial acting of the characters, especially Bloodshot, who suffers more hallucinations via implanted memories.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Check out our BLOODSHOT: UNLEASHED #2 to find out how Bloodshot’s implanted memories started tin infringe on his waking hours.
A preacher in a rundown mining town calls the faithless to God and his Angels for hope and a future. Unfortunately, what the preacher believes are angels are the tentacled spawn of an alien race feared by even the Vine. While traveling a lonely road, Bloodshot crosses paths with X-O Manowar, who detected the Hive of alien pestilence, and they agree to work together to destroy it before it destroys the Earth.
Bloodshot and X-O Manowar visit the town of Faithful’s church, disguised as civilians, to hear the preacher’s message and discover the Hive source. The preacher eventually leads all believers to an abandoned mine where newcomers are served by a monstrous, tentacled beast as food and hosts for its young.
We conclude the issue with overwhelming numbers, fighting tactics only Bloodshot can use, and a decision.
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Final Thoughts
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BLOODSHOT: UNLEASHED #3 takes a break from the arc for an above-average breather issue that teams the titular character with X-O Manowar to root out an alien monster. The art is next-level bloody, the character acting is spot-on, and Camp’s delicate handling of corrupted faith is commendable.
Related Information
Is Bloodshot inappropriate?
Bloodshot’s superpower is his ability to regenerate his body after taking extreme damage. In both the Bloodshot comic and the Bloodshot film, the action scenes are punctuated with acts of bloody violence which may be unsuitable for sensitive audiences.
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