By Christos Gage, Joshua Dysart & Bart Sears
Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps kicks off a new story arc with issue #18. This team-up has lasted longer than expected and has actually been pretty fun to read. Seeing Bloodshot and Palmer interacting together and actually getting along is enjoyable. The rotating door of new members really makes you wonder if any character is really safe.
Morris Kozol, the C.E.O. of Project Rising Spirit has been kidnapped in Nigeria. Bloodshot and crew actually have a debate over whether they should rescue him or not, which they finally decide to do. As it turns out, Nigeria has it’s own team of enhanced humans and they have ties to both Bloodshot and Palmer. Hugs and handshakes are not exchanged for this visit.
Christos Gage and Josh Dysart are doing a solid job on this title. Bloodshot and Major Palmer usually steal most issues, but we did get to see some of the new recruits get some characterization this month, which was nice. One gripe though is that there are so many new characters that it is often easy to forget who most of them are from time to time. It is nice to see people from Palmer’s past come into the fold this issue as well. This review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some of the humor in this title. Gage and Dysart will throw in a gag from time to time, and this one involved Granite walking in on a naked team member. It will be enough to make you chuckle.
The art was split up into the present, done by Bart Sears, and Palmer’s flashback drawn by Chriscross and Victor Olazaba. Sears really excels when a character is in a close up panel, however, the further away they get, the messier the art is. Sears draws some good fight scenes and there is a cool panel of Big Boy crushing Palmer’s gun, but this seemed rushed a bit. The flashback scene involving Palmer was well drawn by Chriscross and Olazaba. Their style is similar to Sears, which works with the flow of the story, and there is a cool panel of a head being ripped off, which is always cool to see in a book. An unevenly drawn issue, but still enjoyable.
The start of the new arc has raised some interesting questions and split the team apart. Dyasart and Gage are professionals who always deliver action and entertainment. The art could be better and hopefully it will get there next month. Overall an enjoyable read.
