Bloodshot Reborn #2

By Jeff Lemire, Mico Suayan & David Baron

Bloodshot Reborn is the second issue in a very confident Valiant book that really has hit the ground running. Jeff Lemire is absolutely killing it on writing duties with some strong artwork from penciller Mico Suayan and colourist David Baron, making this title pretty much unmissable for any Valiant fan. After last issue’s strong debut, Ray heads to a local movie theatre in the aftermath of a bloody crime scene, and we are also spend time with Special Agent Diane Festival in an issue that doesn’t drop in form.

This issue takes a character driven approach and it makes sure to take its time to make the readers invest in the respective characters involve. They’re certainly an interesting bunch as well, with some good development here that really fleshed out Ray’s personality. He’s going to be pitted against someone who has the nanites in his bloodstream that he used to have, and it should be very interesting as well. However, as mentioned above, Ray isn’t the only interesting character here, with Diane Festival really making an impression with her entrance in this book. Her encounter with Daniel Hoyt was pretty cool as well, and it’s good to see that we’re getting to spend time with characters who aren’t just Ray, and it’s going to be pretty fun to wait and see what direction this book takes them.

Mico Suayan’s pencils are fantastic as he adopts a realistic approach that works with some great character designs. It’s interesting to note that Lemire brings Bloodsquirt to life, a cartoon character who only Ray can see, and the clash of styles between the approach that’s realistic and the approach that isn’t is played pretty well, and it helps that the interactions between the two characters are pulled off without any difficulty. And that’s even before you get to David Baron’s colours, which are excellent, and really add an extra layer of depth to the issue, helping enhance that realistic approach even more.

Everything about this book just works and only two issues in, it’s already on course to be a contender of one of the stronger comics that the year has given us so far. With a tone that’s been pretty violent throughout, Bloodshot Reborn is perfect for those of you who love Marvel’s Punisher and want something similar, and doesn’t require a lot of catching up on, and is pretty much an essential addition to any comic fan’s pull list.