Valiant Comics
Creators: Lonnie Nadler, Zac Thompson, Kevin Grevioux, Ken Lashley, Ryan Winn, and Diego Rodriguez
When a character becomes something beyond humanity, I’m usually curious about how they control their powers. With Bloodshot: Rising Spirit, I am downright scared of how the main character will use his new powers. Please note, this comic contains violent scenes with gory imagery. This is the only warning I can provide to younger readers.
The story follows a man named Angelo. He recently broke up with his wife and has finally decided to follow in his legacy of being an assassin. This doesn’t pan over well and he ends up in prison. One day, he is recruited by the government for secret testing. They give him nanites that allow him to extra abilities beyond human capabilities. However, it comes at a price and it’s up to the government to make sure Angelo’s powers are sealed and contained.
It’s not a lot for a comic, but 24 jammed packed pages is a good start for me. Normally, I shy away from smaller issues as I prefer to see longer journeys. With that said, I think the plot is interesting enough as Angelo is not set up to be a hero, nor is he meant to be an anti-hero. Rather, it focuses on how the government tries to cover up and utilize these newfound abilities. It leaves more for the audience to wonder what will happen next. I would recommend this issue for anyone who wants a brain teaser. It does follow the usual tropes a bit. I can see pieces of Captain Atom, X23 and other influences from other comics. I hope the creators are able to keep the plot unique to keep readers engaged. Or at the very least, try to mix up the tropes so that people wouldn’t expect them in a specific order. I also hope that the nanites used in the story have a unique component to them and do just give Angelo his abilities. Creating a sub-plot for the nanites would be a really interesting move.
Angelo isn’t a bad guy, but he is a bit of a mess due to a divorce. He isn’t perfect and represents a lot of people who are going through rough patches. Now, I wish he wasn’t the guy who’s the answer was combat. That leaves little to the imagination for my expectations on the characters. In fact, I’d see from more the government scientists than Angelo himself. If I could, I wouldn’t have made his personality the opposite of the red power ranger. If the team had to create Angelo, give him more confusion about himself rather than jump right into a rage and then get confused. The creators were very smart to cast Angelo as the main character rather than someone else. This ties the story’s plot and helps the story itself to expand because of the varied perspectives that come later on. However, I prefer seeing more of the scientists’ perspectives rather than Angelo’s view. They have several interesting motives and I want to see how it affects the world overall.
The art style is superb. I would not change it for anything else. It maintains the modern comic feel that can be found in most American comics. It doesn’t shy away from using excellent background lighting. Also, the angles within every panel are perfect. I especially love how each panel focuses on individual characters rather than just the overall big picture. This allows readers to take the time and analyze the characters’ expressions.
Overall, this is a pretty good comic for anyone who wants a slew of ambiguity from all ends. The art style is brilliant and the characters have a nice introduction. The plot follows some usual tropes and I hope the creators can mix it up to keep readers on the edge. I also hope to see more use of the nanite technology as the story moves on.