Bloodshot Reborn #12

Bloodshot Reborn #12

Writer: Jeff Lemire

Artist: Lewis Larosa

Colours: Brian Reber

This issue is the penultimate issue in the Analogue Man story. The main part of the story follows Ninjak and Bloodshot as they take revenge against the post apocalyptic Shadowmen. Which they do, in bloody fashion. The two cut their way through the Shadowmen, and are told of a mysterious man in the tower, who Bloodshot should know he is told. The story also has interspersed memories of Bloodshots earlier days with Magic living in their village. Magic has an engagement ring on, so I assume her and Bloodshot got married or engaged at some point. We see that Magic and Bloodshots home might be under attack.

Bloodshot and Ninjak are a good fit team up wise. The two characters are a much better fit to me than the other Ninjak team up this week in X-O Manowar. The operational similarities gel way better with Ninjak and Bloodshot. The visuals of the two standing their ground swords drawn, ready to face the Shadowmen were awesome and I want to find the art for this.

On the art topic, I really enjoyed it. With the colours kind of make it look like the old Gold Key painted covers, beautifully done. The panel shapes change depending on the level of action, normal right angled panels in calmer more quiet scenes, while the action scenes the panels kind of cut across the page. There is a lot of blood and guts in this one, including a page that is just Bloodshot's boot destroying the head of one of the Shadowmen complete with brain matter and teeth spraying and eye balls flying. Two awesome double page spreads are also highlights of Larosa's art in this book. Every panel is alive with action, as it should be with this book, it reads like an action movie.

This series has been awesome so far. Jeff Lemire has masterfully told his story to this point. I am a little confused about how this fits into the continuity of the Valiant Universe. Some things that have happened in past issues of this arc don't really jive with the future events we were shown in the Book of Death's Fall of.... books. There is speculation from some of the Valiant faithful that this is all a dream or more implanted memories. Either way this was a great issue and it will be exciting to see the conclusion of the Analogue Man story.