Review - Bloodshot Reborn #10

Bloodshot Reborn #10 - 

Valiant Entertainment

 

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Lewis LaRosa

Colors by Brian Reber

Letters by Dave Lanphear

 

Bloodshot Reborn was one of the first comics I reviewed when we expanded to written reviews for our podcast.  Valiant was on a roll, especially with Book of Death, and did a great job with this storyline.  Now it's time to start anew and see where Ray and Magic go next.  What I didn't expect was to be taken to the future.

 

Fast forward 30 years and L.A. is a wasteland.  Bloodshot is obsolete, old and has taken up a role as protector of a small village.  A lot goes into how he and the people are surviving, and we also learn the fate of several other Valiant characters along the way.  If I'm being honest, things did drag along a bit after the first few pages, but I decided to read on.  The action starts to kick in towards the end, and after a quick jump to present day, we get a surprising reveal and conclusion at the end of the book.

 

While I loved this series from Issue 1, this issue seemed to lack a lot of the emotion of the previous issues.  Lemire's strength is in his dialogue and creating emotion, which I feel was definitely lacking in this issue.  To me this was too much of a Mad Max Fury Road meets Old Man Logan storyline, and lacked to emotion to draw the reader in.  The previous Bloodshot Reborn issues weren't necessarily filled with action either, but the story was intriguing, and Ray's internal struggle really made you want to read on.  That's a big piece that was missing here.  I will say bringing on Lewis LaRosa does kick the art up a notch.  The detail is very good, matched well with Reber's colors.  To me, this book just didn't live up to the expectations of previous issues.  I'm hoping that changes in Issue 11, so I won't give up just yet.

 

RATING:  PICK UP  

Review - Devolution #1

Devolution #1 - Dynamite Comics

Written by Rick Remender

Art by Jonathan Wayshak

Colors by Jordan Boyd

Cover by Jae Lee

Nobody does a post apocalyptic story like Rick Remender.  This time he has taken it to a whole other level with Devolution from Dynamite.  This story sets a very interesting premise and definitely makes you think.  So just how unique is the premise?

Human beings, animals, everything had devolved and it was done deliberately.  I won't spoil the premise of why it was done or what was changed, because I feel like that is the most interesting part of the story.  Speaking of the story, it follows a character named Raja and she is one of the last homo sapien  left on Earth.  She is on a journey to try and re-evolve mankind and save the species.  It seems like she is constantly under siege every time we follow her, which I suppose, can be expected in a completely uncivilized world.  There are actually a couple of cliffhangers at the end of this book, but one involves characters that sort of come out of left field.  I'm sure we'll find out more about them in Issue 2.

What I loved the most about this book is how Remender goes into great detail about why the world is the way it is in the present day of the story.  The social commentary on society and premise brought forth is both thought provoking, and at times, downright terrifying.  You could easily classify this as a horror book depending on how you look at it.  The art by Wayshak is nothing short of stunning and matches well with the story that is being told.  This book definitely takes you on a ride and gets your blood pressure up more than a couple of times.  I definitely can't wait to see where this one is going.

RATING:  PULL 

Wolf #5 - Image Comics

 

Written by Ales Kot

Art by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz

           Lee Loughridge

 

A new arc and a new artist is not the only change in Wolf #5 from Image Comics.  For those who don't know, Wolf follows paranormal detective Antoine Wolfe who seems like a much more stressed out and serious version of John Constantine.  In the first volume he is joined by an orphan teenager, who turns out to play a bigger role in his life than he expected.  So, after the events of Issue 4, where are we now?

 

Fast forward four years and things are not looking good for Wolfe.  He's in a prison and there is definitely some mystery behind it all.  Something is being done to him, and readers of the first volume may pick up on a few subtle hints here.  Anita is all grown up and trying to find him, but for an atypical teenager, she is definitely having some typical teenage issues.  She sets off on her own investigation and finds out some very interesting things about Wolfe's whereabouts and the world around her.  Now how she handles what she has found will set off the next issue in the arc.

 

If you enjoyed the first volume, this story will not disappoint.  Ales Kot does a great job with the dialogue, really making you feel like you'd know how these characters sound and act if brought to life on screen.  While the art was good in the first volume, I feel like Ortiz's style suits the story a little better and gives it a little more grit that kicks it up a notch.  I will say, if you didn't read the first volume, this is not a book you can just jump right into.  The story is good, the characters are interesting, but read Volume 1 before deciding to grab Issue 5.  Otherwise, the added depth and some shock value, will be lost on you.

 

RATING: PICK UP 

 

Review - Sheriff Of Babylon #2

Sheriff of Babylon #2 -
Vertigo Comics

Written by Tom King
Art by Mitch Gerads
Letters by Nick Napolitano
Cover by John Paul Leon

Ever since we interviewed Tom King on the show last year, I was looking forward to reading this series.  With his background in the CIA, I was really excited to see how he would structure the story in a post-9/11 Iraq (actually based after the fall of Saddam in 2004.) The first issue was full of intrigue and that does not stop in issue 2.

Christopher is the American contractor and he is working with Nassir to return the body of one of his men to his family.  The biggest question I asked when I read this issue is, who is on who's side and what is their agenda?  Another thing that amazed me was how different groups of people handled the situation they were in.  Some were mortified, some appeared desensitized and others seemed to be in it just for personal glory.  I don't want to give anything away, but it's really interesting dynamic that is created.  If you read the first issue though, you know there is more than one body at play here.  In both cases the questions remain, and Sofia seems to be a key figure it both instances.  Question is, was she behind the shocking ending to this issue?

What I love about this book is, there are so many great stories going on at once it's easy to get lost in one or the other.  I don't find myself wanting to stay with one character or the other, and that is a credit to how Tom King structured their origins in Issue 1.  The way Gerads captures the brutality and humanity together in this series is almost unparalleled, especially when stacked up with similar books.  I feel like I'm right there with them, and I think that's the best compliment anyone can give a creative team.  I can't wait to read more!

RATING:  PULL