Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

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grendeljd
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Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by grendeljd »

If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue, please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr145/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to any who listen in :thumb:
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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by otomo »

I'll be jumping over to listen to the podcast shortly.

I thought this was an incredibly weak issue. We ended the last issue with a big teaser of Bloodshot about to get murdered, Omen turning the nanites off, a big deal, tons of stuff happening annnnnd.

PAUSE.

Project Omen: Secret Files And Origins #1 this month instead.

This is not good storytelling and there was no reason to delve into the backstory of this guy for an entire issue. I get they're setting up the future monster-omen-bloodshot dude with this new project or whatever, but pausing the story at this place was the wrong spot to do that and honestly, a couple of pages would have been fine on that. This is a Bloodshot book with no bloodshot.

If I was viewing this as Secret FIles and Origins #1 instead of Bloodshot Salvation #4, there were still basic storytelling problems for a comic medium. Very low on action, a lot of talking. The fire in the barn bit was quite compelling but the pace of this was very slow... which kinda has been a hallmark of Jeff Lemire on Bloodshot. On a positive note, it gave great motivation and depth to villain characters, I'll give him that -- but this is the sort of thing you make notes of on the side, mention and layer in, rather than infodumping on us for an entire issue worth.

Overall, there's a problem on Bloodshot -- and actually on several VEI titles that I'm starting to notice now that I've gone and read a lot of the VH1. They're trying way too hard to make every book "serious, dark, edgy, HBO program". It's sapped a lot of fun factor out of the comics. VH1 had so much fun factor that the contrast is really stark when I'm going back and forth between the two. Bloodshot may be the worst in this regard.

It was a fun experiment to do bloodshot once as an introspective kinda book of dealing with "am I human?", but at this point, it's taken a very fun character who is The Punisher meets Wolverine on STEROIDS... and made a boring book out of it. The character the whole name of Bloodshot is something that as a reader I go "candy!" and Lemire instead takes away the lollipop and says, "no, broccoli." There's a time and place for broccoli... but it's not here.

The art while good in spots has some wonky stuff (the veins popping out when the brother gets sedated for one, and some of the facial structures and proportions of the figures).

5/10 which would have been 4/10 if there weren't a panel asking him to go on a helicopter ride which made me laugh too hard. I want more helicopter rides. And Bloodshot throwing Omen out of helicopters like he's Pinochet. Now that'd be a story worthy of the name Bloodshot!
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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by jmatt »

I will agree that like Harbinger: Renegade, the title took a weird spot to deviate from the main plot line and insert backstory. But that's only true for monthly readers who are desperate to see the last cliffhanger resolved. For the TPB reader, this is an eleven minute pause until they find out what happened to Bloodshot. For us, the monthly readers, this is frustrating. For the TPB reader, the brief wait serves to build the tension.

For what we can assume will be an ongoing major villain, I don't mind that an entire issue was dedicated to it. I do agree that it should have covered more ground... less time spent lamenting torn pants and more time spent with Danny on an Omen slab undergoing his transformation.

This issue should be Rampage #0. VEI uses zero issues oddly in that they usually revolve around stuff that one wouldn't consider zero issue material. Divinity #0 wasn't a zero issue, it was Stalinverse: Aftermath.

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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by geocarr »

otomo wrote:Overall, there's a problem on Bloodshot -- and actually on several VEI titles that I'm starting to notice now that I've gone and read a lot of the VH1. They're trying way too hard to make every book "serious, dark, edgy, HBO program". It's sapped a lot of fun factor out of the comics. VH1 had so much fun factor that the contrast is really stark when I'm going back and forth between the two. Bloodshot may be the worst in this regard.
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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by hawkeyeps »

jmatt wrote:I will agree that like Harbinger: Renegade, the title took a weird spot to deviate from the main plot line and insert backstory. But that's only true for monthly readers who are desperate to see the last cliffhanger resolved. For the TPB reader, this is an eleven minute pause until they find out what happened to Bloodshot. For us, the monthly readers, this is frustrating. For the TPB reader, the brief wait serves to build the tension.

For what we can assume will be an ongoing major villain, I don't mind that an entire issue was dedicated to it. I do agree that it should have covered more ground... less time spent lamenting torn pants and more time spent with Danny on an Omen slab undergoing his transformation.

This issue should be Rampage #0. VEI uses zero issues oddly in that they usually revolve around stuff that one wouldn't consider zero issue material. Divinity #0 wasn't a zero issue, it was Stalinverse: Aftermath.
Yep, weird.

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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by Summydad1 »

I didn't mind the issue at all. I look at it like watching a movie and one character has a flash back. It shows motive and state of mind. Also, I'm sure they are doing it for a reason. I thought the art was good and the back story was interesting. I'm sure next month we will be tossed right back into action.
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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by AZBarbarian »

I liked this issue a lot. Probably my favorite of the series so far. I don't mind the pause in the main story line.

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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by tell »

I thought this was a good issue, and I'm pretty happy with Salvation so far, more so than Reborn which I found pretty boring at times. I'm in the "I want action" out of BS camp, and I just didn't care about a love story. The action in BSS so far is good, the story I'm more on board with, and the art is great. I like Magic more as the single mother of a murder-baby than as a love interest.

That said, I agree that I didn't want this story now. I'd be perfectly happy to get this origin story later, I don't believe it's necessary to enjoy the current storyline, especially since we were already getting teasers and insight into the Burned Man and Rampage. This could have been a good backup story running along with several issues of the main plot, or it could have waited until the breaking point in the action or end of a story arc.

Valiant has been strangely comfortable lately in letting plot cliffhangers dangle. I personally don't understand, it's not a great way to enjoy a story that comes in short monthly bursts.

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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by Dallow Spicer1 »

Summydad1 wrote:I didn't mind the issue at all. I look at it like watching a movie and one character has a flash back. It shows motive and state of mind. Also, I'm sure they are doing it for a reason. I thought the art was good and the back story was interesting. I'm sure next month we will be tossed right back into action.
+1 I thought this was a great issue. Moving story of 2 brothers one of which became the scarred man which instantly makes that character more interesting as he’s not necessarily a ‘bad guy’ in the cliched sense and is very caring towards his brother. It seems like he made him into Rampage initially to help him. Great art too. Bloodshot Salvation has been superb so far and looking forward to next issue now we know more about a key character (scarred man).

4.5/5 :thumb:

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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by grendeljd »

Fantastic art as always, and a good back story about Scarred Man & Rampage as kids. I don't mind the pause in storytelling pace to do this story, although I do feel it could have been condensed ever so slightly, enough to maybe also show the making of Rampage as well.
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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by jeremycoe »

I enjoyed the story quite a bit. I've been wanting to know more about Scarred Man and Rampage and Lemire's managed to make me feel sympathetic towards them, which is great for any villain. They've been billing it for quite some time as the origin of Rampage and that's what they delivered.
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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by Bl00dsh0t »

jeremycoe wrote:I enjoyed the story quite a bit. I've been wanting to know more about Scarred Man and Rampage and Lemire's managed to make me feel sympathetic towards them, which is great for any villain. They've been billing it for quite some time as the origin of Rampage and that's what they delivered.
Lemire writes dark family orientated dramas and I love the way he incorporated Rampage into that story framework. I really enjoyed this issue. Rampage now reads as much more than a stereotypical comic book bad guy. :thumb:

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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by otomo »

jmatt wrote:I will agree that like Harbinger: Renegade, the title took a weird spot to deviate from the main plot line and insert backstory. But that's only true for monthly readers who are desperate to see the last cliffhanger resolved. For the TPB reader, this is an eleven minute pause until they find out what happened to Bloodshot. For us, the monthly readers, this is frustrating. For the TPB reader, the brief wait serves to build the tension.

For what we can assume will be an ongoing major villain, I don't mind that an entire issue was dedicated to it. I do agree that it should have covered more ground... less time spent lamenting torn pants and more time spent with Danny on an Omen slab undergoing his transformation.

This issue should be Rampage #0. VEI uses zero issues oddly in that they usually revolve around stuff that one wouldn't consider zero issue material. Divinity #0 wasn't a zero issue, it was Stalinverse: Aftermath.
Yeah I would have been perfectly content if this was Rampage #0. Monthly reader or not -- they put out the books in this format and editorial needs to tighten this kinda thing up if they're gonna compete.
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Re: Bloodshot Salvation #4 Discussion

Post by Big Red »

tell wrote: This could have been a good backup story running along with several issues of the main plot, or it could have waited until the breaking point in the action or end of a story arc.
That's exactly what I thought.
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