Bloodshot Reborn #2 Discussion

[BugsySig]

I thought this issue was fantastic. Better than the first. Great art and some cool bloody scenes. There's real depth to the story and especially BS himself.

I like the addition of the detectives. The noir elements mixed with sci fi action make this a pretty unique book. I'm really looking forward to the future of this title under Lemire.

[A I Diva]

I agree. And there's a lot more depth in the way Bloodshot is illustrated. He seems to have more realistic facial details. I like it!

Was there an oops on the page at the end that advertised issue #3? It says it will be released today, May 20, 2015. Or am I misunderstanding the layout?

[greg]

Was there an oops on the page at the end that advertised issue #3? It says it will be released today, May 20, 2015. Or am I misunderstanding the layout?

Looks like an oops to me. They are saying Bloodshot Reborn #3 and today.

[jmatt]

The art is phenomenal. Suayan is at his best.

Story is rolling along pretty well, too. Kay is getting a little creepy, she seems less like a companion and more foreboding in a way. I'm still okay with Bloodsquirt, he takes you out of the near photorealistic panels a bit, but okay for now.

The new detectives are a good addition; I like Festival's ability to ostensibly see into the mind's-eye of the killer.

Bloodshot's observation that "You ain't the first one who couldn't handle them"... a throw away line? What does he know of other nanite recipients? Trying to remember....

I like that he isn't immediately overwhelmed and taken by the nanites. I'm still guessing on a Hulk like archetype, where he's in control until imminent danger switches Ray into Bloodshot mode.

Now, these other Bloodshot style killers... PRS setting a trap?

[agent_graves]

Best part for me, was Bloodshot putting an axe to homeboy's head...

Looks like the nanities, have crept back in, I wasn't expecting that so soon...

Detective Festival, is an intriguing addition to the cast...

I like Bloodsquirt, but I think Lemire should tone it back a bit, so the little guy doesn't become annoying...

[erwinrafael]

So in terms of our photorealistic artists...Suayan or Crain?

I am voting Suayan. I am happy he finally got this gig from VEI.

[Brapbrap]

i dont think crain is photorealistic, his art is extremely stylized

and this issue was good, not sure about the nanites being back after just 1 issue but obviously there's a lot more to be revealed in the story, biggest question for me is how a random guy in a log cabin got bloodshot nanites

[Donovan]

Photorealistic artist? Lewis LaRosa, hands down miles ahead of any other Valiant contender.

As for the issue, I'm just not feeling it.

Knowing I'm seemingly the only person on this board to feel this way, I'll give myself a day or two to think about what isn't working for me before deciding whether or not I want to open myself up to an axe to the head.

[BugsySig]

I see Bloodsquirt, Ray and Kay as Bloodshot's Id, Ego and Superego, respectively.

Bloodsquirt is his inner child who demands immediate satisfaction and offers child-like curiosity.

Kay offers a moral and more sophisticated opinion on the happenings around him.

Ray is his logic and reasoning; his actual self who must make the ultimate decisions.

At some point, the three may merge back into the full Bloodshot persona.

[jmatt]

I see Bloodsquirt, Ray and Kay as Bloodshot's Id, Ego and Superego, respectively.

Bloodsquirt is his inner child who demands immediate satisfaction and offers child-like curiosity.

Kay offers a moral and more sophisticated opinion on the happenings around him.

Ray is his logic and reasoning; his actual self who must make the ultimate decisions.

At some point, the three may merge back into the full Bloodshot persona.

Fair enough, Dr Freud. That's actually a pretty good 'analysis'.

[BugsySig]

I see Bloodsquirt, Ray and Kay as Bloodshot's Id, Ego and Superego, respectively.

Bloodsquirt is his inner child who demands immediate satisfaction and offers child-like curiosity.

Kay offers a moral and more sophisticated opinion on the happenings around him.

Ray is his logic and reasoning; his actual self who must make the ultimate decisions.

At some point, the three may merge back into the full Bloodshot persona.

Fair enough, Dr Freud. That's actually a pretty good 'analysis'.

Sorry, just finished the Freud/consciousness unit in my Psych classes.

[omega_override]

Really liked the sudden disappearance of Kay & Bloodsquirt just to further illustrate the fact that Ray might be losing his mind. Kind of curious if he mentally created these two hallucinations over time due to the emotional and psychological loss of the nanites

[hunter_peterson]

Really liked the sudden disappearance of Kay & Bloodsquirt just to further illustrate the fact that Ray might be losing his mind. Kind of curious if he mentally created these two hallucinations over time due to the emotional and psychological loss of the nanites

If you think about it, Bloodshot was very used to talking to his nanites like they were people. So making imaginary friends as a coping mechanism makes sense. But I still think it's the nanites doing that, to guide him back to them. The Geomancer's magic seems to have made them act very differently than in the past...

[jmatt]

But I still think it's the nanites doing that, to guide him back to them. The Geomancer's magic seems to have made them act very differently than in the past...

That's something we haven't mentioned: Exactly how does Bloodshot know how to find this guy in the woods? The nanites are calling to him, somehow.

[hunter_peterson]

But I still think it's the nanites doing that, to guide him back to them. The Geomancer's magic seems to have made them act very differently than in the past...

That's something we haven't mentioned: Exactly how does Bloodshot know how to find this guy in the woods? The nanites are calling to him, somehow.

And being that the nanites can only communicate through machines or organic hosts... they must never have fully left him. I guess that itching in the blood wasn't paranoia...

EDIT: Which is logical, considering that the nanites are where Bloodshot keeps his soul.

[jmatt]

And being that the nanites can only communicate through machines or organic hosts... they must never have fully left him. I guess that itching in the blood wasn't paranoia...

I never bought into the notion that they were removed... does Kay actually use that word? I read it as she managed to somehow turn them off. What Geomancer power would allow her to reach into him and diffuse them out of his body?

[bygranddesign]

I'm loving this book - this is profound storytelling.

Mico's gritty, realistic art is such a brilliant compliment to Lemire's moody, dark, introspective, psychological manhunt thriller narrative.

Its a tired phrase ... but this is Vertigo type storytelling. Its sort of slow burn that gets under your skin ... and I think it will get better and better as the issues move along.

Loving this so much - I think Valiant is really telling some of their best stories right now. Very Impressive.

[bygranddesign]

And being that the nanites can only communicate through machines or organic hosts... they must never have fully left him. I guess that itching in the blood wasn't paranoia...

I never bought into the notion that they were removed... does Kay actually use that word? I read it as she managed to somehow turn them off. What Geomancer power would allow her to reach into him and diffuse them out of his body?

+1

I know in VH1, Geomancers have power over machines - i'm pretty sure the same is true in VEI.

I think she either turned them off to try and give him a normal life ... and now the nanites/the memories that have been suppressed are starting to slowly come to the surface

and/or her consciousness is now part of the nanites - Kay is one of the souls "trapped" in the nanites - and she is suppressing his abilities to try and give him a normal life. Playing the role of "Goldie Boy"

But she is acting kind of creepy - which either makes me think she simply turned them off and these encounters with her are just delusions. Or it could be that being part of the nanites ... just made her a bit nutty too...

[hunter_peterson]

And being that the nanites can only communicate through machines or organic hosts... they must never have fully left him. I guess that itching in the blood wasn't paranoia...

I never bought into the notion that they were removed... does Kay actually use that word? I read it as she managed to somehow turn them off. What Geomancer power would allow her to reach into him and diffuse them out of his body?

+1

I know in VH1, Geomancers have power over machines - i'm pretty sure the same is true in VEI.

I think she either turned them off to try and give him a normal life ... and now the nanites/the memories that have been suppressed are starting to slowly come to the surface

and/or her consciousness is now part of the nanites - Kay is one of the souls "trapped" in the nanites - and she is suppressing his abilities to try and give him a normal life. Playing the role of "Goldie Boy"

But she is acting kind of creepy - which either makes me think she simply turned them off and these encounters with her are just delusions. Or it could be that being part of the nanites ... just made her a bit nutty too...

We DID see some nanites diffuse out of him in The Valiant, though. And that had to have happened for the other people to have his nanites. But he must have had some left, especially if it actually IS Kay's soul he's talking to. So I'm saying she removed most of them and repressed the rest.

[jmatt]

Kay is one of the souls "trapped" in the nanites - and she is suppressing his abilities to try and give him a normal life. Playing the role of "Goldie Boy"

Hmm, I like it!

We DID see some nanites diffuse out of him in The Valiant, though. And that had to have happened for the other people to have his nanites.

Yeah, there was that 'cloud' around him so I know what you're saying.

But we don't know if those are his nanites in the copycat killer. PRS, and possibly even Harada, still have the technology.

[bygranddesign]

I'm not sure exactly how to interpret this panel



The yellow energy is the Geomancer power ... The pink smoke could be the nanites leaving the body . or just the nanites losing their power (for the moment) and now they are coming to the surface 6 months later as they repair themselves

The 'other bloodshots' in Reborn could have gotten their nanites from anywhere ... P.R.S i'm sure has extra nanites laying around somewhere ...

or even better,,, when Harada had to abandon the foundation ... all of Harada's experimentation on Bloodshot were left abandoned ... and random people got exposed or other bad people got their hands on it

. So this could be another unintended negative consequence of the Renegades taking down Harada.

[agent_graves]

Really liked the sudden disappearance of Kay & Bloodsquirt just to further illustrate the fact that Ray might be losing his mind. Kind of curious if he mentally created these two hallucinations over time due to the emotional and psychological loss of the nanites

I assumed he was bugging out, that panel confirmed it. Ray needs a therapist

[jmatt]

I'm not sure exactly how to interpret this panel

The yellow energy is the Geomancer power ...

Yeah, well, what exactly is the Geomancer power? Like other aspects of Valiant characters, they seem to change according to whatever the script needs.

It started with Buck and he seemed limited to the traditional geomancer power of speaking to the Earth.

In Days of Steel we saw a geomancer either in the form of a crow or speaking through one.

And Kay seems to be able to fly, shoot blasts from her hands and communicate with technology. I'll bet Buck wished he had remembered he could do all of that when he was crushed by the Boon.

Cue the Consistency - Stability thread. I am uncomfortable with Kind-T's apparent license to do anything he wants with the characters.

The pink smoke could be the nanites leaving the body . or just the nanites losing their power (for the moment) and now they are coming to the surface 6 months later as they repair themselves

Yeah, it's a little non-specific.

[bygranddesign]

Cue the Consistency - Stability thread. I am uncomfortable with Kind-T's apparent license to do anything he wants with the characters.

I think Dysart in keeping within the Harbinger/Imperium world (with a short trip into Bloodshot's world) has been the most consistent with his characters from the beginning. I think he made Harada and Peter too powerful ... but he hasn't really walked that back in his own book. Instead he explained P.R.S's ability to go up against Harada with Psiot Dampening technology ... something they don't bother to go into with Unity even though Harada has the ability to blow up your brain with a thought.

All the other writers (Kind-T is not alone) have had some inconsistency issues with characters - mainly because the character's were made too powerful, imo.

In regards to Geomancer, I would assume that each Geomancer develops their own special Geomancer abilities. What drove me a crazy about Kay in the Valiant ... is that she flew to Colorado and when confronted with the Immortal Enemy she loses the ability to fly away? I could understand at the moment, maybe I.E had her under a spell, but when the other's started fighting I.E she should have been able to fly away then ... instead of hiding in a mall with Bloodshot. This is inconsistency within the same book - which is pretty inexcusable.

Also Neville is able to gather all these heroes up in record time ... but couldn't get an extraction team to get Kay out of there?

Bringing this back to Bloodshot Reborn ... I think Lemire has been 'Ok' so far in terms of keeping within continuity .. my one quibble was the panels in which Bloodshot gets his head blown away and it heals instantaneously. But Lemire is creating something new and interesting with this book -- a dark moody mature tone -- that I fully support and want more of - so I'm really digging this book - and I could look past some small inconsistencies if the writing and art continue to be this good.

[Brapbrap]

i dont think theres anything wrong with that panel, if he had eaten a lot of protein right before his mission i think that kind of healing would be possible, in bloodshot 1 he regenerates pretty quickly after having his whole body burnt up