Reviews»Comic Books»Bloodshot #24
Bloodshot #24 cover
Kareem Ali 4.5

Bloodshot #24

 

  • The good

    Well-crafted and engrossing story that can also have future repercussions. Bloodshot in all his glory. Sets the stage for issue #25 very well.

  • The bad

    Extensive operations of this nature would've been costly for so many people in seemly random positions

  • The ugly

    • Bloodshot #24 has him dealing with sleeper cells being activated in the Ukraine who are seeking to overthrow the government. This took place in the year 2000, and this issue opens up with a man calling the local police station after killing presumably his wife. But he’s not calling to offer an explanation as to why he has a bloody knife in his hand but to check to see if the phone lines in the city are still working, and he realizes he was the first to “awaken.” However, as soon as he hangs up the phone it’s as if half the police officers in the station become possessed, and they mercilessly kill the other officers. This isn’t just occurring at the police station but elsewhere with TV news stations being taken over in the same fashion, and the broadcast message is that the state is in control, and only those who resist will be harmed. Despite new soldiers not entering the area, the same can’t be said for Bloodshot who infiltrates the port as one of the masked gunmen guarding it. Due to his nanites he can tell that the men are all unusually strong with something powering them but when he tries to probe deeper he can’t hack them for some reason, and it just triggers an alert in them resulting in his disguise being blown. Even those back at Project Rising Spirit monitoring everything don’t understand why Bloodshot couldn’t hack into them but know it’s connected to the outmoded technology being used to control them. This means Bloodshot has to resort to Plan B but if even civilians are being controlled unknowingly how many innocent people will he have to kill to put an end to this coup?

    Bloodshot #24 cover
    I know that coming off of Bloodshot’s involvement in the Armor Hunter’s event there’s more excitement about him, and rightly so. So this issue following his exploits back in 2000 when he was still under Project Rising Spirit has perfect timing as it’ll lead into the double-sized issue #25 that will address the true identity of Bloodshot since most of what he knew about his past has proven to be false memories. So even though this is a standalone issue in terms of the events in the Ukraine, this issue deals with mind control and as a result it has Bloodshot questioning his existence performing these missions under the command of Project Rising Spirit. So the start of this issue with all these cells being activated in such a brutal fashion followed by Bloodshot’s attempted infiltration fits with the overall narrative as it throws the reader in the middle of a situation knowing only that Bloodshot’s mission has to succeed. Well, actually, the reader is given more than Bloodshot since what is being said behind the scenes at PRS is shown and reveals a lot about the organization. There is plenty of action with impressive graphic detail courtesy of Will Rosado, and it not only fits with the tone of the issue (and mission) but crucial in revealing what was controlling all these people. And the story unfolded in a highly entertaining way as Bloodshot would have to use plenty of subterfuge to uncover the plot while combating these super-powered soldiers. And so this issue effectively combines everything that is so enjoyable about the character from intense action, psychological and technological warfare and an engrossing story. And the ending sets the stage for the next big issue, and the events that led up to him in his current situation as part of Unity. And I can’t wait.

     

    SUMMARY

    Bloodshot #24 is a highly entertaining issue with its action and story of mind control setting the stage for Bloodshot questioning his own situation with Project Rising Spirit and true identity. The writing flows so smoothly and the artwork captures each scene just right whether it’s Bloodshot in combat or those at the research facility in Colorado. This is an excellent follow-up to his role in the Armor Hunters event and even offers a great jumping on point for those who want to know more about the character. So I’m looking forward to next issue and all its double-sized glory.

     

    Release Date: 10/1/14

    Writer: B. Clay Moore

    Artist: Will Rosado

  • Rating ( 9.25 )
  • Total score 9.3

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