Comic Review: Bloodshot U.S.A #4 (Valiant)

The four issue mini-series epic comes to a close as Bloodshot fights his way to end the Bloodshot virus that has infected New York once and for all.

After finally removing the systematic binds that prevented Kay’s personality from dominating her Deathmate personality, Bloodshot has freed Kay. While Ninjak and the Bloodshot crew make their final strike against the infected populace, it all ends here. Will Bloodshot succeed in cleansing New York and defeating Rising Spirit’s criminal advances, or will New York and the rest of the world succumb to Rising Spirit’s control?

Jeff Lemire has done an excellent job in writing a well-paced, cinematically themed, four issue mini-series epic. Each issue felt like a blockbuster film, and this satisfying conclusion to this mini-series is an example of tying up all of those loose ends and delivering the kind of payoff that a cool blockbuster film would deliver. Lemire’s handle of Ray ( the title character), Kay aka Deathmate, and their eventual team up was emotional and handled in the most convincing way. There is a conflicting moment when Magic discovers Kay and Ray arriving on the scene in attempts to fend off the infected, and you as the reader can really feel the tension that stirs their emotions. The feeling of misunderstanding interpreted with Bloodshot, Kay, and Magic was executed superbly. Lemire really goes to great lengths to tie up loose ends which is not always common when it comes to actual comic events or limited series events, which made it very satisfying.

Doug Braithwaite is on top of his game as he was with the other issues illustrated prior. Each character drawn in action are a delight to see, but it’s the sentimental moments that really stand out. Whenever there is a moment that Bloodshot is reflecting on his situations, or interactions with Magic and Kay or just The Bloodshot crew in solidarity really speaks volumes in terms of his art style, delivery, and execution. There is a moment with one of the bloodshot guy’s (Quiet Man), where he is overwhelmed by the infected, and as a reader, you can sense that feeling of being smothered and hopeless. Braithwaite’s panel layouts are amazing, and he makes sure that the writing is visually translated well. Colorist Brian Reber delivers consistent colors that help display just how powerful Kay’s Deathmate powers are, especially in the final pages of this miniseries, and it evokes a cinematic atmosphere that this series wouldn’t have been able to accomplish without it. Dave Lanphear’s letters were also well done. Lanphear appropriately places each dialogue narration and bubble in the appropriate places, successfully letting the art breathe while letting the thoughts and character dialogue flow between the panels. This was a solid miniseries that told a great story from beginning to end, I definitely recommend this for anyone’s pull list.