As Bloodshot continues his mission hunting down rogue Super Soldiers, past and present collide as Bloodshot struggles with his own past that led to the start of this series. 
Meanwhile, Verlane is haunted by nightmares of his past, evading all kinds of authority. Two battle-weary super soldiers, two burdened souls of yesterday’s time, but only one will come out the victor!
Camp dives deep and fantastically displays what led to the events of this series and why Bloodshot was so broken at the start. The damage he endured and how that reflects in Verlane, who is another supersoldier haunted by a past that makes it difficult to distinguish reality and memory is beautifully executed by Camp. Much of this series has explored various themes of the Military industrial complex, PTSD, manipulation through theology, and mental health which is something that many veterans experience and Bloodshot is able to embody this as he carries out his mission, questioning himself, and pondering whether or not he is any different from the very super soldiers he hunts.
Verlaine is unlike the previous antagonists of this series since he isn’t necessarily a horrible being, he’s just a byproduct of war, stuck in a PTSD loop of bad memories that keep him locked in a state he can’t seem to shake off from. Camp displays Verlaine’s perspective and trauma brilliantly, garnering empathy for both players of the battlefield who aren’t that different from one another, despite the harsh choices that lay before them. How Camp concludes this book is unexpected, yet fitting as a full circle moment that wraps up what could be personified as the five stages of grief through Bloodshot. Maybe that’s exaggeration, but it’s fitting for what Camp is going for and has accomplished with this title.
Unfortunately, Jon Davis-Hunt isn’t illustrating this issue, but fortunately, Eric Zawadski is able to fill in the absence of Hunt’s presence by delivering brutal action, well compositioned panels, and cleverly drawn layouts that keep the visual consistency of the series intact, while remaining staying stylistically true to his art. Jordie Bellaire’s colors blend well with Zawadazki’s illustrations, enhancing it with a cinematic touch that makes the art and story more realized in tone, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering is stylistically effective and makes the whole book fit perfectly as one packaged deal. This is one title from Valiant that has a lot of depth, and action which is no easy balancing act to accomplish, but Camp and company manage to deliver a great book that is worth adding to their library and pull list for new comic book day.
Newsdesk