Bloodshot Reborn, Vol. 1: Colorado

There are so many different ways to approach a narrative about the rebirth of a superhuman character, but Lemire (The Valiant, Essex County) takes one of the strongest. The story begins six months after the end of The Valiant, with Bloodshot having been liberated from the tiny machines—called nanites­—that made him the perfect assassin for a rogue paramilitary outfit. Now just a normal man, he has taken the name Ray Garrison, but he knows little about the hero he used to be and is terrified at the prospect of finding out. When killers looking remarkably like the former Bloodshot start appearing, Garrison realizes he must reacquire the nanites and try to control them. Lemire does an exceptional job of showing Garrison’s inner conflict; Suayan (Moon Knight, Thor) and colorist David Baron create a visual canvas that provides emotional detail while showing the extent of Bloodshot’s psychological trauma. This initial volume is an exciting opening salvo in the reinvention of this long-running character. [em](Sept.) [/em]