Bloodshot Reborn #7 Discussion

[greg]

Good progress from last issue... I love it when Valiant plants seeds for the future and this issue has a couple.

Good ending, too.

[Phoenix8008]

A good issue of BS:R and a nice cliffhanger ending. So, Kay is back in his head and 'Squirt' is controlling the opposition?! Makes total sense that they're conspiring to kill off Magic since they're both very jealous seeming of her. I wonder if this 'Hunter' will end up being Rampage? I think he'd need some more nanites first. Looking forward to next issue!

An interesting question that I saw on Reddit about Bloodshot Reborn #7 and Imperium #9 that both came out today: In BS:R, Agents Festival and Hoight meet with a secret contact who tells them about an ultra dark, off the books corporation called Project Rising Spirit. Then in Imperium, it shows commercials on TV advertising for personal and home anti-psiot technologies all being sold by PRS by name.

This was my response I already posted to his question about this:

I'd say that these commercials shown in Imperium are the first time we've seen PRS going public. Up to this point, they totally have been the ultra dark, super secret agency the CIA contact described to Festival and Hoight.

I'd say that with what Harada's done, PRS are banking on selling to the public their 'Anti-Psiot/Harada' tech. This ties into what the PRS boss seemed to be plotting after he escaped from the submarine battle.

While it wouldn't be the first time something like this was missed by Editorial, I HOPE that they'll be really smart about it and show in the next issue or two of Bloodshot that the two agents find out that PRS is now public and advertising. That would be a great tie in.

It's also possible that the timelines for these comics aren't in sync exactly and that the adverts for PRS just haven't happened yet in the Bloodshot Reborn timeline. But at that point we're just making excuses for editorial not catching it.

What do you all think? An oversight on Editorial's part? Or just a case of timelines out of sync? Or a good opportunity for VEI to show some cross title continuity if they can slip something into BS:R showing that the commercials are just starting as the agents are learning of the company too? Posting this to the BS:R and Imperium discussion threads simultaneously to gather thoughts from both ends.

[Keith]

I agree with the idea that it's timelines out of synch and the the events in BS:R and Imperium aren't contigrous. And, even if Rising Spirit was a public facing company prior to these issues, they still might not have been very well known to the general masses.

[Phoenix8008]

Another possibility I saw someone else mention: Remember a year or so ago (maybe exactly a year ago at NYCC??) when they were showing off artwork pages that were already done from issues 10 or 11 or something of Bloodshot Reborn well before issue #1 even hit the stands? If they were that far ahead at that point, this becomes a case of 'one of the few downsides of being so far ahead of the game'. I'm sure a year ago there was no thought of PRS coming out of the shadows and going public. Just unfortunate that these books released in the same week and it became so easy to see the dichotomy when reading them back to back.

[Keith]

That's very true. Lemire was way way ahead of things!

[jmatt]

Kind of a quick read and short on action. Normally I don't mind a set up issue that builds the plot and tension. But last month's was one of those, too. Still enjoyable, none-the-less.

[agent_graves]

This issue was aight, but it doesn't feel like a new arc to me, just the same ol same ol, and now Kay's back.

[grendeljd]

If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue (& Imperium #9), please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr35/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We talked a bit about that PRS dichotomy.

Thanks to any who listen in

[BugsySig]

An OK issue. Read fast with not much movement to the plot. Time to pick up the pace a little. This is getting really decompressed.

[tiredofmyself]

I hope more readers will gradually see past the phenomenal art and recognize that the storytelling of Lemire is not very good. I'm not taking about out-of-sync timeline with respect to Project Rising Spirit. I'm talking about all the freaking cliches and the illogical cliffhanger ending of this issue. How did Ray only detect the hand, but not the bigger part of the body? And talk about decompression. Three pages of Magic going to toilet while more destruction to Kay's character. And Bloodshot realized once again he should just be Bloodshot, which totally invalidate Kay's last act of kindness. And that Magic seems to exist to provide sex to Ray. Sorry for the rant. But Lemire just did a botched job on the ending to his first arc of Hawkeye as well. In my humble opinion I place him far below other writers currently contracted by Valiant.

[jmatt]

I'm talking about all the freaking cliches and the illogical cliffhanger ending of this issue. How did Ray only detect the hand, but not the bigger part of the body? And talk about decompression. Three pages of Magic going to toilet while more destruction to Kay's character. And Bloodshot realized once again he should just be Bloodshot, which totally invalidate Kay's last act of kindness. And that Magic seems to exist to provide sex to Ray.

I will admit that the end left me a tad confused by that, I'm assuming there will be some explanation in the next issue.

I think Kay and Bloodsquirt would have worked better at opposite ends of the issue, Kay cautioning him about slipping back into Bloodshot and Squirt spurring him on; the old angel and devil on your shoulders thing. Again, I assume we will eventually learn that this is not actually some embodiment of Kay and her character is still intact. Or simply dead.

This would also give us an opportunity to hear Bloodshot plead with Kay that he's doing this for the right reasons.

Magic exists to help deliver narrative, she gives him someone to talk to, and that's important for the reader.

[tiredofmyself]

I'm talking about all the freaking cliches and the illogical cliffhanger ending of this issue. How did Ray only detect the hand, but not the bigger part of the body? And talk about decompression. Three pages of Magic going to toilet while more destruction to Kay's character. And Bloodshot realized once again he should just be Bloodshot, which totally invalidate Kay's last act of kindness. And that Magic seems to exist to provide sex to Ray.

I will admit that the end left me a tad confused by that, I'm assuming there will be some explanation in the next issue.

I think Kay and Bloodsquirt would have worked better at opposite ends of the issue, Kay cautioning him about slipping back into Bloodshot and Squirt spurring him on; the old angel and devil on your shoulders thing. Again, I assume we will eventually learn that this is not actually some embodiment of Kay and her character is still intact. Or simply dead.

This would also give us an opportunity to hear Bloodshot plead with Kay that he's doing this for the right reasons.

Magic exists to help deliver narrative, she gives him someone to talk to, and that's important for the reader.

Kay is dead. But the problem is like you said, both of them (nano projections) are devious. It's just insulting to the memory of the (fictional) dead.
Magic just doesn't have too much going on about herself unlike previous Companions like Pulse or Medic.

Oh and the parts where the agents meet the CIA agent about PRS. So so cliche! It's not even new reader friendly about PRS because how cliche and stupid it makes PRS look like. I mean PRS look like fools before Harada, but in Harbingers they are a serious threat to (fictionally) normal people, so much so that they were part of the Sect. It took a special character like @x to leak the info temporarily before being shut down, and now a random agent just pulled out the file from the drawer?

[jmatt]

It's just insulting to the memory of the (fictional) dead.

I have to believe there are plans to resurrect Kay in some fashion. Otherwise we would have just had Bloodsquirt.

[JonesyAZ]

Apologies if this has been mentioned or discussed elsewhere, but I have a crazy theory...

What if Magic is actually the nanite hunter? Am I insane? Lol

[BugsySig]

Apologies if this has been mentioned or discussed elsewhere, but I have a crazy theory...

What if Magic is actually the nanite hunter? Am I insane? Lol

No, but I have thought about her also being a nanite projection.

The solicit for the Analogue Man arc said Bloodshot was still with Magic even that far into the future which makes her existence suspect in my opinion.

[jmatt]

No, but I have thought about her also being a nanite projection.

Hmm, that's kinda like a Sixth Sense reveal at the end, if so.

[DirtbagSailor]

My published BS:R #7 review.

http://all-comic.com/2015/bloodshot-reborn-7/

[QUARTZ]

I hope more readers will gradually see past the phenomenal art and recognize that the storytelling of Lemire is not very good. I'm not taking about out-of-sync timeline with respect to Project Rising Spirit. I'm talking about all the freaking cliches and the illogical cliffhanger ending of this issue. How did Ray only detect the hand, but not the bigger part of the body? And talk about decompression. Three pages of Magic going to toilet while more destruction to Kay's character. And Bloodshot realized once again he should just be Bloodshot, which totally invalidate Kay's last act of kindness. And that Magic seems to exist to provide sex to Ray. Sorry for the rant. But Lemire just did a botched job on the ending to his first arc of Hawkeye as well. In my humble opinion I place him far below other writers currently contracted by Valiant.

I agree, the art is superb, stellar, but the story is meh. It's been dragging, it's kind of a bummer seeing Bloodshot so human and alcoholic and crazy for so long...

[possumgrease]

I am a big Lemire fan, but I too have been surprised with all the cliches/tropes that we've seen. I thought at first that it was deliberate in that we the reader were supposed to recognize that the story is following X trope in order to set us up for something down the road. I'm starting to doubt that theory though.

[Donovan]

Butch Guice is the ideal artist for this book, IMO. The issues he has drawn have connected best with the story being told.

[jmatt]

... but the story is meh. It's been dragging...

That's because there's been two setup issues in a row. I like the story concept and I think a more human Bloodshot is here to stay, but it's time for some serious rock and roll.

[leonmallett]

This and the last issue were somewhat better than the 5 preceding them for me, but it hasn't felt like 7 issues of story, sorry to say.

The art on this book remains the high point of the story that is slowly, very slowly at times, unfolding.