Armor Hunters: Bloodshot

by Joe Harris (Writer), Trevor Hairsine (Penciller), Ryan Winn (Inker)

The hunters become the hunted!
With the major capitals of Earth under siege by the Armor Hunters, the world's most dangerous weapon has decided to come in from the cold - and into the service of the top-secret Military Extraterrestrial Reconnaissance Outpost (M.E.R.O.)! But when one of the Armor Hunters' own stages an extraterrestrial jailbreak inside of M.E.R.O.'s fortified command center, the nanite-enhanced commando known as Bloodshot will become the last thing standing between the galaxy's most feared team of hunter-killers and a classified arsenal of secret weapons far too deadly for human hands! From fan favorite writer Joe Harris (Great Pacific, The X-Files: Season 10) and superstar artist Trevor Hairsine (X-Men: Deadly Genesis), start reading here as Project Rising Spirit's most dangerous soldier brings the hunt to the hunters!

Collecting: Armor Hunters: Bloodshot 1-3, Bloodshot 0

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Comic Book, Science Fiction, Action, Superheroes, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2014

About the author

JOE HARRIS is the co-creator and writer of original comics and graphic novels such as the Image Comics rock ‘n’ roll thrill ride, Rockstars, and the environmental sci-fi epics, Great Pacific and Snowfall; along with the supernatural thrillers, Ghost Projekt and Spontaneous, and the children’s fantasy, Wars In Toyland, for Oni Press. In 2013, Joe began a long stint writing the officially-licensed continuation of the paranormal investigations of Agents Mulder and Scully in The X-Files comics at IDW to the enjoyment of fans around the world. The X-Files: Cold Cases—the best-selling audio dramatization of Joe’s comics scripts featuring the voices of David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and the entire original X-Files cast—and the follow-up, The X-Files: Stolen Lives were released by Audible beginning in 2017.

As a young creator at Marvel Comics, Joe launched the cult-classic Spider-Man spinoff, Slingers and the Bishop: The Last X-Man series. He has written for just about all major comics publishers including DC Comics, Marvel, Image, IDW, Dark Horse, Valiant, BOOM! and others.

A horror screenwriter and filmmaker, Harris conceived and co-wrote Darkness Falls for Sony Pictures—after his short film, Tooth Fairy was acquired by Revolution Studios and he was hired to develop it into a feature—along with the politically farcical slasher movie, The Tripper for FOX. In 2018, he co-wrote the live-action web series, Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe for Valiant Entertainment.

His latest project is Surviving Nuclear Attack, a paranoid sci-fi thriller, set to launch in 2019 as part of John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction from Storm King Comics.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Read Bloodshot if you like the Valiant universe! <-- that's what everyone kept telling me.
And they were right. Again.



Now, I'm relatively sure this wasn't the best place to start, but it was all I had to go on at my library. And the truth is, even though I'm fairly sure I was missing pertinent information, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Bloodshot was an interesting character who inhabits an interesting world, and this has his (new?) origin story issue (Bloodshot 0) included at the end.



Now, I don't know exactly what was happening, but it seemed that the Armor the title refers to is something linked to the armor X-O Manowar wears. There's a big fight happening amongst the aliens, and there's a bounty hunter after an alien that they (<--whoever Bloodshot is working for? No idea.) have prisoner.
Lots of action, lots of cool powers. Good stuff.



Bloodshot's origin was a lot better and different than what I thought it would be, and I'd love to read more.
I'm going to be on the lookout for more of this guy.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review covers the entirety of the Armor Hunters event, including all of the tie-ins.


The Main Event - Robert Venditti + Doug Braithwaite - 4 stars
The Armor Hunters have made it to Earth, and they want to kill Aric of Dacia - and they're not going to let anyone get in their way.

What surprised me most about this event is the fast pace. In a world where most events are 6-12 issues long, Armor Hunters is four issues and an aftermath, all of which take place over a matter of days. Each issue has some huge revelations involved, and some devastating events that echo out across the Valiant Universe. I think some of the impact of the series might be lost if you've not read X-O Manowar up to this point, but it does stand very well on its own. It's nice to see that Venditti can spin a tale that puts Aric on the world stage (again) without alienating new readers, and tell a complete story in four issues (although some of the tie-ins are pretty important).

Both here and in the Unity issues, we're reminded just how god damn powerful Livewire is as well, and I'm seriously surprised she hasn't had her own ongoing series at this point. There are some real fist-pump moments, especially in the final issue, and I had a smile on my face when I finished this, which is always a good sign (and not something I can say about a lot of events recently either). There's also a lasting impact, which is something else I haven't said much recently either; Unity and X-O Manowar have very different status quos on the other side of Armor Hunters than they did before, and it's not something they can instantly go back on, which is great. The Valiant Universe always feels like it's evolving rather than regressing or staying the same, and this is a good reason why.

I've made no secret that I really like Braithwaite's art; I find that it works a lot better on more mystical or supernatural books because of the wispiness to his linework, but he really manages to hammer this one home and solidify himself in my mind as an artist that can tackle anything.

X-O Manowar - Robert Venditti + Diego Bernard - 4 stars
These tie-in issues tell the secret origin of the Armor Hunters, as we witness the rise of Primary and the fall of Malgam.

There's not a lot of relevance to the main storyline, which is fair since a lot of Venditti's plot points take place in the Armor Hunters mini itself, so these issues offer some much needed background that paints the Armor Hunters in a very different light, almost justified in what they've been doing across the universe. Of course, they still want to kill our main characters so there's got to be a twist, but even so, they're effective at enhancing the main story.

The focus remains on Malgam for the final issue as well, as we see his final fate in the wake of the battle in Armor Hunters; it shows just how compassionate and caring Aric is, and why he's such a good leader and king. Good character work, for a constantly evolving character.0

I mentioned Diego Bernard in the prelude volume, and he continues strongly here. He fits the Valiant house style very well, and really makes these characters his own.

Unity - Matt Kindt + Stephen Segovia - 4 stars
If X-O Manowar can't stop the Armor Hunters, maybe Unity can? But even with Bloodshot to bolster their ranks, the Eternal Warrior, Livewire, and Ninjak may have bitten off more than they can chew.

These issues serve more to fill in the gaps that the Armor Hunters series doesn't get to touch on; we see some more of Unity fighting against the Hounds, and the emotional toll that the battle takes on Livewire, as well as some backstory on GIN-GR which I wasn't expecting in this book either. The story does jump around a bit, because it tends to cliffhanger on things that are then followed up in another book, so this one doesn't really stand well on its own, but as part of the Armor Hunters package I'd call it almost essential reading.

There's also some time for some humanization of the characters which I also didn't expect - Ninjak gets a lot of heart put into him, which we haven't see a lot of in his other appearances, while I've already mentioned how good Livewire is. If anything, you'd have thought Kindt might have leaned into the Eternal Warrior's battle expertise a bit more, since he seems a bit superfluous, especially once Bloodshot shows up.

Stephen Segovia's artwork is instantly recognizable from his distinct facial expressions, but he slots himself nicely into the series - there's an almost entirely silent issue that wouldn't work half as well without a good artist, and yet there's no lack of clarity at all.

Armor Hunters: Harbinger - Joshua Dysart + Robert Gill - 3 stars
This three issue mini-series features Generation Zero, as well as Faith and Torque (since the Renegades have kind of broken up at this point), and deals more with the fallout of the main book than anything else, including the recovery effort.

The first thing I noticed about this book was how well it highlights the differences between GenZero and what's left of the Renegades; they may all be psiots, but their upbringing and their relationship with their powers puts them at odds with each other, and the Mexican authorities as the two groups are forced to team up to stop an infestation as a result of the events of the main Armor Hunters book.

This one's hardly essential to the overall story, but it's a fun addition that shows a little more of how the Armor Hunters 'disinfect' the worlds tarnished by the Armors, and since there wasn't an ongoing Renegades book at this point, it would have been nice to see the characters again.

I like Robert Gill's art, but the real star of the show here is Romulo Fajardo on colours, who adds some impressive depth and detail to the proceedings, especially the giant bug monsters. Very, very pretty bug monsters.

Armor Hunters: Bloodshot - Joe Harris + Trevor Hairsine - 3 stars
I was a little confused at first as to why this series exists, since Bloodshot is a main player in both the main Armor Hunters book and the Unity tie-in, so there's a bit of overlap here.

This is mostly just an excuse for Bloodshot to be Bloodshot and murder his way through the Armor Hunters' forces, and it's pretty impressive. It reads a bit like the end of the first Terminator movie, with Bloodshot using whatever he can to take down Lilt and recapture Malgam while escaping the MERO base.

The artwork in this one feels a little rushed and scratchy; I'm not sure what Hairsine was going for, but it doesn't match up to the consistency of the other Valiant books, or even Hairsine's contributions elsewhere. Bloodshot's torso is out of control in certain panels too; he's ripped, but he's not meant to be top heavy.

Like Harbingers, this one's not essential reading, but it's fun.

[Judah Radd · Rating 5 out of 5]

*this review will encompass the main event as well as all tie in TPBs*


This was a spectacular crossover event. Everything felt appropriately built up. The way each player entered the scene was artfully done in a way that maximized excitement, seemed necessary and natural, and didn’t feel like a cheap, exploitative excuse to bludgeon people with recognizable IP.

The main event was a dramatic and high energy masterpiece. The X-O Manowar tie-ins added some much needed world building and context, the Bloodshot tie-ins were straight-up BADASS, Unity was probably the most essential piece outside the main event mini, and the Harbinger book, while good, was probably the weakest addition.

There were many climaxes. It’s great to see Valiant come into it’s own like this, showing that a Valiant event can indeed stand toe to toe with the biggest big two events.

I plan on reading this again. I’d like to own the hardcover that compiles all of these issues, but first I need to arrange more shelf space!

Definitely get into Valiant so you can enjoy this shit!!

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am getting back into Bloodshot, just in time for the movie in early 2020.

I am now reading Bloodshot (2019-) issues 1 and 2.

And thanks to Comixology Unlimited I have access to many of the Bloodshot titles. Most of which I have collected in comic book form (early 90's to just a few years ago). I also have access to the complete Armor Hunter cross-over collections. Next up is and off to several of the other cross-overs like and .

Loved this collection. Plenty of sci-fi Bloodshot action. Looking to catch up and refresh my Bloodshot memories. Just no more goofy little imaginary friends.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's easier to appreciate when read in conjunction with the rest of the Armor Hunters crossover, but it's still just entertaining on a surface-level without much impact. Couldn't imagine this being very easy to follow without being familiar with the rest of the crossover.

Read and reviewed in detail as part of the Armor Hunters: Deluxe Edition.

[47Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story alternates between past events in the Columbian forest where Bloodshot was hiding before Livewire found him and the present battle with the armor hunters. It reads like a Vietnam era story, somehow. Bloodshot is a skilled fighter, adept is all types of weapons, but Malgam is still a challenge.

Lilt, one of the hunters under Reebo, is sent to attack the MERO headquarters with a few hounds. He manages to reach Malgam, but Bloodshot and Capshaw, the leader of MERO, won't allow them to escape easily. Lilt gets killed by the exhaust of a ship, while Malgam manages to find the Vine ship under MERO, his ticket to escape. Bloodshot rewrites the codes that deal with the base's security and the Vine ship, trapping Malgam. I don't know why he didn't do this from the beginning, though it was a fun ride.

[Xavier Marturet · Rating 3 out of 5]

La intervención de Bloodshot en esta saga es fundamental, pero los episodios de este tie-in son más interesantes por la acción que realiza el personaje en relación a otro poseedor de una armadura que será clave en la saga principal.
Lo curioso de cómo se ha construido estos tres capítulos es que se puede leer como historia independiente a la saga, y es todo un punto de agradecer por los seguidores del personaje, que lo re-descubren una vez más con un modo de desenvolverse que casi te obliga a asomarte a su serie regular por su potencial.
El dibujo: excelente.
El guión: genial.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably the weakest part of the Armor Hunters crossover. It's mainly a long drawn-out fight with an alien, followed by a long drawn-out fight with an alien. Worse, it's not really depicted that well. Somewhere between the scratchy art and the muddy plotting the major beats of the fight get confused, leaving something that's not as exciting as it should be. Finally, the flashbacks to the South America jungle don't add anything to the narrative; I was never able to figure out what their point was.

I think many of the problems may have been due to a either a disconnect between the writer and the artwork or between the artist and the writer ... but even then, there just wasn't a lot of plot here.

[Cale · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume fills in some of the side story to Armor Hunters, fleshing out some events from the main series and explaining why Bloodshot isn't involved in some of the major action of the main series. It manages to add to the story without feeling like you're missing out too much on the main series (although there are some plot jumps that get exposition dumps to smooth the way, which isn't ideal). And Bloodshot gets to go overboard with some pretty explosive action sequences. Although the events here are incidental to the main plot, they do add to the story, which is a fine balance to manage for side stories in a crossover. This works better than most.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a three issue action scene that's more fun than the past two volumes of Bloodshot's own series. I'd be down for this creative team taking over the Bloodshot series. Not much happens but it comes off as 80's action movie fun and Bloodshot gets a good one liner in at one point.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good tie-in to Armor Hunters.

My only concern is one of the Armor Hunters dies here in a different fashion than occurred in the mini-series.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little frenetic, and it didn't match up as cleanly to the main crossover book as I would've liked. Mostly I think the problem is that I don't love Bloodshot, though.

[Ritinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depois de um par de trades menos boas, Bloodshot recupera o bom nível do início.
(melhor momento desta época natalícia: Bloodshot com cara de Grinch, depois de levar uma vomitadela do Lilt)