In 2015, it was announced that Valiant Comics was working to bring some of its bestselling and most violent characters to the big screen. In October 2019, a trailer was released for Bloodshot, staring Vin Diesel as the titular hero, and promising to set the wheels in motion for a film series exploring Valiant’s Harbinger story line. The trailer gave us a good glimpse at what’s to come, but it left us wondering – who exactly is Bloodshot?
Bloodshot first appeared in November 1992, having a brief cameo at the tail end of an issue of Eternal Warrior, before making his full debut appearance in Rai the same month. After his successful introduction, a full comic run of Bloodshot was commissioned and the character was fully developed.
The basic premise of Bloodshot is like a superhero cross-pollination of The Bourne Identity and Frankenstein. Bloodshot is a human-machine hybrid imbued with AI and nanite technology, and a minimal sense of self. The technology that flows through his bloodstream has provided him with incredible powers, including the ability to shape shift and regenerate. His masters, known as Project Rising Spirit, deploy him around the world as the ultimate solider, operating as the “shade of grey that freedom requires”. Before long, events occur which force Bloodshot to confront his missing past, his purpose on the battlefield, and his paymasters.
Valiant Comics, founded in 1989, has had a rocky history. Facing financial issues, the company has been bought out twice, leading to two reboots of the Bloodshot comic, referred to as ‘Volumes’. Volume One is the classic 1992-1993 run, Volume 2 is the 1997 reboot, and Volume 3 was launched in 2012 in a successful effort to create an ongoing franchise and narrative, crossing over with other Valiant names and mixing into the wider ‘Harbinger’ arc.
If you want to get to grips with the character of Bloodshot and his mysterious roots, we’ve put together a comic guide to help you through. Once you’ve got a handle on these, there are dozens of wider titles to explore, expanding out not only Bloodshot’s journey but that of the extended Valiant universe. You’re in for a good time.
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Who is Bloodshot?
1 of 8Bloodshot Classic Omnibus, £75
A warring, deadly man has died, only to be revived as Bloodshot, Project Rising Spirit's nanite enhanced killing machine who knows nothing of life but death. As this Omnibus' name suggests, this collection brings together all of the classic appearances of Bloodshot from 1992 – 1993, including his first appearances in Eternal Warrior and Rai. Amazon.co.uk
2 of 8Bloodshot Volume 2, from £1.79 per issue (Kindle)
1997 saw Bloodshot rebooted. In this arc, Bloodshot finds himself the lab rat in a series of extreme experiments as part of Project Lazarus. During the process, he loses both his memories and his patience, and escapes to embark on a violent quest to unlock his true self. In a welcome and psychedelic choice, Volume 2 sees the nanites flowing through Bloodshot as sentient beings, worshipping their host.This comic run is only available electronically.Amazon.co.uk
3 of 8Bloodshot Definitive Edition Book 1, £16.09
This definitive edition brings together the first adventures of Bloodshot in his Volume 3 reboot. This incarnation of the world's most deadly fighter has been streamlined by the master comic book writer Duane Swierczynski (Birds of Prey) and retells the journey of Bloodshot from solo battlefield tyrant to questioning truth seeker. During his quest for truth, Bloodshot becomes embroiled in a plot that finally accumulates into the deadly and terrible Harbinger Wars. Amazon.co.uk
4 of 8Bloodshot Deluxe Edition Book 2, £16.90
In the wake of the Harbinger Wars, a team forms from the chaos – the H.A.R.D Corps, an active resistance group comprising of tech-enhanced toughies, instituted to overcome the ongoing evil of the Harbinger Foundation and rogues from Project Rising Sprit. In this collection, violence piles on violence and conspiracy on conspiracy, yet this mayhem slowly begins to give way to personal revelations for Bloodshot. Amazon.co.uk
5 of 8Bloodshot Reborn Deluxe Edition, £23.25
In Bloodshot Reborn, we see a new side to the man who was Bloodshot, a shadow of his former self. He's in a self-imposed exile, attempting to make sense of the world and his place within it. That is, until gunmen show up to assassinate him, who bear a striking resemblance to his former self. Amazon.co.uk
6 of 8Bloodshot Salvation Deluxe Edition, £44.99
Despite all of the odds, all of his struggles and his rather severe appearance, Bloodshot has found love. He, his girlfriend and their daughter (who has inherited her father's abilities) have their life throw into turmoil when it transpires that some of their estranged and extended family returns with malicious intent. Bloodshot is forced into a world of violence and criminality once again, but this time, he's fighting for something he loves. Amazon.co.uk
7 of 8Harbinger Wars Compendium, £53.99
If you're looking to get the full picture on the Harbinger Wars ahead of the upcoming film series, this is the collection for you. This tome brings together the Harbinger 0-14, Bloodshot 1-13 (also found in the above Definitive Edition Book 1) and Harbinger Wars 1-4. Amazon.co.uk
8 of 8Bloodshot – The Official Movie Novelisation, £7.99
The ultimate in spoilers - this novelisation of the 2020 movie is written by veteran sci-fi writer Gavin G. Smith and includes an exclusive short story, 'Into the Fire'. Amazon.co.uk
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