Posted in: Comics | Tagged: 4001 ad, bloodshot, Comics, doug braithwaite, entertainment, jeff lemire, valiant

Connecting Bloodshot From 2016 To 4001

Published Mon, 06 Jun 2016 15:00:46 -0500

As Valiant's 4001 A.D. event continues, there are the one-shots focusing on individual characters. Today I got a chance to read 4001 AD: Bloodshot by Jeff Lemire and Doug Braithwaite. The story, for lack of a better term, is the origin of the Bloodshot for that era, but at the same time it's an ending. At this time Ray Garrison has long passed on and there are only the nanites left. They spend some time trying to make a new host then go on about a mission.

This isn't a passing of the torch type story, but rather a continuation. It's self-contained and just being somewhat familiar with the character allows you to enjoy the story. The art is good and consistent, Braithwaite's art has become the way Bloodshot looks for me.

The script here is really interesting and a good read for anyone wanting to get into comics. Lemire tells a linear story that introduces the character to new readers, creates a new dynamic, helps define the landscape of a futuristic Earth and makes you care about both Ray Garrison and Bloodshot all while telling a complete story with a clearly defined beginning, middle and end.

It's not easy to connect the dots on a legacy character, but Lemire and Braithwaite do a very nice job of it.

4001 A.D.: BLOODSHOT #1
Written by Jeff Lemire Art by Doug Braithwaite Covers by Ryan Lee and Cafu

Once upon a time…in the year 4001 A.D… Centuries ago, Bloodshot was the man called Ray Garrison. Now, in the year 4001 A.D., Ray Garrison is no more…but the nanites that once thrived inside him endure still. With their master long since gone, the microscopic machines that once drove Bloodshot through every firefight, healed every wound, and calculated every outcome have one final directive left to execute…but what could it possibly be? And how will the forces of the future react when the infamous man-turned-machine called Bloodshot returns to fight another day?