Y'know, I'm half tempted to just stop talking about Valiant's Bloodshot, as each issue is the same-mediocre and dull. I wouldn't wanna come across as a broken record. But believe it or not, there are good issues of this series down the line, which I'll definitely want to talk about. Also, when a series this mediocre lasts on for 54 issues, it gets on my nerves!
Don't get any hopes up about Bloodshot #10 though. It's boring, just like almost everything that's come before.
Superpowered MI6 agent Bloodshot is sent to Vietnam on an assignment by his boss Neville Alcott as a favour to the CIA, who desperately want a drug dealer known as The Rat disposed of. As Bloodshot goes on the hunt in The Rat's tunnel systems (carryovers from the Vietnam War), he starts thinking that not all is what it seems with the CIA's motivations...
This issue is just boring. Barely anything happens, and when you finish it, you're left with an empty feeling. There is one scene at the start that I quite liked, however, pictured below.
The ending is a total anti-climax. Before Bloodshot can even get a chance to fight The Rat, he runs off and is instantly killed by one of his tunnel's booby-traps. It could be fitting if the story was longer (i.e. if the two actually fought, and if The Rat was actually a developed villain), and if it wasn't such a cliche story route to take.
The titular character is a bit of an idiot here. When in The Rat's secret tunnel, he narrates about how the place is likely full of traps, and he'd better be careful. One panel later, and he accidentally sets off a trap! And the only traps he ever comes across are (easy to spot) tensed wire ones. Way to be creative, writer! Another problem with him is how conspicuous the artwork makes him look when he's meant to be incognito.
He just blend right into the shadows!...
The Rat is a crummy villain who amounts to nothing! He gets one especially stupid moment where he says exposition about his evil plans out loud to himself for no reason! Speaking of his evil plans, they're stupid. He plans to get his revenge against Vietnam for winning the war by sending out poisoned drugs. 1, After a while, people are gonna stop using drugs because of this-You're killing off the trade! And 2, if he wants revenge against the whole country, this is just about the slowest way he could do it!
One strange bit of dialogue is in the first scene, pictured above. Since when do Vietnamese say 'don't do nothin''? I didn't know double negatives were a thing outside of English speaking countries. If they actually are, then, huh, you learn something new every day! If not, then this comic is dumb.
Another random odd thing is the dating of the issue, which is simply 'The present'. This is from the day and age where comics felt the need to not only transcribe the date down to the day, as well as the months, but also down to the minutes!
The artwork is mostly pretty good, but the cover's a bit bland. The art's particularly off in one scene, where Jillian Alcott is asking her father about her mother's violent death, and she's smiling! She's not meant to-she's not a closet psycopath, it's just the art screwing up.
Bloodshot #10 is sadly another piece of the continuous disappointment that is this series, and is worth no-one's time and money...
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