Bloodshot #3 (Acclaim Comics)

Issue #3 of Acclaim's Bloodshot (a remake of the incredibly mediocre and cliched Valiant property) is a low point in this series, but thankfully it's not bad...

Bloodshot is a man brought back from the dead by a mysterious and sinister organization (the D.O.A.), and now possesses regenerative abilities, and a computer-like mind. He's looking for answers about what and who he is, but unfortunately, as he searches, the D.O.A sends a superpowered hit-squad to take Bloodshot apart...

This is a decent issue. Nothing spectacular, but an entertaining read. It's only an issue long fight scene, but what makes it work are the characters and situation. This is a cat-and-mouse game between two parties who are both more than human, and it's very nifty hearing Bloodshot's computer-like inner-monologue as he works out what's going on and how to combat his attackers. Unfortunately, the computerized speech of the Chainsaw gang is confusing, and thus somewhat annoying.

This issue doesn't get across much character for Bloodshot, but his story arc is partially furthered, so this issue doesn't accomplish nothing.

As for the villains here, they're pretty dull. We know nothing about the Chainsaw gang. They have no personalities, they get killed very quickly (not to say that this is an easy fight though), and as a whole, there's nothing to them. Even what they are is sketchy. Are they computerized superpeople, or just very smart to the point where they bafflingly feel the need to talk like a computer, complete with Less and Greater Than's, computer gibberish, squarks, and numbers?

The writing here is pretty nothing. As this takes place over such a short time, there isn't really much of a plot, and like I said, there's no character gotten across here for anyone. This issue has a surprising lack of the hilariously pretentious dialogue this series usually has, which is both a positive and a negative, as that dialogue, while dumb, is hilarious, and helps Bloodshot stand out. While there's not dialogue of that sort here, there is still some odd lines here and there, such as Bloodshot's elephant parable. There are also a misspelt line, "Either way, this was stupid move", and there's "I'd thought you were dead", which while technically grammatically correct, is still a wonky thing to say, especially in the context it's used in here.

With its lack of much plot, this is most definitely the least intelligent issue of this series,  and it has its share of stupid and annoying scenes. One in the former category is when Bloodshot grabs a few loose bullets and somehow manages to fire them with his hand, and there's a sorta annoying scene where he kills a cat to help himself regenerate. I say kinda because 1, the cat's seemingly feral, and 2, Bloodshot does have a huge hole in his chest, ribs poking out and everything, so I'm hardly going to be that annoyed that the hero killed a feral cat to survive. These aren't issue ruining problems, thankfully. The ending is good, and pretty interesting! It also clears up the whole Reservoir Dogs thing that you'll likely be confused about from last issue.

The artwork here is decent, but pretty cluttered in places. The cover looks stylish and neat, although the washed out blue colouring does detract, even though it does make sense.

Overall, while this isn't bad by any means, it is another skippable issue of Acclaim's Bloodshot...